Targeting young consumers

The roaring success of three marketing campaigns by Checkers, Spar and Pick n Pay that delighted children, means parents should brace themselves for more.

It first started with Stikeez – miniature, plastic, sucker-footed, colourful toys which food retailer Pick n Pay offered to customers who spent more than R150.

Children throughout the country went mad for the little creatures, with desperate parents creating “swap clubs” to ensure their children had all 24 in their collection.

After the craze died down, the retailer launched its Super Animals collection, where children could score four cards with images and information on different animals from around the world.

With the cards came an album, card storage tin and a sound maker, which recreates the sound made by the specific animal when a card is swiped across it – all at a price.

Not to be outdone, Spar introduced its Angry Birds promotion where children were treated to small, oval shaped cards with their favourite characters from the universal animation movie.

The promotion – which ended in July – included soft drinks, plush toys and storage albums.

For budding entrepreneurs, Checkers introduced the Little Shopper campaign with children receiving a miniature plastic grocery item ranging from washing powder to food.

All three campaigns required purchases of R150 and all three did exceptionally well.

Pick n Pay’s trading executive John Bradshaw said the idea for the animal cards came about after the success of the Stikeez campaign.

“It (the campaign) has elements of fun and education in it. It was a fun offering to our regular customers and if other people came into our stores and saw our great value and products then that was a bonus,” he said.

“We’ve seen Facebook posts about how much our customers enjoy Super Animals. Children had great fun collecting and swapping cards, and some schools have been using the cards and the book in lessons.”

Despite admitting they had an overwhelming response to the campaign, Bradshaw said he could not provide information on product sales or how many cards were issued.

Neil Schreuder, group marketing director at Shoprite Checkers, said the campaign had been a way of rewarding loyal customers and celebrating brands that had become a part of our daily lives.

“We wanted Checkers Little Shopper to not only excite customers, but to also offer a valuable learning experience around entrepreneurship for kids, who we know will be interacting with the collectables both at home and at school.

“What made Checkers Little Shopper unique was the heritage that came with each of the brands represented.

“They’re brands that people trust and buy on a regular basis and it seems as if the mini collectables really resonated with a majority of Checkers customers.”

East London based marketing practitioner Sibonelo Hasha stressed that no matter what stores threw at them, parents should maintain strict control of their children.

“It’s not like parents are forced to buy goods to the value of R150 so the child can get the toy – they decide. We cannot blame the stores for these campaigns,” she said.

“Yes, they have the potential to exploit children because they are the targets but at the end of the day, the buck stops with the parent.” — zisandan@dispatch.co.za