Ypulse Guest Post: The View Across The Atlantic: Youth Communication In Germany
Posted by meredith on 03-20-2009
Today’s Ypulse Guest Post is from Christopher Schering, managing director of Cobra Youth Communications, a full-service agency for child and youth marketing in Germany. As part of our ongoing efforts to broaden Ypulse’s global horizons, we asked Christopher to share some insights on marketing to German youth. If you work in youth media or marketing and have an idea for a Ypulse Guest Post, feel free to email me.
The View Across The Atlantic: Youth Communication In German
It is not difficult to convince German companies and institutions that they need to tailor their marketing efforts to young target groups. Research has documented early brand loyalty among children, starting at the age of 3, and we’ve seen German children substantially influence purchase decisions by their parents. Moreover, adult consumers remain loyal to brands they came to love as children. Although Germany struggles with falling birth rates, as does the rest of Europe, the buying power of kids and teens is rising exponentially. Seven- to 12-year olds alone spend over 5 billion euros each year.
Challenges facing child and youth communication in Germany
As is the case in the United States, the German government protects children and teens against advertising influences, even though regulations in Germany are less restrictive than in the U.S. Among other things, this means that advertisers are not allowed to appeal directly to young customers to buy their products. But, regulations in Germany are quite general and are therefore subject to highly individual interpretations so legislators rarely intervene, and if they do, it’s only for very serious violations.
Instead, we often see public discourse on moral and legal issues. Due to our (European) culture’s emphasis on shaping public opinion, child and youth marketing is always a PR matter. Misconduct immediately generates negative PR in the media and among the general public. One way to selectively use and positively influence the PR machinery for one’s own purposes is to involve influential bodies and organizations that shape public opinion (such as the German Child Welfare League [Kinderschutzbund]) as partners in programs and initiatives.
Germany and Europe currently impose a complete ban on TV commercials for candy, or what are termed “fattening foods.” According to the EU’s Health Claim Regulation, consumers must be able to verify the truth of nutritional value and health statements that companies make about their food. If a statement (such as a specific promotional message) is not verified, it cannot be used. We are subject to a prohibition principle with specific exemptions, meaning that “whatever isn’t permitted is prohibited.” This is an entirely new situation for Germany. As a result, more and more companies are seeking safe marketing channels. Agencies that specialize in marketing concepts for young target groups, must therefore act with particular sensitivity and find marketing or communication methods that meet all the restrictions – which certainly exist for good reason.
Germans love the educational approach
Buzzwords such as “immersive learning” and “edutainment” play an important role in German child and youth communication. Most companies, especially on the Internet, rely on the interplay between entertaining elements, such as online games, and content that provides children with additional educational benefits. A good example of this is the online platform www.KinderCampus.de. This free portal was one of the first professionally programmed websites designed for young Internet users with a focus on the specific needs of children. Incidentally, German parents are reluctant to pay money for websites that are tailored specifically to children and their needs. This is due, in part, to a relatively high degree of mistrust or caution on the part of German parents toward online services for children, but also to the large number of websites that public institutions offer for children and which are generally free of charge. This mindset certainly sets German parents apart from their counterparts in the U.S., who—in my opinion—tend to be much more open to and curious about new media and developments on the Internet.
Latest trend: educational communication
The latest trend in the area of German child and youth communication may very well be “educational communication.” This approach introduces brand or company messages into schools without interfering with the school’s teaching mission. Unlike in the United States, German schools are subject to particularly stringent restrictions on advertising and sponsoring. Furthermore, each German state determines which marketing actions it will allow. All states agree, however, that company activities must always be in keeping with the “educational mission of the schools.” The main requirement for successful educational communication in Germany, therefore, is to design up-to-date instructional materials that are firmly rooted in educational and didactic principles and are prepared according to the target group’s specific needs. Brands and companies are thus able to penetrate the classroom and create a win-win situation for everyone involved: the company, the teachers and the schoolchildren. Educational communication has obvious advantages for companies. Communication takes place in what is a largely advertisement-free environment—the school—which means that students take greater notice of promotional messages, and companies can be certain to capture the attention of their young target groups. In addition, wastage is minimal since in schools, advertisers reach a majority of this intrinsically heterogeneous target group.
About Christopher Schering
Christopher Schering is the leading keyspeaker and expert on the German and European market of integrated kids and teens marketing. In 2001 Christopher became the co-founder and CEO of KinderCampus AG and, in 2002, he founded cobra youth communications GmbH, Germany’s leading full-service agency for child and youth marketing of which he is now Managing Director.
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Categorized under: Education, International, Youth Marketing