If there’s ever been a reason to start a sentence with “Kids these days,” it’s this one. We’ve just discovered that toy manufacturers have shifted their focus from traditional TV commercials to the realm of YouTube, where kids now idolize their favorite “kid influencers” instead of cartoon characters. Gone are the days when a commercial break was the peak of marketing; now it’s all about those incessant YouTube videos that inevitably lead to a shopping spree at Target that exceeds our budget.
It’s a humbling experience to read an article titled, “Toy Companies Are Targeting Your Kids Through YouTube’s Kid Influencers,” and realize that we’re so out of touch with the current trends. What is a “kid influencer,” anyway, and why does it make us want to curl up with a cozy blanket and a bottle of ibuprofen?
The Shift from TV to YouTube
Let’s tackle the first point: Saturday mornings and after-school hours that used to be dedicated to cartoons are now filled with YouTube content. Kids aren’t tuning into their favorite shows; they’re clamoring to watch YouTubers instead. I remember when my niece, Lily, first told me about her favorite YouTubers. It went something like this:
“Aunt Jess, Max and Emma are my favorite YouTubers!”
“Nuhoobers?”
“YouTubers!”
“Faznootzle?”
“YouTubers! And I want to be one when I grow up!”
“Ha! That’s adorable!”
According to the same article, toy companies are now pouring their marketing resources into the digital sphere, with companies like FunToyz allocating a whopping 90% of their budgets online. Traditional viewership of channels like Cartoon Network and Disney Junior has plummeted. Nickelodeon, for instance, saw its daily audience drop by over 50% from 2012 to 2015, while kid-focused YouTube videos attracted 5.6 billion views in just the first quarter of 2015—a staggering 224% increase in one year.
Understanding Kid Influencers
So, what are kids watching on YouTube? This leads us to our second point: what exactly is a “kid influencer”? Picture a five-year-old named Ryan from the channel Ryan’s Toy Review, who has over 9 million subscribers watching him play with toys. At one point, his channel was the most popular on YouTube, raking in about $1 million a month in ad revenue. That’s $12 million a year for simply sharing videos of his playtime.
The workload for families involved in this trend can be mind-boggling. One dad, Steve, who runs a channel called ToyFunFamily, describes their grueling schedule: “We work 15 to 20 hours a day, seven days a week…sometimes we finish editing at three or four in the morning. We often don’t see sunshine for days!” Talk about a healthy lifestyle choice.
Unboxing videos—where kids watch other kids open and play with toys—are all the rage. It’s a bizarre phenomenon that leaves many of us scratching our heads. Yet, these videos are becoming the cornerstone of children’s online entertainment. Toy companies are closely monitoring these young stars, sending them free toys in hopes they’ll feature them on their channels—resulting in our kids dreaming of the next big toy while indirectly funding their college tuition.
Conclusion
What a twisted world we live in! For more insights on parenting in today’s digital age, check out our other blog posts at Home Insemination Kit. If you’re looking for expert advice on your fertility journey, visit Make a Mom for valuable resources. For pregnancy-related information, the CDC offers excellent guidance.
In summary, today’s toy marketing landscape has shifted dramatically from TV to YouTube, with “kid influencers” leading the charge. Companies are now heavily investing in digital marketing as children flock to these new stars instead of traditional programming.