Kidvid keeps growing … and learning

Drug Store News, March 16, 1998

Children's video, also known as kidvid, is just what the pediatrician ordered for those busy moms whose business is so important in the consumer base of drug store chains.

Kidvid can be a baby sitter, a gift for a child's party or entertainment the family can enjoy together. These days, another reason kidvid appeals to moms is the expanding number of titles that enrich entertainment with education.

Kidvid is targeted primarily to preschoolers, but it's a segment stretching up in years to kids as old as 10 or 11. The category expands further when family video for all ages is included.

When it comes to content, activities--especially those with sing-along-songs--are doing so well that many studios offer additional lines of prerecorded audio tapes with related licensed characters. These can add incremental sales for a drug chain.

Another content trend is education/entertainment (sometimes called edutainment). Several fun and informative new video lines are about animals and nature, cars and trucks.

The nag factor

At the Sony Wonder studio--where the hot video this spring is "Elmopalooza!" celebrating Sesame Street's 30th anniversary--Sony's Wendy Moss noted that a large percentage of kidvid product is targeted to the preschool market, ages 2 to 5. "When you start getting to ages 6 to 11, you're competing with a lot of other things in the market, from video games to tennis shoes. At 2 to 5 there is the nag factor--kids tell their moms what they want. This is a parent purchase."

Videos for kids and families (meaning kid-friendly content) account for an especially high percentage of videos sold in the drug channel. Noted Dennis Maguire, senior vice president of sales and distribution for Buena Vista Home Entertainment, "With approximately 70 percent of prerecorded video sales in drug stores generated by family fare, this segment clearly is one on which drug chains should dedicate much of their focus."

Factors driving kidvid sales include recognizable characters, as well as television and theatrical releases. Many kidvid titles are specifically made for video, but feature characters from full-length animated movies and television shows.

Dan Capone of WarnerVision Entertainment--whose new animated Flintstones title, "I Yabba Dabba Do," hits shelves next month--noted "Every indication of sales success in video is that if a mom does not know what it is and has not been exposed to it in a positive light, she will not buy it on video. She has to know a kid likes it. It either has to air, to play in a theater, air on TV or be a book-based franchise. A mom has to know what it is."

Sesame celebration

Moss, explaining Sony Wonder's program for children's video in drug chains, said, "Sony Wonder continues to grow and build its properties and franchises into major products, so drug stores have the opportunity to grow with us. A mother goes into a drug store numerous times a month. There's a great opportunity to position ourselves so our product is in the forefront, priced properly, recognizable and [targeted] to the right demographic."

"Elmopalooza!" is based on a Radio City Music Hall show that aired on TV Feb. 20, and features Elmo, Big Bird and the Muppets with Rosie O'Donnell, Gloria Estefan and other stars. It arrives in retail stores April 14.

"Elmopalooza!" is a wonderful launch product for this grand celebration [of Sesame Street's 30th anniversary]," Moss said. The video title will be promoted with national FSIs in June, a tie-in with Drypers disposable diapers and a songwriting contest in which the winner and his or her family will be flown to Los Angeles for a screen test and Los Angeles vacation. Other anniversary plans include an array of Elmo titles in April and other tie-in programs and special packs slated for August.

Another new Sony release, launched at the end of February, is the KidSongs line of home video titles, based on the public television series. These include the "I Can" series--with the theme of empowerment for kids--including "I Can Dance" (with songs such as Mexican Hat Dance and Come On and Conga). The "I Can Do It" video has different activities, with themed, upbeat songs, such as "How Does Your Garden Grow" (with a segment showing kids gardening) and "Bicycle Built for Two," showing kids riding a bicycle.

The sing-along trend gains steam every year, and this segment moves into audio and even audio/book product. Kids get hooked on favorite tunes and can take them along with a player and headset on a family car trip or vacation. An example is Walt Disney Records' new "Peter Pan Read & Sing Along" to tie in with the current re-release on home video of "Peter Pan." The package includes a 40-page book and 25-minute story-teller audiocassette with four songs from the movie, including "You Can Fly."

Other upcoming book and audio releases due out from Walt Disney Records include "Mulan," with songs from the upcoming animated film, the "Mulan Read & Sing Along" and "Pooh Tigger Tunes" (all in June).

At Lyrick Studios--whose famous purple dinosaur appears on two new titles this spring--national sales manager Gail Slotkin noted that Lyrick's product is aimed at children ages 2 to 12, "But we say younger than two because Barney appeals to kids under 2."