Marketing has long been debated as either an investment, or cost to almost all businesses, agnostic of industry. However, we’re increasingly seeing proof it’s the former.

From a company bio, product design, or partnership with an influencer, everything that communicates with your consumer is a marketing decision that impacts a brand’s future. Growth can be seen as stagnant if businesses are not laser-focused on long-term consumer acquisition in order to drive sales. That can be through memorable delivery, outstanding creative or customer insights, which is what we do at KidsKnowBest to ensure we put kids’ voices and opinions at the centre of all the work. Doing this ensures that the marketing activity we do for our clients align with their aims and objectives.

So, how can organisations better measure the effectiveness of their marketing spend? We like to let the data do the talking. Our most successful projects are ones where we’re able to apply a subtle blend of both instinct and data that informs our intuition, whilst validating our assumptions. It’s more about fostering a culture that inspires less of the ‘we think’ and more of ‘the data tells us’.

We’re in a world of constant innovation and exploration and by not sticking to our ethos of giving kids a voice, brands run the risk of falling out of favour – or worse yet, not reaching their consumers at all. Listening is not only critical to learning, but the thoughts and opinions of kids – and equally their parents – enables us to responsibly navigate our partners through an ever-changing and fragmented digital landscape, in both an entertaining and educational capacity.

I believe the truest measure of effective marketing is when the conversations and impact made is felt outside of the marketing sphere. The ‘marketing mix’ is not defined, nor should it be, and we take pride in no project we undertake ‘repeating the wheel’.

Keeping constant tabs on how kids view the world around us, in an ever-changing and challenging environment is imperative. The recent uncontrolled growth of digital engagement proves both a prosperous, yet apprehensive challenge for brands operating in the kid’s media industry. However, one thing is certain – businesses should never lose sight of the importance of listening to their core audience. The kids.

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This day is going to be etched into the history books and – although the past year has been difficult for the retail sector – I believe for forward-thinking brands and businesses, there’s been some positive outcomes.

It’s no surprise lockdown led to a huge shift of consumers moving to digital: online share of retail sales rose from 19.4% in 2019 to 26.2% in 2020. This got me thinking… With the rise of digital retail, what place is there for bricks and mortar retail?

Firstly, I wanted to look at what the digital-only players are doing. Amazon is certainly the flag-bearer here, but even they are now moving into bricks and mortar with the launch of their first grab-and-go store in Ealing. They know the power of a real-life retail experience that sits alongside a digital one.

There’s also ASOS. They’ve acquired Topshop and Miss Selfridge, which are probably the most popular brands of a generation. Rightly these takeovers don’t include their bricks and mortar stores, but I predict that when the world opens up, they will be thinking about building a consumer presence on the High Street and in shopping malls. Even a digital-only brand must consider the power of finding people where they are.

Thirdly, there’s the darling of social media, Gymshark. An incredible brand with an incredible story. They dominate the digital space. But guess what? In February 2020, they opened a brick-and-mortar store in London’s Covent Garden. Who knows how that would have panned out pre-pandemic?

There is a place for both in this world, and more brands need to embrace digital transformation to get the balance right. The brands that haven’t got there yet are the ones that don’t understand the shift in consumer trends and how crucial digital is to survival in today’s world.

So which brands are doing digital transformation right?

To me, in our sector, the stand-out is Smyths Toys Superstores – they embraced digital and it’s paying off. They know how digital fits in the consumer journey to ensure they are reaching them at various touchpoints for efficient engagement.

I also admire Nike. They have changed the game in how they continue to build their brand. I read Shoe Dog by Phil Knight and they’ve been on an incredible journey. They have moved from selling via third parties to going direct-to-consumer. This strategy ensured they would continue to build their market share and remain the market leader. Fellow sportswear giant Adidas are now following suit, as they’ve recently announced investing $1 billion in digital transformation with the hope to increase direct-to-consumer sales 50% by 2025.

But let’s not forget the Nike store on Oxford Street. When they opened the flagship experience store in 1999, it quickly became the epicentre of youth culture. Today, thanks to their balance of retail and digital experiences, they will only grow.

Another streetwear fashion brand that is really engaging with youth culture right now is FootAsylum. They have turned into a content powerhouse, as their YouTube channel has almost a million subscribers and is growing rapidly. They also regularly publish content on TikTok to reach their audience where they are and speak to them on their level.

They launched an awesome Christmas ad that played on the generational gap by smartly using talent like Young Filly, Chunkz and Ameila Dimoldeng alongside Harry Redknapp with a statement that “tradition is boring”. It really demonstrated to me how well they understand their consumers and their digital lives.

The final brand I admire is Charlotte Tilbury. The pandemic has destroyed the beauty industry, but with virtual experiences and consultations, they are trying to build new habits and a new following.

I believe the world has a long way to go to find the perfect balance between online and bricks and mortar. What we will see is enhanced user experiences on digital platforms that boost engagement and encourage longer shopping times, like you would have in-store.

And on the flip side, you will see a shift in how stores are designed and what the shopping experience is. Think of it more as ‘retailtainment’.

The future is certainly here, and I am very excited to see who is leading the innovation on both sides of the coin.

The post Brands and the shopping experience appeared first on Brands Untapped.

We caught up with Joel Silverman, CEO and Co-Founder of KidsKnowBest, to find out more about how the firm is working with brands to help them understand, create and reach their ideal audience.

Hi Joel! To kick us off, for anyone new to KidsKnowBest, what do they need to know?
KidsKnowBest is the fastest growing creative agency in the UK. Everything about us is informed by data. We have been working with the largest toy and media companies in the world over the past four years and we’ve helped them build stronger brands by understanding an audience that we believe is vastly underserved; kids.

We put kids at the heart of everything we do. There is no point in creating something for an audience with the presumption it will just work. Speak to the kids, engage with them, understand them but above all, explain to them how much value they bring to the world.

Absolutely; makes a lot of sense. How did you start the company, and were brands always set to be a big part of the business?
The company actually started out four years ago to become a publisher – the original idea was to build ‘TripAdvisor For Kids’. Rob, our co-founder, actually can take full credit for the idea – thank you Rob!

We felt there was a distinct lack of reviews for kids’ products, by kids. Everything was written by a 40-year-old man or woman with a presumption of what kids would like or dislike. We wanted to change that.

The model didn’t work as 2016 was too late to join the publishing party, but we learnt, pivoted and grew. We always felt engaging with brands would be a huge part of our business. To be honest, until 2016/17 I had no clue what a licence was. I am now fascinated and can see what a huge role they play in our eco-system.

How does KidsKnowBest engage with brand owners? What should they be reaching out to work with you on?
We currently work with brands in a range of ways, right from early-stage research. We know that brands spend a lot of time in R&D and nothing is more important than creating the right IP or product. We like to minimise the risk there and make sure they’re onto a winner, so we offer quant and qual, through our brilliant research team.

Once we have constructed the research – let’s say the kids think it is going to be the biggest hit in the world – the next stage is to work full service, from creative strategy all the way through to distribution on digital. We like to take full responsibility for the great and good.

There is no point in creating a beautiful ad, if we don’t have the opportunity to amplify it to the target audience and help drive sales. It is so important that we become partners on that journey. That being said, we can work on just one piece of the journey – we just want to make a difference and help brands understand, create and reach their audience and goals.

In terms of the brands you work with, and are looking to collaborate with, are you focused on character-based brands, or should the food, car, heritage sectors be reaching out to?
Good question! At the moment it is character led brands. My actual dream client would be Unilever – I would love to help them launch a new product from research right through to amplification.

I like to think that every industry needs to understand the future consumer, and we can help there. If you use travel for instance, why wouldn’t the travel world want to understand what would excite a child about going to their resort? We believe we can help everyone that wants to understand this unique and special age.

We’re all about creative design here at Brands Untapped; why do you think creativity and great design should be at the heart of brand extensions and licensed product?
Creativity helps stand out from the crowd. In a fast-moving social world, we know that everything should be thumb-stopping. How can you grab attention without a brilliant creative and a brilliant partnership? There is no point in sticking a brilliant IP on a product for the sake of it… A consumer has to buy into the reasoning behind it and the reasons they tie in together.

On that, is there a recent licensed launch that you think is particularly smart?
I think in our space, I can’t help but admire Pokémon. I always look at their collabs and I think they are brilliant. It’s the same with LEGO and Adidas.

HYPE has just launched a collection with Sesame Street for both adults and kids, which is really exciting and I’ll definitely be buying!

In fashion, how can you not admire what Gucci have done? Them and NorthFace are pretty cool. Being a massive watch geek, Bamford used to do a collab with Rolex that was beautiful!

Finally, how do you stay creative?
I used to be a hairdresser, so I actually stay creative by still cutting and styling hair when I can. It’s like a rush and the creative juices get flowing. Obviously, I am always inspired by others’ work. I like to read and watch anything and everything I can in the ad world.

Brilliant! Thanks for this Joel – always a pleasure to catch up!

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