Kids & Youth | Our Clients

Making a splash… internationally!

Chorion

Imagine you’re four, and someone takes you to a place you’ve never been, with strange creatures, a fantastical setting, and eight new friends. That was the exciting yet daunting prospect of The Octonauts, a preschool property that introduces kids to undersea life. The Chorion team suspected they had a hit on their hands, but were unsure
how to make this exotic world and large cast of characters developmentally appropriate for preschoolers. On top of that, they had to please parents in multiple countries.

Grounded in research with kids and parents, we consulted on concept refinement and launch strategy. We created a brand book, reviewed scripts, and illuminated how to foster the property’s natural play patterns via consumer products. Kids the world over are now chanting “Explore! Rescue! Protect!” And moms and mums are happy to let their kids dive in.

Contributing to the cultural zeitgeist

Common Sense Media and the Joan Ganz Cooney Center

When Common Sense Media and the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop collectively sought our expertise, we behaved a bit like Cookie Monster in the presence of a snickerdoodle, and jumped at the chance. Common Sense exists to provide trustworthy information about media and technology to kids and families. And the Cooney Center aims to support digital learning tools for kids. Needless to say, we feel quite aligned with their work.

Together we embarked on a study to understand parents’ and teachers’ digital media knowledge and attitudes, providing concrete recommendations to policy makers, digital technology creators, and educators. Our study rocked the conference circuit and helped shape conversations moving forward. Updates have helped to keep current in terms of the technology landscape. So kids can live appily ever after.

The new elephant in the room

Corus Entertainment

Corus Entertainment came to us for help with reinventing everyone’s favorite elephant. They were creating a new Babar animated series, Babar and the Adventures of Badou, and had specific goals and aspirations for international property distribution. Corus sought to understand how to build on Babar’s heritage and position this exciting new world to kids and families in the US and Europe.

To understand how kids and moms were connecting with the property, we did qualitative research that was very hands-on, evaluating all pillars of the brand from branding to broadcast and toy directions.

Watching kids “play” Babar was a trunkful of fun!

At study’s end, we provided the Corus team with clear brand positioning as well as the product directions that will resonate most with moms and kids.

Defining creativity, one country at a time

Crayola

Crayola came to us with its innovation doors wide open. A creative juggernaut already, they wanted to shake up the way they think about product development, and understand how to translate their US success to markets around the world.

A chance to globetrot and play? We’re so there. We’ve been partnering with Crayola to dig deeply into the lives of kids across North America, Europe, Asia, and South America. We watch kids play, we raid their toy closets, we talk to their parents, and then we validate our findings in each country with a comprehensive survey. Our strategic recommendations have helped Crayola develop highly refined product and marketing strategies and increase momentum in each of these global markets.

Why shouldn’t kids around the world equally enjoy Burnt Sienna and Tickle Me Pink?

Playing well abroad

Hasbro

Ah, Baby Alive, adorable expert at peeing and pooping, among other talents. She is the top baby doll in the US, and Hasbro came to us to help translate that success abroad, starting with Europe and Latin America.

Passports in hand, we designed what is perhaps our most adorable study to date. Through qualitative focus groups, in-home play dates, online doll diaries, and shop-alongs, we uncovered what drives girls’ and moms’ allegiance to baby doll brands in each market, and also garnered detailed perceptions of Baby Alive.

We delivered Hasbro a unique brand hook for each market, a clear understanding of which dolls would work best, and insights for retail. In sum, we provided an international strategy to go goo-goo ga-ga over!

Painting the world orange

Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon and Insight kind of grew up together. We started working with Nick when they were just a little splat, testing pilots for favorites like The Rugrats, Blue's Clues, Dora the Explorer, The Fairly OddParents, iCarly, Drake & Josh, and the ever-porous SpongeBob SquarePants.

As Nick grew from a beloved TV network to a family entertainment behemoth, our projects together became increasingly strategic, tackling topics like gaming, consumer product needs, sibling relationships, social media, and the gigundo, ongoing task of building their united, multi-platform brand, ensuring that each sub-brand has its place in the family, and is headed in the best direction.

We’re very proud of this collaboration, and look forward to an animated future together.