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So how do parents and schools replace sugar-laden drinks with plain old H2O and milk as exciting, viable options? Maybe all it takes is a change in marketing and packaging.
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When it comes to kids, there’s a golden opportunity in the marketplace right now. No doubt about it. Several factors have recently converged to create a “perfect storm,” and that always opens the door to new, unprecedented opportunities.
The perfect storm: Childhood obesity has been steeply rising. Obesity rates have more than tripled in kids aged 6-11 over the past 30 years. Carbonated soda and sugary drink machines are being expelled from schools due to public outcry. Parents are pushing for better options to meet their growing children’s nutritional needs.
There’s always a queue of new kids’ beverages debuting, and there’s even greater pressure now, since consumer packaged products companies are scrambling to fill the void that soda is beginning to leave behind.
As the president of a consultancy that specializes in branding and packaging—as well as understanding kids’ demographic groups—I can tell you that there are unique challenges when it comes to marketing kids’ products.
So how do parents and schools replace sugar-laden drinks with plain old H2O and milk as exciting, viable options? Maybe all it takes is a change in marketing and packaging. The Palm Beach Post recently published an article about making milk more palatable to the students in Martin County, Florida.
Simply put, milk that used to be sold in pint cartons, is now appearing in 8 ounce bottles dubbed “chugs” and pint-sized plastic bottles. Brightly colored plastic bottles, and options: regular, vanilla, chocolate and strawberry milk ought to catch a child’s eye, with a new, and added appeal. The only “downside” to this is the cost: plastic packaging raises the price of milk by 10 to 15 cents more per unit.
This new way of merchandising milk in elementary and middle schools, is not unique to one Florida school district. According to the article, of the 1,200 school districts surveyed by the School Nutrition Association, 36% offer plastic milk bottles at the high school level; 28.4% at middle schools and 14.2% at the elementary school level.
The purpose: To persuade kids to drink milk after they leave elementary schools.
And what about H20? By brand packaging water in unique, rocket ship shaped 11 ounce bottles, and naming it “Aquapod,” Nestle may have hit on something big.
Nestle is clearly committed to this concept, it has allocated serious resources to the launch of Aquapod. Aquapod’s tag line: “A blast of fun” is being utilized in highly animated advertising and deluging Nickelodeon and other popular kids’ channels with spots.
On the company’s own web site, kids are invited to “Pull here for a blast of fun,” enabling them to see an animated storyline and participate in games.
Aquapod ads are full of fun and action, decrying any idea that drinking water is... well, dull. Aquapod’s packaging has been specifically designed to make drinking water cool, enjoyable and fun. This is clearly a take-it-anywhere package, from the ball park to the beach, school lunches and every other venue where kids used to bring soft drinks. Suddenly, it’s cool to be drinking water!
Nestle has launched the Aquapod sub-brand for each of its regional water brands in the U.S. with heavy distribution in grocery stores and mass merchandise operations: Poland Springs, Northeast; Ice Mountain, Midwest; Deer Park, Mid-Atlantic, Arrowhead, Western states, among others.
Will these brightly colored, structural packages help sell kids on better beverage choices? I’m betting they will.
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Comments
It's amazing how much faster my daughter chugs a milk from McDonald's (with Ronald's face on it) than at another fast food place where it's a simple carton.
Leave it to a marketer to make milk and water, "fun".
Posted by: Paul Barsch | 09.12.07
You're so right, Paul. As a parent with two tweens, it's nice to know that marketers and designers can work to increase the appeal of "good for you", nutritional food and beverage choices. Making it "fun" goes a long way with kids.
Posted by: Ted Mininni | 09.12.07
As long as those platic bottles are recyclable and easily recycled, we marketers and designers are doing a great job. If their final destinaton is a landfill, we have yet to provide a win/win solution. We battle obesity in the latter example but sacrifice the environment.
Posted by: Lewis Green | 09.12.07
Hi Lewis,
Good point. As you know, most beverages packaged in plastic come in PET bottles so they can be recycled. The environment is a huge concern, and in the packaging area, it's one that I'm getting more and more involved with in my business. I think we all agree that what's ultimately good for us has to also be good for the environment. Thanks for your observation, Lewis.
Posted by: Ted Mininni | 09.12.07
Interesting post, Ted. For our kids, isn't pretty much everything "fun"..? Food is fun, school is fun, even a trip to the dentist is fun -- at least, at our dentist, who offers a balloon with every visit and your own color choice of elastics (aqua! teal! banana yellow!) for your braces.
Seems businesses have tapped into the fact that adding fun will attract kids -- and their parents.
I'm glad the model is finally being applied to stuff we actually WANT to buy.
Posted by: Ann Handley | 09.12.07
Ann,
"I'm glad the model is finally being applied to stuff we actually WANT to buy."
"Amen" to that! I like the idea of making healthy beverage choices appealing to the elementary school set so that they just might carry over to middle school. You know what I mean? That's where a lot of battles begin, and when peer pressures about what's cool really begin to mount.
Thanks for adding to the conversation, Ann.
Posted by: Ted Mininni | 09.12.07
Another thing we might want to point out is that companies like MacDonald's have always made their fast food "fun". Think of the Happy Meal. Ditto for the snack and candy companies.
It's probably high time that the food companies that are offering better nutritional choices, jump on this band wagon. . .dull marketing and packaging won't entice kids, will they?
Posted by: Claire Ratushny | 09.12.07
Claire,
As you stated, there are plenty of temptations out there for kids. . .all aided by slick marketing and packaging. Parental responsibility, to paraphrase our friend Cam Beck, need to kick in here.
For those of you who missed it, Cam wrote a great Daily Fix post on August 14th, "Taking Responsibility for our McActions", that is well worth reading. http://www.mpdailyfix.com/2007/08/taking_responsibility_for_our.html.
Thanks, Claire, for adding to the conversation.
Posted by: Ted Mininni | 09.12.07
Know what's weird? Around here, a popular big name water company is Poland Springs, and THEY have the Aquapod, too. I had no idea this was... like a ploy!
BTW, the scary/sad is looking at the price-per-gallon on the grocery store shelf for these versus a gallon of water.
Posted by: Chris Brogan... | 09.12.07
Hi Chris,
Thanks for weighing in. Take a look at the last paragraph of my post, you'll see all of Nestle's regional water brands, so this will make sense to you:
"Nestle has launched the Aquapod sub-brand for each of its regional water brands in the U.S. with heavy distribution in grocery stores and mass merchandise operations: Poland Springs, Northeast; Ice Mountain, Midwest; Deer Park, Mid-Atlantic, Arrowhead, Western states, among others".
And you're right, Chris, bottled water is expensive. Nutritionally speaking, though, it's still a better option for kids than soda. Thanks for adding to the conversation.
Posted by: Ted Mininni | 09.13.07
In the interest of adding an alternative point of view, I recommend reading this op ed piece and asking: is there any tie between Aquapods and terrorism? Just a thought!
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/09/12/has_sept_11_changed_us_not_much/
Posted by: CJ | 09.13.07
CJ,
Everyone is entitled to share their opinions and opposing points of view. This is America. Thanks for adding to the conversation.
Posted by: Ted Mininni | 09.13.07