Product Characteristics for Children

At this point, we have discussed about a host of different dimensions and topics when it comes to marketing for children, ranging from the ethical issues, future anticipation, autobiographical memory, brand loyalty, to loving brand and product longevity. In this chapter, we will step back a bit by exploring more on the product side of the equation, particularly regarding the product characteristics for children. Specifically, we are going to discuss about the factors which differentiate products for children and the various dimensions of children product's characteristics. At the end of the chapter, we should be able to understand ways in which marketers can create products that have a deep impression in children's minds.

A Better Understanding of Children's Market

Back in Chapter 4, we propose a model which attempts to encapsulate the antecedents of a brand relationship and subsequently its influence towards brand loyalty. The findings suggest that brand personality, brand trust, and brand salience are important antecedents to create a brand relationship in the children's market. Meanwhile, brand loyalty was identified as the consequence of a brand relationship, autobiographical memory, and habituation. In this chapter, we are going to expand this discussion by measuring variables concerning future anticipation, ritual, autobiographical memory, and living brand using fuzzy logic on children within the 10-12 years old age group who are assumed to be mature enough to understand and reply to simple direct questions. Ultimately, we would like to see whether the two constructs of future anticipation and ritual are (among) the antecedents of a living brand.

Does the Future Really Matter?

In Chapter 2, we have discussed about consumer perception on future anticipation to understand the trends for customer's potential needs and wants in the future, especially regarding the relationship between brand association and future anticipation to develop brand loyalty. In this chapter, we will expand the discussion by attempting to understand the complex nature regarding the influence of future anticipation and reference groups towards autobiographical memory, brand relationship, as well as market performance. The study conducted in this chapter was co-authored with Luiz Moutinho (Adam Smith School of Business, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland) and Joaquin Aldas (Business School, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain).

What If the Future Never Comes?

In Chapter 1, we have established the importance of adhering to ethical norms in research, especially when dealing with children both as research subjects and consumers, since we do not want them to be exploited. In this chapter and the next, we will shift gear to comprehend consumer perception on future anticipation. This is essential in order to develop a better understanding about customer's potential needs and wants in the future, thus enabling marketers to stay ahead of competitors. Specifically, this chapter will attempt to present the relationship between brand association and future anticipation to develop brand loyalty. Since future anticipation is a complex concept, this chapter will use adults as research subjects. However, the findings should still be relevant to comprehend children's future anticipation and develop brand loyalty in the long run as they grow up and get exposed to a lot of different advertorial messages.

Case Studies

In this chapter, we have compiled several relevant case studies on marketing for children's market in order to better comprehend the real-life situation and dilemma faced by proponents and actors in the field. At the end of every case study, we have also prepared a list of analytical questions that could be used to apply and further comprehend the concepts, models, and findings which have been discussed in this book.

Identifying the Antecedents of Children's Market Using Neural Network

Chapter 5 explores the main features contributing towards the formation of living brand among children within the age 10 to 12-year-old by using a fuzzy logic analysis. From this methodological approach, several interesting insights emerge with regard to children's consumer behaviour, especially the factors of future anticipation, ritual, and autobiographical memory in the priming of the development of a living brand. In this chapter, we are going to expand on the discussion by identifying the antecedents of a successful product using Indonesian market segment from the same age group as the research subjects in Chapter 6. Some of the important elements for success in the children's segment that we identify here include brand personality, brand trust, and brand salience, particularly on how each of them affect brand relationship. When combined with autobiographical memory and buying habituation, this emotional bonding results in brand loyalty. Finally, we utilised a neural network topology in order to fully understand the antecedents of brand loyalty construction within the children's market.

Creating Sustainable Product

In Chapter 6, we have identified the antecedents of a successful product using Indonesian market segment from children the age of 10 to 12-year-old. The important elements that we identify in this chapter include brand personality, brand trust, and brand salience, especially on how each of them affects brand relationship. When combined with autobiographical memory and buying habituation, this emotional bonding results in brand loyalty. We then used neural network topology to fully comprehend the antecedents of brand loyalty within the children's market. To further elaborate on the success factors to support product longevity, we are going to replicate the conceptual framework from Chapter 7, but because of the strong and dominant latent constructs present in the model, we use a statistical equation modelling approach in this chapter. We also conduct exploratory principal component analysis (varimax rotation) and reliability analysis, followed by a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) by utilising LISREL 8.73 with maximum-likelihood (ML) estimation on the scales as developed by Joreskog and Sorbom (1993).

Marketing to Children and Ethical Research

Ethics can be defined as a set of moral principles and rules of conduct: ethics in research, as one author has put it, relates to ‘the application of a system of moral principles to prevent harming or wronging others, to promote the good, to be respectful, and to be fair' (Sieber, 1993, p.14). When most people think of ethics (or morals), they think of rules for distinguishing between the right and wrong. This is the most common way of defining “ethics”: norms for conduct that distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. Ethics can be defined as a set of moral principles and rules of conduct. When most people think of ethics (or morals), they think of rules for distinguishing between the right and wrong. This is the most common way of defining “ethics”: norms for conduct that distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable behaviour.

Marketing Information Process on Children

As we have established so far, children provide substantial market potential for marketers. This is the case since they can continue to be consumers of a certain product until adulthood. In this final discussion, we are going to elaborate about marketing information process on children in order to come full circle and complete our understanding so that marketers and researchers alike will be fully equipped with the practical knowledge on how to ethically and effectively market products for children. This chapter will cover the stages of information processing inside the brain (i.e., encoding, storing, and retrieving), the forgetting theories (i.e., Decay Theory, Interference Theory, Retrieval Failure Theory, Motivated Forgetting Theory, and forgetting because of Physiological Reasons), as well as strategies in which marketers can convey marketing information to children in order to guarantee that the market will not only for the present, but also for the future of the company.

Is Brand Loyalty Really Present in the Children's Market?

In Chapters 2 and 3, we have discussed about consumer perception on future anticipation to understand the trends for customer's potential needs and wants in the future by incorporating and analysing various key concepts such as reference groups, autobiographical memory, brand relationship, and market performance. We have also established that a better understanding of future anticipation could ultimately develop consumer's brand loyalty. In this chapter, we are going to focus on brand loyalty in the children's market, which is very challenging but also poses great potential. Specifically, this chapter attempts to identify factors which are recognised as the antecedents of brand loyalty in the children's market. The study conducted in this chapter was co-authored with Luiz Moutinho (Adam Smith School of Business, University of Glasgow, Scotland) and Arnaldo Coelho (Faculty of Economics, University of Coimbraw, Portugal).