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Clients who want to reach out to fami-
lies of school-aged children and babies are
competing with television and the internet
for the attention of their target audiences.
Those same influences—or at least the con-
tent delivered—can serve as inspiration when
selecting products for your client’s campaign.
Ken Laffer, MAS, president of Westbury,
New York distributor Motivators Inc.
(UPIC: MOTIVATORS), says prospective
clients with a target audience of young chil-
dren, or parents of young children, will find
trendy items more appealing. “I think the
industry leans heavily on classics; trendy
items are generally licensed products.”
Of course, licensed products do add to
the bottom line, and, says Laffer, “we can’t
imprint something that’s licensed. But we
can do a value-add such as packaging or a
custom tag or label.”
Regardless of a product’s status as a
trendsetter or perennial favorite, Laffer says
product safety should always be part of the
discussion. “It should be age-appropriate,
something of value, and compliant,” he says.
“We have a program where we send a kit to
new mothers who work at our client’s com-
pany. The kit contains an [infant bodysuit]
and a silver, engraved spoon.”
To ensure a successful campaign or pro-
gram, Laffer says the focus should be a balance
between appealing to parents of young children
and to the children themselves. Additionally, he
suggests tying a theme into a product, rather
than the other way around. “Back in to the
theme, and try to find something that’s fun and
speaks to the theme,” he says.
Jen Alexander is an associate editor for
PPB.
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42 •
PPB
• OCTOBER 2015
GROW
MARKET TO MARKET
HE OLD SONG ABOUT LOVE and marriage could easily become one
about children and parents, because when it comes to promotional marketing,
you definitely “can’t have one without the other.” A successful campaign means
appealing to grown-up sensibilities as well as the youthful pursuit of trends.
T
KIDS THESE DAYS
GREAT CHILDREN’S PRODUCTS REEL IN THE PLAYGROUND
SET, BUT IT ALSO PAYS TO MARKET TO MOM AND DAD.
By Jen Alexander