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Monday, September 15, 2008

Pester Power Unleashed

First let me simply put across what is pester power. Pester power is children's ability to persuade their parents buy something or do something for them by continual asking until the parents agree to do it. Hilariously, there is noting new about it. Children have been doing this since ages. However this power has reached its pinnacle in recent times in India in the field of marketing and advertising. Earlier this power was leveraged only for products and services which were consumed by children. But of late this has been tactics for categories of products and services. From "My Daddy strongest" to "Mummy ka magic chalega kya", they are all over — be it cough drops or pain killers, vacuum cleaners or water purifiers, tooth pastes or floor cleansers, automotives or even home appliances. They are no longer being treated as passive viewers, but are targeted as 'influencers' in household buying.

Synovate, a global market research firm, conducted a recent survey which concluded that 42 per cent kids in India influence their parent's decision in buying high-priced goods like cars. Further, a Cartoon Network study showed 31 per cent kids were accompanied by there parents to buy refrigerators and washing machines. This phenomenon, termed as 'pester power', has opened the eyes of brand marketers and TV heads towards a new segment that for long remained unexplored in India. No wonder, every second ad features a child.

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