Kids Marketing Report articles from April 2000

Kids Marketing Report archives from April 2000

Kids' food blasted again.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Most food marketed or children it junk, according to a new report published hr the hand Commission. The report found that for every healthy product targeted at children, another 10 'nutritional disasters are waiting in the wings. The...

Gameplay rebrands for Euro growth.(Gameplay.com PLC)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Games portal Gameplay has announced an extensive rebranding and repositioning exercise as it focuses on tackling new markets and new technologies with a view to retaining its leadership, position in Europe. A new corporate identity and...

UN AD FOR TBWA.(United Nations Children's Fund signs contract with TBWA GGT Simons Palmer)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2000... United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) has appointed TBWA GGT Simons Palmer to handle an advertising campaign worth [pound]64m. TBWA beat M&C Saatchi after a final pitch to develop a coherent brand and campaign ahead of a UN conference on...

SWEET DISPLAY.(Sweet Factory Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Pick 'n' mix retailer Sweet Factory has unveiled prototypes of its latest range of display equipment. A spokesman for the firm said that the equipment would be rolling out to the company's seven standalone stores.

WALSH WOWS 'EM.(Walsh Trott Chick Smith)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Walsh Trott Chick Smith has scooped the [pound]5m account for the Unilever-backed teenage girl's web site Wowgo.com. The site launch will be backed by above- and below-the-line advertising with buying handled by Initiative Media.

CAMP RENAMED.(Ace Computer Camps UK becomes ComputerCamp)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Ace Computer Camps UK, the UK arm of the US summer holidays group, is to be renamed ComputerCamp using an identity created by Manchester consultancy Head First.

GREY BERRIES.(Grey Advertising Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Grey is set to relaunch the Ribenaberries, after a three year absence, as part of [pound]m campaign to promote SmithKline Beecham's Ribena Toothkind.

SOCCER TO THE MAX.(PepsiCo Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Pepsi has signed a [pound]100,000 deal to sponsor a UK five-a-side championship through its Pepsi Max brand. Fifteen thousand teams are expected to compete in the event which will culminate in televised final at Hackney Marshes in London.

ADS FOR IRN-BRU.(AG Barr's soft drink brand)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2000... Irn-Bru, the AG Barr owned soft drink brand, s launching its first national advertising campaign. The drink is currently Scotland's best-selling soft drinks brand but only has a 32% share England and Wales.

Hygienic agenda for kids.(Kysen Design's characters in food hygiene education in UK schools)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Kysen Design has created a series of characters for the Health Education Authority (HEA) in a bid to teach primary school children about food hygiene. Safe- T and the H squad star in a themed educational pack which is to be delivered to...

Pearson buys Dorling Kindersley.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2000... Pearson, the media company which owns the Financial Times and produces the soap opera Neighbours, has bought beleagured publisher Dorling Kindersley (DK) in a deal worth [pound]311m. Pearson will take on Dorling Kindersley's [pound]51m debt....

Learning online is revolutionised.(iLearn.To, web site)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2000... A new online learning site, iLearn.To, aims to revolutionise the way children educate themselves online. The firm is offering instant access to a huge range of courses, both academic and leisure-related, which it claims will allow users to...

Like a bolt from the blue.(Bolt.com web site to be launched in UK)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2000... Bolt, a US community web site for 15-20 year olds, is set to roll out into the UK. The youth site offers a variety of service including chat rooms, message boards, snippets of celebrity news, hotoscopes, an arena to post creative writing, a...

Schoolsnet has official launch date.(Schooolsnet)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Schoolsnet, the education portal, which was founded by father and son team Greg and 17-year-old Tom, Hadfield, will officially launch on 3 May. The portal secured [pound]5.75m worth of funding from regional media group NewsQuest and technology...

Itsy bitsy celebrates fifth birthday.(Entertainment Co.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... The itsy bitsy Entertainment Company has recently had much to celebrate. The firm has just clocked up five years in the licensing industry and two of the characters which it represents in the US have been nominated for Daytime Emmy Awards....

MATTRESS VENTURE.(Link, Egmont Imagination, Harvest Firms join, Hamilton Mattress, motion picture venture)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Link, Egmont Imagination and Harvest Firms have confirmed that they will work together on their latest project Hamilton Mattress. Link Entertainment and Egmont are to handle TV and video rights, Link Licensing will handle merchandising rights...

PACKAGING AWARDS.(The Institute of Packaging Schools Starpack Awards 2000)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... The Institute of Packaging Schools Starpack Awards 2000 attracted 515 entries from 92 schools across the country this year.

LEISURE AT SEA.(Leisurehouse account for Six Sea Life Centres)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Leisurehouse has been appointed by Merlin and Britt Allcroft to create a Captain Pugwash themed play area within six Sea Life Centres located in Blackpool, Birmingham, Brighton, Weymouth Scarborough and Great Yamouth.

WOWED BY DESIGN.(Rian Hughes appointment)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... WOWGO, the new web site for teenage girls, has appointed Rian Hughes as its visual environment architect. Hughes will create the visual and environmental features of Wowgo.com.

MERCIER MANIACS.(Mercier Gray Micro Maniacs advertising)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Mercier Gray has created a new advertising campaign for PlayStation game, Micro Maniacs, The campaign includes television, print and poster advertisements.

GREAT APPOINTMENT.(Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's contract with Licensing by Design)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2000... Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity has appointed Licensing by Design as its professional fundraising partner in its annual bid to raise [pound]12m.

AGENT WINS FOR KIPPER.(ValueImage Plus)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... HIT Consumer Products has appointed ValueImage Plus as merchandising agent for Bob the Builder and Kipper in Taiwan and Hong Kong. It has also appointed Ellipse Licence Germany as merchandising agent for Kipper in Germany, Austria and...

LOGISTIX IN HONG KONG.(Logistix Kids Worldwide)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Logistix Kids Worldwide has opened an office in Hong Kong, Logistix Kids Hong Kong.

BEANO AND BURGERS.(McDonald's Corp.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... McDonald's is to run its first ever Happy Meal promotion with The Beano. The promotion is set to run for three weeks from 12 May.

SUPANET KIDS.(contract with Kids Domain)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Kids Domain, the kids' site run by gaming magazine Games Domain, has won an exclusive deal to provide content for portal Supanet. Supanet is the favoured ISP of Time Computers.

COPY SABRINA.(Copyright Promotions Ltd, Viacom Consumer Products)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Copyright Promotions Limited has been appointed by Viacom Consumer Products to represent the firm's Sabrina character in the UK.

STATIC GAMING SITE.(Static 2358)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Static 2358 has introduced PlayJam, a global games service designed for all interactive media. The site will offer players range of free games which are easy to play and will provide players with the opportunity to win prizes.

RANSOM ROM'S.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
April 1, 2000... Ransom Publishing has launched a range of affordable children's CD-ROM's based around the famous Little Monsters characters. The titles are intended to teach the core topics of literacy and numeracy to Children aged three to seven.

TWEENIES CDS.(Nykris Digital Design, BBC Multimedia)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Nykris collaborated with BBC Multimedia to create a Tweenies CD-ROM. The product is entitled Tweenies: Ready to Play and supports National Curriculum teaching.

COKE IN ITALY.(Coca Cola to launch Minute Maid fruit juice)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2000... Coca-Cola is to launch its fruit juice Minute Maid in Italy. Initially it will only be available to the catering trade. An estimated [pound]2,8m advertising campaign through Leo Burnett will support the launch.

SMA WONDER.(CIA Medianetwork International gets SMA Nutrition account)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... CIA Medianetwork UK has picked up the [pound]4m media planning and buying account for baby milk manufacturer SMA.

Fox localises its web sites.(Fox Kids Europe)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Fox Kids Europe is set to relaunch its web ventures as an interactive kids community. The pan-European broadcaster, which owns the rights to cartoon characters such as Woody the Woodpecker, the Power Rangers and Pokemon in some markets, will...

Apology for boycotting Barnardo's.(The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP),)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), the advertising advisory body, has issued an unreserved apology to Barnardo's after encouraging newspapers to boycott the children's charity's recent advertising campaign. The ad campaign has...

Blockbuster pushes DVDs.(Blockbuster Entertainment Group, Sony Corp., digital video disks)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Blockbuster Entertainment, the home-video giant, is said to be in talks with Sony about the possibility of linking its DVD sales and rental business to the launch of Sony's PlayStation 2 console. Blockbuster is said to be pushing for a...

Boys are still mad about football.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Football remains the dominant sport among boys of all ages, from both player and spectator viewpoints, and girls are increasingly participating in the game as players, according to latest research into the sporting preferences of 21000 six to...

Fanta to be boosted by 'house of fun' teen marketing initiative.(Coca-Cola Co. (Atlanta, Georgia))(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Coca-Cola has intensified its assault on the UK market with the launch of its latest venture designed to boost its Fanta brand. The new venture offers teenagers the opportunity to win a 48-hour break in a Fanta branded house in a secret...

PRE-SCHOOL HAND OVER.(Hasbro Inc preschool acount to Griffin Bacal Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Hasbro is rumoured to have dissolved its relationship with TBWA GGT Simons Palmer and handed its pre-school account, estimated at [pound]4m, to Griffin Bacal.

CARLTON CRAZY.(Carlton Communications PLC)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Carlton has announced the signing of several deals which were done at MIP TV recently. Pre-school show Dream Street is set to air in Taiwan with Astar, in Canada with TV Ontario and in France on the Disney Channel. The launch of Thunderbirds in...

OCTOPUS IN KELLOGG'S AD.(from J Walter Thompson)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... J Walter Thompson has created Okto, an animated octopus who stars in a new ad for Kellogg's variety packs. The ad represents the first commercial for the brand in six years.

BOUNTY BE GOOD.(Bounty SCA launches teaching materials for teens)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2000... Bounty SCA, best known for its packs for expectant mothers, is launching into the teens market with a portfolio of sponsored teaching materials to support the personal, social and health education and citizenship curriculum for 11 to 16 years...

COLA WARS.(Edge Creative axed by Coca-Cola Co. (Atlanta, Georgia))(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Coca-cola has axed in-house agency Edge Creative and has set the scene for Leo Burnett and McCann-Erickson to battle it out for the additional [pound]113m worth of business.

POKEMON TO GO.(Burger King Corp.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Burger King is shipping additional Pokemon merchandise to the UK from the US after interest in its promotion far exceeded expectation over the Easter weekend.

ATTIC ATTACK.
April 1, 2000... Attic Future is set to launch a new title said to be for teens.

Out-of-home children's parties should cater for kids and parents.
April 1, 2000... Parents happy to employ 'experts' to entertain their offspring. Camille West The average child's birthday party requires planning of military precision. The arrival, feeding and entertainment of 20, boisterous and potentially fighting...

Publishers of children's books need to maximise 'all' media exposure.(Column)
April 1, 2000... Justin Somper urges Publishers of kids' books to muscle in on the mainstream media Absolutely everyone should be interested in children's books. Why? Firstly, children's books are immensely entertaining. You don't need to be a child or a...

When it comes to selling children's books the end user is all important.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Knowing what makes kids tick is key to selling books to them. Over the last few months we've been conducting research into marketing to children. The aim of the work was to get close to children's needs and motivations. From the results it...

Tweens -- the new kids on the block.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... The Marketing Store Worldwide on why marketers ignore 'tweens' at their peril Not too long ego, the number of divisions of the consumer universe was a mere four or five. Today's fragments, however, are infinitesimal by comparison. And as...

Brands need to 'feel right' to appeal to today's increasingly fickle youth.(Brief Article)(Column)
April 1, 2000... So how do brands go about ensuring they 'feel right'? lan Pierpoint offers his advice Once brands were gazed upon lovingly as we span around them, us the satellites to their glorious moons. We used to believe it, brands, and by believe I...

Baby products remain buoyant.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Organic products and milk show growth whilst sales of disposable nappies drop off The value of the baby products market remained fairly static over the last year, with only a slight dip of 0.6% to [pounds]869m, in 1999. Most sectors of the...

TWEENIES ON A ROLL.(BBC Worldwide Ltd. licensing)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... BBC Worldwide Licensing reports that the licensing programme for Tweenies is continuing to grow with over 40 licensees now on board.

ANGELA ANACONDA TALKING ADSHELS.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2000... Cartoon Network is advertising the new TV series, Angela Anaconda through an innovative advertising campagin involving interactive posters at 1700 adshels which play five different sound bites from the new series.

DEBENHAMS SWEET SUGAR DEAL.(Sugar, teen magazine, contract for line of clothing with Debenhams)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Top selling teen girl mag, Sugar has announced that it has signed a deal with Debenhams, for Debenhams to produce a range or Sugar-branded clothes. It will trial for three months in 20 stores and then extend to 40 stores across the UK.

THUNDERBIRDS RELAUNCH.(Carlton Consumer Products)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Carlton Consumer Products has confirmed that the digitally remastered series of Thunderbirds will be screening on BBC2 from the autumn. There are 30 licensees on board with a range of product lanching in time for Christmas 2000.

COPCO COPS HARRY ENFIELD.(Copco introduces Harry Enfield's first film, Kevin and Perry Go Large)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Copco reports that it is handling licensing for Harry Enfield's first film. 'Kevin & Perry Go Large'. It also reports that it is pleased with the success of 'Humphrey's Corner'.

BEANOLAND AT CHESSINGTON.(Beanoland to open at Chessington World of Adventures Ltd., U.K.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... CPL is pleased to report the opening of 'Beanoland' at Chessington World of Adventures with lots of fun to be had on Rodger The Dodger's Dodgems, Billy's Whizzer Waveswinger, Splatapaults and a live action stunt show. CPL has also linked up...

WILL SMITH SIGNS FOR MIB2.(sequel to Men in Black)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Following much speculation, Will Smith has confirmed that he has signed up for the sequel to Men in Black and is extremely pleased with a recent copy of script that he has seen which involves the MIB fighting aliens - but this time in outer...

NEW DIRECTOR FOR HARRY POTTER.(Chris Columbus)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Following Steven Spielberg's decision not to direct the first Harry Potter film. 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'. Chris Columbus has now signed up to direct. However, because of complex effects shots and casting delays, the film may...

MATTEL MASTER ANGELINA BALLERINA.(HIT Entertainment PLC licenses Mattel Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... HIT Entertainment is pleased to announce that Mattel has been appointed master toy licensee for Angelina Ballerina and that product development is well underway.

MICHELIN RACE OF CHAMPIONS GAME.(LMI introduces interactive game, Michelin Race of Champions, Playstation)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... LMI reports that the official interactive game of Michelin Race of Champions is released on PC CD-Rom on 14 April, following by a Playstation release on the 28 April. www.Imi.networks.co.uk.

A beginner's guide to the world of licensing.(terminology)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Ken Kemp continues to explain basic licensing terms Having set the scence in my previous article, as promised, I move on to look at some of the terminology and definitions which are likely to be encountered in a standard licensing contract....

Children's licensing properties are changing at the speed of light.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Licensors need to respond to increasingly brand literate kids. Caroline Mickler reports Having been in the licensing industry for a few years, let's not be specific, I remember the time when at 11 or 12 kids had birthday parties with jelly...

NEW BRANDS TRACK: DECEMBER 1999-FEBRUARY 2000.(Kellogg Co.; Bensons Crisps PLC and Woolworths Ltd.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... The three new products asked about in New Brands Track, part of Carrick James monthly national omnibus survey among 7-14 year olds were Kellogg's Crispix breakfast cereal, Beano snacks (Bensons), and Funky Stuff -- inflarable furniture etc...

UK TOP 10 TOYS BY UNIT & STERLING SALES FEBRUARY 2000.(Pokemon)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Looking at the above tables, you would be hard pushed to argue that Pokemon has not well and truly arrived. Virtually every newspaper, magazine and TV show has made reference to it in some way over the last few weeks. A recent news report...

Pokemon attracts most children viewers.(in UK)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2000... With the Easter launch of the Pokemon movie on the horizon, viewing figures for children's television programmes in March reflect the strength of the growing Pokemon phenomenon here in the UK. The programme dominates the top 25 children's...

BERNARD MATTHEWS Bernard Matthews Dinosaurs and Drummers.(frozen poultry products launched)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Bernard Matthews has extended its range of children's breaded shaped frozen poultry products into fresh poultry, which the company describes as a small but growing sector. poultry products Brand manager: Kim Burgess Design:...

BERNARD MATTHEWS Mini Kievs.(frozen poultry products launched)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
April 1, 2000... poultry products Bernard Matthews is extending its Mini Kievs, made from turkey with a cheese and herb filling in a crispy coating, from frozen to fresh foods. The company claims that the frozen type has beer the biggest selling item on...

BIRDS EYE WALL'S.(new potato products)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Tom and Jerry Potato Faces potato products Birds Eye has enlisted classic cartoon characters Tom and Jerry to front its added value potato product. Tom and Jerry Potato Faces are crispy shapes fashioned from mashed potato. The...

BOOKER.(launches new product)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
April 1, 2000... Booker chocolate countlines Booker has launched its own range of impulse chocolate bars. The new own-label products are Caramel Choc-Full (soft nougat, caramel and milk chocolate), Peanut Choc-Full (soft nougat, caramel with peanuts...

EASTBROOK FARM.(launches organic food products)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Helen Browning's Totally Organic organic convenience products Eastbrook Farm has launched range of organic convenience products aimed specifically at children. The range comprises organic lamb, pork and beef cakelets and organic...

GOLDEN WONDER.(to launch new product)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
April 1, 2000... Wotsits Wafflers savoury impulse snacks Golden Wonder is to spend [pound]1m on the launch of Wotsits Wonders -- a brand extension of its Wotsits brand. The target consumer of the product is 11-15 year olds. Support for the launch...

HORIZON BISCUITS.(to launch new product)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
April 1, 2000... Maryland Cookies with Jammy Bits biscuits The UK's leading cookie brand, Maryland is to launch Maryland Cookies with Jammy Bits. The jammy bits are raspberry flavoured fruit pieces and are the first cookies of their kind available in...

LEAF Chewits.(Leaf United Kingdom Ltd.)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
April 1, 2000... confectionery Leaf has launched two new flavours into its Chewits confectionery range: Cherry and Cool Blue Minty. The new products will complement the range which currently includes Strawberry, Blackcurrant and Fruit Salad varieties. Leaf...

LEAF Chewits Chewbs.(new candy flavours)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... confectionery The Chewits Chewbs range is to be extended to include new flavour Guanabara which will complement the ever-popular Tutti Frutti variety. Guanabana will replace Vanilla lee flavour Chewits Chewbs. The Chewits brand s said to...

LEAF Fun Factory.(launches new bubble gum flavor)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
April 1, 2000... Confectionery Leaf is adding apple and blackcurrant flavour bubblegum to its top-selling Children's Fun Factory range. The product will feature characters such as Cow & Chicken and Dexter's Laboratory from TV's Cartoon Network. The packs...

NESTLE ROWNTREE Soccer Special Smarties/Giant Smarties.(to be launched)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
April 1, 2000... confectionery To celebrate the Euro 2000 soccer championship, Nestle Rowntree is to launch limited edition packs and tubes of Soccer Special Smarties and Giant Smarties n the colours of all Premier League teams. Packs and tubes will...

NESTLE ROWNTREE Milkybar Choo.(launched)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
April 1, 2000... confectionery Nestle Rowntree has extended its market leading white chocolate brand with the launch of a soft and chewy stick of white fudge covered in Milkybar chocolate. Milkybar Choo is aimed at mothers of four to five year old children...

PRINCES SOFT DRINKS.(information on products)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2000... Noddy Smooth Style Juice Drink soft drink The no-added-sugar range of dilutable squashes and readymade juice drinks is just one of over 1,000 Noddy licensed products currently available. The 50 year old character features prominently...

SLUSH PUPPIE.(launches new product)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
April 1, 2000... Slush Puppie Max energy drink Slush Puppie has jumped on the energy drinks bandwagon with the launch of a multi-vitamin enriched ice crystal variant in cola and 'Energise' flavours. Aimed at 12-16 boys and girls, Slush Puppie Max is...

VIMTO SOFT DRINKS.(launched)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
April 1, 2000... Vimto Citrus soft drink The launch of Vimto Citrus marks the first extension to the 92 year old cordial brand, taking it out of its traditional red/black drinks sector and into the 'orange plus' segment. Vimto Citrus is based on a mix...

CADBURY'S.(expands confectionery range of products)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Cadbury's Roses seasonal confectionery Cadbury's is adding 10 new products to its Christmas range and updating traditional brand Roses, as well as revamping the packaging of 10 other ranges in a bid to make Christmas more of a...

NEW CORPORATE IDENTITIES.(Ace Computer Camps UK, changes name to ComputerCamp)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... COMPUTERCAMP training holiday Ace Computer Camps UK, the UK arm of the Us children's summer holidays group, is to rebrand as ComputerCamp. The firm currently runs activity holidays at six venues across the UK. Children attending the...

VIMTO SOFT DRINKS.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Vimto soft drinks Vimto's new livery covers the range of cordial and carbonated products. Designed to increase the brands presence on shelf and drive trial, the new look will be backed by a TV campaign and bus-side advertising...