20-21 LSB 2020 Kids Insights_muk.qxp_NEW LSB 2008 GRID 02/07/2020 11:35 Page 20
KIDS INSIGHTS RESEARCH
Kids Insights takes a look at some of the trends which have emerged during lockdown, and what ramifications these could have on the licensing industry.
Inset: TikTok and Instagram were the number one and two apps with teens over the last three months. Below: Animal Crossing features an open world with a strong social element which has proved popular during lockdown.
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uring the pandemic, we have all had to adapt to many changes in our day-to-day lives. Social distance measures have meant many have had to work from home/home-school and have had to switch to online chat/video calls to keep in touch with loved ones and colleagues. With kids the impact of COVID-19 has been significant and while we have been tracking how this has been affected in real-time, the longer term impact on them is still unknown. However, it is likely to be significant as childhood is such a critical time for shaping individuals attitudes, behaviour and consumption. And, of course, as brands and retailers innovate, bringing not only new products but in many ways new product categories, too, this means that they will be growing up with choices and options which previous generations did not have. This will, of course, have significant impact on the licensing, merchandise and retail sectors. We track licensed related purchases across films, TV shows, gaming, sports and YouTubers. Before the COVID19 outbreak, we could see the rates which kids were purchasing licensed merchandise across all of those categories. For instance, 31% of kids aged 3-5 were buying toys related to their favourite TV shows, 26% of 6-9s relating to their favourite movies and 20% of 13-15s buying video games relating to their favourite TV shows.
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LICENSING SOURCE BOOK EUROPE 2020
Prior to lockdown, over three in four kids (77%) said they went to the cinema on a monthly basis and many kids were buying products relating to their favourite films; 26% of 6-9s buying toys, 18% books and 15% video games. But with cinemas having to shut their doors, many films have postponed their release date to later this year or have gone straight out to digital release. Trolls: World Tour was the first major kids film to get released straight onto digital channels instead of the cinema. Our data shows that the title performed well, with one in ten kids watching the film since its release. As a result families are spending significantly less on the cinema experience, so is there an opportunity for studios and their licensing partners to consider a new product category which sees an integrated approach to content, merchandise and technologies to create an immersive experience for kids and parents to enjoy at home? This year was also due to be a significant year for sports licensing with the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games and UEFA Euro 2020 due to take place. With the significant growth in esports that we have seen since the start of lockdown across all of the markets which we operate in, it will be interesting to see the impact on sports licensing