In order to attract kids you first have to understand how kids think. Kids think with urgency and when they have something in mind, they want it right then and there. They are not willing to wait to be rewarded; hence immediate gratification is of the essence.

I recently visited a restaurant chain and noticed something was wrong with their kids meal offering. They had bought kid stuff to give away as a prize with their happy meals, but what they were giving away had me puzzled. The restaurant was giving away a glow-in-the-dark light switch cover. You can probably figure out where I am heading with this example. I asked the employee behind the cash register how well these give-aways worked and she had a smile on her face.

“We don’t seem to be able to get rid of them – kids leave them behind,” she said.

What exactly is a kid going to do with a light switch cover? Nothing, which leads me to the next point:

If a promotion that targets kids does not work, how long do you have to wait until you pull it off your shelves, your market or your offering?

This is a tough question but it requires more questions in order to answer it correctly:

1. Did I purchase this item on clearance?
2. Was this item discontinued?
3. Do I have another item in inventory to replace this one?

If you answered yes to all three questions above, then your answer should be “immediately.” Pull that item and discontinue the offering as fast as you can. Kids learn quickly and they will learn that you have an item that they dislike and that you continue to have it for an extended period of time. Soon enough they will begin to generalize your poor offering with your future promotions. Catalog companies that keep large selections of items in stock, rather than just a selective handful of collections, usually run into these problems: overstock. They will pay their salespeople incentives, bonus and commissions in order to clear this inventory and make room for new ones, so the family promotions that are being offered at great prices, end up costing you more on the long run.

So now you need to think like a kid. Remember your childhood and think of the things that make you smile and laugh. When marketing to kids, be a kid. Here are some of the things / themes you should keep in mind when marketing to kids:

• Balls: Kids love sports. Basketball, Football, Baseball, Soccer, Volleyball… all of these make great themes for boys and girls.
• Exploring: Kids love to learn about other cultures. They often picture themselves in other places, countries and dream about traveling through planes, cars, boats, etc.
• Animals: Kids love animals. You simply cannot go wrong with themes such as safari, zoo, jungle, etc.
• Kid Friendly: Make sure that the item you are giving away can be operated by kids. Items that may have a wind-up, pull-back, press-n-go, etc. mechanism are great. If you choose an item that requires the motor skills of a 25-year-old to operate, you will end up with a very frustrated young customer.
• Informational: Kids love to learn and to share information. Give them something to talk about. If you have the chance to buy a toy with a bilingual insert card, do it! Kids love to learn about other languages and cultures.
• Dinosaurs: Yes, these are not extinct in kids’ minds. They are one of the most popular themes among kids.

Other very popular themes among kids are: Space, Travel, Museum, Zoo, Olympics, Technology, Charity, Recycling and Languages.