Kidification

Kidification: noun. kid-i-fi-ca-tion. The process of finding the kid in any brand and building an unprecedented connection to youngsters and parents through education, design and technology.
Kidification in marketing
Kidification is the process of finding the kid in any brand/company and using that kid centered perspective to create a kid friendly marketing message using a combination of education, technology, and design. Kidification may involve direct marketing to children and parents through kid focused products and technology, and/or indirect marketing through exposing youngsters and parents to a brand/company in a new way. However, the main difference between kidification and traditional youth marketing is that rather than targeting the child directly as a consumer, kidification recognizes the child as a heavy influence of family spending.
As a marketing strategy, kidification considers traditional marketing messages, child psychology, educational pedagogy, current gaming and digital technology, and design to create an end campaign that is educationally and technologically sound while also promoting a safe message for a young demographic. Putting a company/brand through the kidification process may involve branded storytelling, the creation of online and printed educational materials, game construction, website creation, and a myriad of other services.
Background
The term “kidification” was coined by the youth marketing industry experts at Kids Agree, Inc., describing the process that marketers use to define a kid friendly marketing message in a tone appropriate for children under 12 years old. It came about as a result of the industry recognizing that children under twelve influence a large amount of consumer spending, even though they aren’t always direct consumers.
Specifically, the industry recognized the “Mom and child” demographic as a new and very important emerging demographic that necessitated its own new marketing model. This new “Mom and Child” super consumer had very different habits and characteristics from past generations. Specifically Moms in this demographic are:
* More educated - 50% having attended at least some college and accounting for 41% of all MBAs, 47% of all law degrees, and 43% of all medical degrees
* More connected, with over 85% using Social Media
* Use the internet to help children learn - over 34% explore children to internet/digital ‘learning tools’
* More than a quarter (29%) of all parents have down- loaded “apps” (applications used on mobile devices) for their children to use
* Over 85% have played online and digital games by the time they are 13 years old, with over 60% using online and digital games before age 9
*Creative Pedagogy: The purpose of creative pedagogy is to take any subject matter or class and transform it into a creative teaching process that engenders creative learning and learners. Its goal is to create ore creative thinkers and lifelong learners by using creativity as the foundation to the teaching and learning practice.
*Brain Based Learning: This educational pedagogy and theory is rooted in how the brain naturally learns and stores information and uses that knowledge to create teaching and learning principles that reflect that. Specially brain based learning recognizes that in order to increase retention and learning, people learn based when they are in a low threat/high challenge situation, are participating in an authentic experience, and are making meaning actively throughout their experience (known as relaxed alertness, orchestrated immersion, active processing).
Connection to marketing ethics
The Kidification process also is highly connected to marketing ethics, specifically marketing ethics connected to children as consumer. Recognizing that “Advertising is a massive, multi-million dollar project that's having an enormous impact on child development” kidification uses ethical marketing practices as established by the industry when creating marketing messages and campaigns.
This includes following the American Marketing Associations ethical values of respect, transparency, honesty, fairness, responsibility, and citizenship;
*Foster trust in the marketing system. This means striving for good faith and fair dealing so as to contribute toward the efficacy of the exchange process as well as avoiding deception in product design, pricing, communication, and delivery of distribution.<ref name="AMA"/>
*Embrace ethical values. This means building relationships and enhancing consumer confidence in the integrity of marketing by affirming these core values: honesty, responsibility, fairness, respect, transparency and citizenship.<ref name="AMA"/>
Professionals in kidification
The kidification process involves multiple disciplines and professions - educational professionals, designers, software developers, game designers, writers, musicians, and marketers. Bringing together diverse teams ensures that kidification can fulfill its purpose and meld technology, education, and design.

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