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In this issue:
>> For Success in Kids' Better-For-You Foods, Avoid the "Six Deadly Sins"
>> Kids' Vote: Kids 8-12 Prefer the Obama/Palin ticket! (scroll down to learn more)
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For Success in Kids' BFY Foods, Avoid the "Six Deadly Sins"
by George Carey, Founder & CEO, Just Kid Inc.
As the flood of BFY or better-for-you kid food products increases to Tsunami proportions, marketers must make a “full stop” to thoroughly assess the success prospects of each new BFY market entry. Statistically, the chances for kid BFY launch success teeters in the “sub 5%” range and, based on
Just Kid’s close study—the chances for success may actually be declining amid consumer and marketplace confusion.
In an incomplete, imperfect market scan, Just Kid researchers identified 135 BFY kid food launches in 2006 and—as near as we can tell—a mere handful have delivered enduring sales volume and shelf life. The number of BFY kid launches increased 50+ percent in 2007, yet the number of clear successes still seem measurable on the fingers of one hand. Our initial look at 2008 suggests more of the same.
Having been partners in several of the key successes, we’ve identified what we at Just Kid view as what our team has come to call the “six deadly sins” of Kid BFY foods, any one or two of which can easily combine to deliver sudden, painful, expensive death in the marketplace.
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Sin #1. Taking kids and parents at their word on BFY attitudes:
No matter how important the BFY attributes may be, taste clearly trumps nutrition every day in kids’ minds... click to read more
Sin #2. Assuming a “One Size Fits All” new product solution:
Consumer perspectives on the healthfulness of products vary widely, with surprisingly large numbers of adult consumers... click to read more
Sin #3. Stripping out the fun to make way
for health:
Kids are generally known as fun-seeking consumers. While they know what they should eat, and maybe even like healthy foods... click to read more
Sin #4. Beware the “reductive" or the “additive" approach:
Most BFY product concepts start with “more of what’s good for you” or “less of what’s bad for you,” and most of both approaches are destined to fail... click to read more
Sin #5. Failing to clearly delineate "what the food is":
Once again it’s imperative to recognize and respect the intelligence and consumer awareness of adult and kid targets alike... click to read more
Sin #6. Trying to improve on mother nature:
When labeling a purely nutritional product delivered to us by Mother Nature herself, such as milk or fresh fruit, gilding the lily... click to read more
Sin #7. Innovating BFY foods without seeking professional help:
Avoid “sin #7,” our absolute favorite, at all costs: failure to work with the top professional new product research... click to read more
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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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Founded in 1994, Just Kid Inc (www.justkidinc.com) is the country's preeminent strategic research and innovation team focused exclusively on children 2-12 and their parents.
Proven innovators for the nation's leading marketers and non-profits, Just Kid consistently delivers insightful research, innovative new products, and game-changing strategies that deliver huge, measurable market returns while changing kids' worlds for the better.
To learn more about our innovation, research and strategy services, contact me: ceo@justkidinc.com.
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Kids On Politics: A Just Kid "Quick Dip" 
Kids 8-12 Prefer the Obama/Palin ticket!
With Election Day approaching, we asked 8-12-year-old members of our
kid research panel their thoughts, and thought you’d enjoy the highlights. 
- 44% of kids surveyed favor the Barack Obama ticket, with 28%
pro-McCain-Palin.
- Importantly, 28% remained undecided when we surveyed in late September.
- Ironically, kids prefer Sarah Palin to Joe Biden for VP by nearly 2-to-1.
"These findings confirm what we have seen in conversations with kids across the country, says
Dr. Michelle Poris, Just Kid’s Senior Director of Quantitative Research and author of the survey. “In 15 years of studying kids, I've never heard them pay so much attention to news and politics" she says.
Cheaper gas is first on kids’ lists, with 70% of those surveyed wanting the new President to find a way to make gas less expensive. No doubt kids hear parental griping at the pump, but when combined with a desire for protecting “us” from terrorism (62%), stopping the Iraq war (61%), better schools (60%), and the need for free healthcare (50%), it’s obvious that kids of all ages are tracking on a lot more than a trip to the mall.
“However,” says Dr. Poris, “we found that all of the kids’ opinions regarding the candidates and their respective campaign promises go well beyond the likeability factor. Young people are worried. They are obviously paying attention to struggles in their families and how the mounting issues might affect not just the country, but their own lives.”
If you’d like more details about the survey findings, write mporis@justkidinc.com. But do it fast!!
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For more information, please visit our website at www.justkidinc.com or contact us at 203-358-2120
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