Children want the latest gadgets in their inventories. They could care less about the price, practicality, and safety of tech products. It falls upon the parents to consider broader aspects of tech gadgets.
Tech companies aiming at child-customers should not forget that many millennials who grew up in an era of digitization are primary caregivers to children now. Thus, when choosing something tech-related for their kids, they are pretty hands-on and less trusting, giving marketers a hard time in the tech industry.
“The Alpha Generation – today’s kids, are know-it-alls when it comes to perks of tech due to the broad exposure to technologies.”
This exposure has programmed children to expect more of their day-to-day experiences, thus having a strong influence on the parents’ purchasing decisions.
How can marketers walk the tightrope of engaging the children and caregivers alike? Well, a plethora of elements such as ethics and empowerment come into play. Here is a precise guide that covers tips to help you market the tech products to children effectively.
Be Precise
Precision is the key if you want to hook both parents and kids alike, as neither Generation Z nor Generation Alpha has a lot of time on their hands. Research estimates that being a stay-at-home parent is equivalent to a 9 – 5 full-time job, if not more. Modern parents go to offices besides being full-time caregivers to their kids.
Thus, anything that takes up a big chunk of their attention might not be worth their attention at all. Marketers must use tactics such as presenting the core message at the beginning of the advertisement post, be it a video or a billboard.
Using catchy colors and taglines to trap the onlookers’ attention and using shocking statistics at the beginning can also close the deal for you. Other effective marketing strategies include pinning posts on social media pages and writing catchy content with colorful verbs and adjectives.
It is the goal of every marketer to make his or her content go viral. Hooking the kids can be easy; however, the ultimate decision is of the caregivers. Therefore, creating content shows consistency is more important, especially when trying to reach out to parents.
Focus on the Positive
Blame their protective nature; the Gen-Z parents will initially spot the worst in technology. No matter the perks and advantages of a tech product, parents will always manage to find a horror story for every tech category. Some parents take the most plain of software insecurities at heart.
In contrast, others feel weary of the increasing electronic influence on their kids. These valid reasons make marketers more challenging. They are now likely to produce content that would overlap the parental concerns, such as python for kids.
Devising a marketing strategy that emphasizes the positives of the tech products can help companies counter the objections. For instance, highlighting the influence of tech devices on children’s creativity or gadgets’ role in their education is critical for effective marketing. Once you encourage the parents to see the positives, they will consider your products.
Buzz or Street Marketing
The challenge for marketers aiming at children is to cut through the thick advertising clutter in the younger generation’s lives. Many industries use ‘buzz marketing’ – a new technique that focuses on the word-to-mouth method. The idea of buzz marketing focuses on targeting the ‘coolest kids’ on the block and gets them to use your products.
Consequently, they will spread the word, creating a ‘buzz’ for it. Also known as ‘street marketing,’ it can help companies sell off their products to a younger audience without putting much effort into conventional marketing campaigns. It can help companies to connect to teen markets by enticing young people into buying tech products.
Commercialization in Education
Schools are being used as a medium to deliver advertisements and consumer messages to children. It used to be the only place safe from the web of marketing. However, budget shortfalls are forcing educational institutions to allow the company’s access to the kids in exchange for monetary funding.
Corporations realize the impact of the school environment on the children and use it to their advantage. Marketers use this medium in many ways, such as by sponsoring educational material in exchange for brand visibility. It includes supplying schools with tech gadgets such as computers and other smart devices. This practice is likely to hit the mark as parents believe in the schools’ ‘infallibility.’
Other outside-school marketing practices include school bus advertisements. Covering school bus exteriors with posters or visiting the bus to distribute free gadget manuals has been quite prevalent lately. It not only lures the kids in but also succeeds to get parents’ attention.
Highlight Security Features
Parents will never compromise their kids’ well-being for some fly-by-night company with attractive advertisements. With technology comes its dark side: online predators, data breaches, phishing frauds, and whatnot; all of these are valid reasons to create a buttoned-up and consistent campaign to demonstrate competence.
It is becoming essential for marketers to highlight security features when marketing tech products for children for obvious reasons. Be it social media marketing, or street marketing, make it a point to opt for an optimistic approach. It should include shedding light on the product’s security features and winning you the game by effectively convincing the parents to trust your products.
Conclusion
With parents on a witch-hunt for ways to limit their kid’s screen time, it can prove to be quite a task to convince them to purchase digital devices for their kids. The cyber-crime rate is growing day by day.
Like most parents today are millennials, marketers have to devise carefully marketing strategies. It would take the kids by surprise and drive away from the caregiver’s attention from the dark side of technology.
