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Just Kid is pleased to welcome Amy Henry as Managing Director of Research and Strategy.
Amy has worked in the kids research space for over a decade with some of the top kid research and product development firms in the world. While with these
firms, Amy worked with best-in-class kids’ media clients like Nickelodeon, PBS Kids Sprouts, Classic Media, National Geographic Kids and MTV, on projects that ranged from character optimization to brand positioning to new brand development. She has worked with a wide range of brands and companies from Binney & Smith to P&G to Kellogg to the NRDC. Amy holds a Masters in Human Development and Psychology from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a B.A. in English, with a Minor in Education, from Dartmouth College.
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About Us
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Just Kid is the nation’s leading kid research, strategy, and innovation company serving the needs of a broad range of corporate and non-profit clients.
The insights in this newsletter reflect our passionate belief in superior kid knowledge as the foundation of all great
innovation in the kid and
family space.
We are eager to discuss ways this new knowledge could be applied to create transformational new ideas within your organization.
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The Mom Study
Groundbreaking new research from Just Kid on moms' and kids' relationship to the foods they eat and the brands they buy.
By: Amy Henry, Managing Director, Research & Strategy
For over a decade, Just Kid Inc. (JKI) has been working to understand moms' and kids' relationship to the foods they eat and the brands they buy. While marketers have long understood that kids are key influencers in their homes, JKI has recently seen more and more clients moving back to a mom focus. And we've noticed that moms' criteria for her kids seems to be shifting from what they were just ten years ago, when Just Kid fielded a global study among moms of kids ages 2-14.
To validate what we were hearing from kids and moms across a number of qualitative studies, and to uncover new findings, JKI conducted a 30-minute online survey among more than 3,600 moms of kids 2-14 years old. The nationally representative sample included over 700 African American moms and over 700 Hispanic moms. Because we know that moms know what they want for their kids, but often find themselves making trade-offs "in the moment," we asked them about both their ideals and the reality for their kids across four eating occasions: breakfast, lunch, after-school snack, and dinner. The study assessed the relevance of over 90 food benefits and 60 product categories at each of these occasions. To help gain perspective on how things have changed, we also compared the results with the overall story that we uncovered in our previous mom and food study. And finally, we used our extensive experience with a wide variety of food and beverage clients to arrive at actionable implications for marketers and product innovators.
Not surprisingly, moms' first priority is health. 86% of moms
rank "healthy and nutritious" as the most important characteristics of an ideal food, while 82% say "establishes good eating habits" and 80% say "fills the child up." However, moms also told us that foods that delights their kids, are as important to them as ever. Moms confirmed that even though they make the final decision about the food that gets into their homes, 96% admit to being influenced by their kids or taking their kids' preferences into account.
Perhaps more interesting was not that moms are seeking a balance of nutrition and fun, but how they defined these two factors. We asked moms to rate the importance of a wide variety of benefits and attributes related to nutrition, and we found that moms were not as interested in sophisticated ingredients as they were some basic, simple benefits like "fresh" and "balanced nutrition." They give mid-level ratings to some traditionally-important nutrients, like calcium, protein, etc., while they rate more trendy nutrients like Omega-3s and choline at the bottom of their priority list. At the end of the day, moms are seeking a more authentic form of health, linked very closely to the food.
When it comes to "kid delight," findings show that moms also want foods to deliver on more than just fleeting fun. While moms reported that shapes and characters that her kids love were not a driver of her food choices, she really prioritizes food that makes her child feel genuinely good about themselves and that increase their enjoyment of the eating experience itself.
Differences by occasion validated what we've known for a long time about the different need states and requirements at different meals. For example, breakfast is a rushed time, and dinner is still (perhaps more ideally than really) a time for families to get together and discuss their day. But how close are moms able to get to their ideal? Results indicate that moms face real challenges, and thus, marketers have a real opportunity to fulfill her unmet needs. Ideally moms are looking for the best for their kids, but it doesn't always work that way. 86% of moms say they "ideally" want lunch to be nutritious and healthy and 82% of moms say they want it to establish healthy eating habits for their kids. But the "typical" is a different story with 66% of moms saying they want to provide something for lunch that their kid will eat without supervision. Also, 65% of moms want for there to be a taste their kids will love. While we traditionally think of an after-school snack as a kid-owned occasion, 59% of moms admitted that they look for snack items that can appeal to the whole family.
So for marketers, it's important to message to moms' ideal, and ensure that you're considering her reality in the packaging and product form that you provide her. At Just Kid, we think these findings indicate a shift in the way moms think about her food choices. Ten years ago, moms prioritized convenience and kid fun. Today, moms are looking for more authentically healthy and enjoyable food -- and are looking to make kids appreciate eating, not just the packaging or promotions surrounding their food. Rather than just focusing on the here and now, moms are acutely aware that the decisions she makes today shape her kids' eating habits and overall health for the long-term. And the good news for marketers is that she's willing to reward brands that help her get closer to this ideal.
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