FOOD FOR KIDS: Building brands for children… What can we learn from clowns and alcohol?

08-Oct-2018 - Last updated on 31-Jul-2019 at 08:53 GMT

How do you create a kids’ food or beverage brand? Create a cartoon character, write your marketing materials in a comic sans serif font, and et voila?

Er no, says Fred Hart, creative director and partner at Boulder, CO-based branding and packaging design agency Interact, the latest speaker to join our line-up at the FoodNavigator-USA FOOD FOR KIDS summit in Chicago November 12-14.

“For too long, food companies have adopted simplistic – even childish – approaches to kids’ brands and, as a result, have failed to achieve the sales or brand engagement they hoped for,” says Hart. “So how can we do this differently and better? We’ve got some very grown up thoughts about that…”

In his presentation on November 13, Hart will explore:

Why your parents are always right. We speak to Moms and Dads about what turns them on to kids’ brands (and what doesn’t)
Why you shouldn’t wear a clown suit to a black tie event: How to create brands that stand out without alienating people
Why it’s not a bad idea to turn to the bottle. Important lessons kids brands can learn from the alcohol industry (hear me out…)

Fred-Hart-Interact — Fred Hart: 'For too long, food companies have adopted simplistic – even childish – approaches to kids’ brands...'

At FOOD FOR KIDS – held in Chicago’s W Hotel - we will open with a lively parents’ panel exploring the day-to-day challenges around cooking and shopping for kids, and then take a deep dive into the market, the marketing, the branding, the nutrition science (what kids are actually eating, vs what they probably should be eating), and the infant microbiome.

We’ll also delve into the latest brand innovations targeting every life stage, from the new wave of HPP baby food brands to Paleo meat snacks for tweens, healthy lunchbox snack trends, low-and zero sugar beverages, clean label trends, and new direct-to-consumer distribution models.

Finally we'll explore what children are eating outside the home, whether we need a 'kids' menu' at restaurants, and how companies targeting schools and quick service restaurants are finding ways to develop healthier foods that meet tight budgets and evolving nutrition standards, but also appeal to kids.