Changing times and changing consumers—in this case, parents and their young children—call for an evolved marketing strategy from brands that wish to remain relevant to their market. That’s why Tiger Biscuit, manufactured by Mondelez Philippines, has shifted its campaign focus from encouraging kids to become high-energy achievers to helping them be more resilient in times of failure.
“In 2009, when we launched the brand here in the Philippines, the brand stood for giving the right nutrition and energy for kids to last the day—and we’ve been providing that consistently for the past 10 years. But on the occasion of its 10th anniversary, we decided to take a step back and look at what we wanted Tiger to stand for in the coming years,” says Kristine Enriquez, Tiger’s brand manager. “We saw it fit to elevate our purpose.”
That purpose, Kristine continues, is to help kids become “future-ready” by building their inner strength, so they can cope with societal pressure in today’s fast-paced world. According to neurodevelopmental pediatrician Mary Ann Prudencio, whom Tiger consulted for its campaign, children now live in a more complicated world, where there is more competition, more pressure and more exposure to complex social scenarios.“It’s hard for children to process all that. Now, they have varied activities both in school and outside of it, and these activities can pose all challenges to children, whether physical, social or emotional,” says Prudencio, who also wrote the book “The Best Investment: Preparing Your Child’s Body, Mind and Soul for Life’s Adventures.”
Technology, says Prudencio, also plays a huge role in the changing dynamics of children’s playtime. Following international standards, she strongly recommends that parents allow zero screen time for children under a year old; for toddlers, 2 hours a day should be the maximum.
“Unstructured play is really the best activity for kids, because this allows the brain to fully develop,” she adds.
And it’s not just the kids who are finding today’s busy, tech-driven world more challenging to navigate, but their parents, too. Citing research conducted by Mondelez Philippines, Enriquez says most of parents’ fears today are related to their kids’ use of technology.
“[The research] has been an insightful process. The consumers are really different. The moms are all digital moms, and their concerns and fears are all about: ‘Am I doing the right thing?’; ‘I grew up in a different world, with no gadgets—am I a bad mom for letting my children use these?’” says Enriquez. “The challenges of parenting have been redefined [by technology].”
With all these complications, Prudencio says it is crucial to build a child’s inner strength—which means instilling in them values of humility, confidence, friendliness, and resilience.
“A child with inner strength will not panic or withdraw into himself when challenges arise, but instead deal with the problem,” Prudencio says.
Of course, proper nutrition is still the foundation of inner strength, Prudencio adds.
“By grounding them with the proper ‘roots,’ such as good nutrition and the right values, today’s kids can develop ‘wings’ that will guide them to the right direction. By nourishing them properly, we give them what they need to become well-adjusted adults so they can become responsible and contributing members of society,” Enriquez says. —ANNELLE TAYAO-JUEGO INQ