Doing It for the Kid(fluencer)s: How Brands Can Ethically Engage in the Digital Kids’ Market

Influencer marketing is on the rise for brands wanting to engage with young children and their families. YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter are home to a vast array of content creators who reach millions of children under the age of 13. And many brands are taking it even one step further by adding teenage influencers, or “kidfluencers,” to their marketing strategies—just look at Band-Aid, CoverGirl and Target. It’s all about relatability. In fact, the youngest member on Forbes’ World's Highest-Paid YouTube Stars list for 2017 made an estimated $11 million last year, and he is still in elementary school. His channel, Ryan ToysReview, boasts more than 10 million subscribers. According to PwC’s Kids Digital Advertising Report 2017, the under-13 digital media market is currently seeing 25 percent year-on-year growth. Kids are an important demographic for marketers not only because of their impact on their parents’ buying decisions, but also as future adult consumers. Engaging, without pushing it The opportunity is clearly there for brands, but many struggle to appropriately engage with this specific audience of young children and their families. When it comes to kid(fluencer)s, the rules of the game change. Over the past two years, many companies have come under fire for using influencer marketing to target kids. For this young audience, influencer marketing comes with several obstacles, all of which brands must consider (and perfect) in order to do it in an ethical way. So how can brands get it right, without pushing it too far? Absolute safety and transparency When it comes to creating content for kids, it’s essential for parents to feel confident that what they’re seeing is kid-friendly and authentic. Safety and transparency should be keywords for brands exploring this arena. This means that content creators must be clear with their audiences if videos include any kind of paid promotion (#spon #ad). As a brand, being aware of the risks of not complying with Federal Trade Commission regulations is your responsibility. And communicating this to your ambassadors should be a key part of your collaboration. YouTube gives its users an opportunity to create and share their own content. Because of this, you can never be sure that what one user’s account deems as kid-friendly is going to meet a parent’s standard of appropriateness. With sponsored content, however, it is often reviewed and confirmed by an agency and can therefore give parents some peace of mind knowing that what their child is watching is suitable. Transparency laws and regulations are helping to make a parent’s job easier in controlling online safety. Parents rule If you want to engage with an under-13 audience, understanding their parents is essential. This means that you’re not only creating content for kids, you’re also creating it for parents—two different target audiences, each with their own platforms and content consumption behavior. While the use of social media spans across both parent and child generations, the way they use it differs. Research has revealed that children start surfing the web at the age of two and spend a significant amount of time watching online media in place of typical television—we’re talking cartoons, educational shows and unboxing videos, and mostly on YouTube. This activity grows with age. Conversely, YouTube analytics show that the parent age bracket (35 through 55) is the fastest-growing viewer segment, with beauty, lifestyle and travel vlogs being the most watched. Moreover, 62 percent of mothers today use social media websites multiple times per day, with Facebook and Instagram topping the charts. With the growth of “Mommy” and “Lifestyle” blogs, it is clear that these women are seeking out information about parenting specifically. Even though kids might find unboxing videos on YouTube to be the greatest thing since Nutella, it’s the authentic, human-to-human reviews that will resonate with parents. So, brands, consider a content plan that speaks to both audiences on the right platforms. The understanding that kids know what kids want Brands must step away from what they think they already know and embrace the idea that kids get other kids. This is where the kidfluencer comes in. Brands must work closely with the young talent they bring on board, and their parents, to ensure that sponsored content reaches maximum efficiency and authenticity. Nothing else goes when it comes to engaging a targeted kids’ audience. A great way to do so is for brands to involve a kidfluencer and their parental guardian in the brainstorm process. Ask them what they love about your product and what they think their audience want to see. Is it an unboxing video? Or perhaps a vlog that demonstrates how they use it in the context of their everyday life? Influencers know your audience better than you do, no matter how young they are. Listen to their input, and who knows: Perhaps you’ll come up with a whole new product idea together, or the opportunity for them to co-create a product with you. Be open to their input and you may be pleasantly surprised. Build to last Finally, brands must get it right from the start when working with young influencers. Building long-term relationships is key and results in a better quality of content and a higher level of engagement with young consumers. Why? Because creators feel that they are part of your brand—and a trusted part at that. It also comes down to the fact that they are children, and giving their family the space and time to create quality content will pay off in the long run. Short-term, transactional campaigns appear more commercial and lose their authenticity. There is definitely a wrong way to go about working with influencers in the digital kids’ market. The most important thing is to keep safety and well-being at the forefront of our minds. However, it’s important that we give this high-potential audience a voice in today’s consumer landscape. Creativity, open-mindedness, positivity and a desire to share their voices are there for brands. Use it carefully. Emilie Tabor is co-founder and chief marketing officer at influencer marketing agency IMA.