NUF Kids on the Block

New Urban Families - the emerging microcosm of the marketplace!

NUF: The new target audience of marketing managers is the new upwardly mobile Indian family or the New Urban Family (N.U.F.).

Ironically when our society is heading towards individualism, the marketer is targeting the family.Why?

NUF has emerged when individual tastes are diverging; the fusion however is stronger due to two reasons:

• The consumption may be personal, but the choice is not.
• More and more products and services are being purchased for collective use and consumption.

The family as a unit is a complex and ever-evolving institution.

A kid enters a store with his mom and picks a product of his choice from the shelf.

Gone are the days, when the mother decided what was good for the kids and made purchase decisions on their behalf. Children are the new age purchasers! Today’s children are certain of their needs and wants and strive towards them. Children today are more aware of what is available in the marketplace, and are greatly influenced by their peer group.

Working parents lack time with their kids and “LatchkeyChildren” exploit their parent’s guilt to get what they want“. Marketers have realised this and target kids by using them as a “medium” to get through to parents. For example, the Whirlpool washing machine commercial included children as prominent actors in its bid to build involvement with the brand.

A whole new kids’ world out there is growing rapidly:

1. Relationships

• More participative and emphatic with the family.
• The need for self-identity and fewer personal relationships.

2. Attitude

• Confides in his parents.
• Aware and susceptible to peer group influence.
• Recognises the importance of education.

3. Consumer products and the kids:

How do kids view products? What do they buy? What influences their purchase? These are questions to which marketers want to find fast and quick answers. The fact is that almost half the ads have toddlers as models. Why? Brands are tapping into what’s missing from a young person’s life and filling that space.

Let’s look at the transition in the kid’s role for making the purchase decision:

• Personal Products: Children now act as influencers/co-deciders for personal products (for instance soaps, skin creams, lotions and moisturisers).
  
  
• Family Toiletries: Earlier, kids were mere users of family toiletries but had no say in the purchasing decision. Today, children have become more articulate about their brands and also buy toiletries of their choice. For example, “I want my own Pears soap”.
  
  
• Consumables: Earlier, kids were mere users of consumables. Now they are the influencers for any purchase of consumables. For example, when jam is purchased, the kid chooses the flavour.
  
  
• Vacations: Earlier, when a family decided to go for a vacation, children were mere influencers in the choice of destination. Now they have become co-deciders. For instance, if a family decides to go to Bangalore, children would decide which places to visit.
  
  
• Educational Products: Earlier, the kids were initiators in purchasing of educational products. Now they have become more aware than their parents and hence turned co-deciders. For instance, the choice of school or college is decided by the parents and the child together.
  
  
• Role Models: Kids as buyers are not what they used to be. The role models have changed from Sachin Tendulkar to Shahrukh Khan.
  
  
• Motivators: What drives the NUF kid? Success, fame, ambition, et al.

The family will always be the target of marketers, and today’s new age consumer - the kid - is a vital part of it. Influencers today, but breadwinners tomorrow – kids are a force to reckon with!

Further Reading:

“NUFgen Marketing”
Dobhal, Shailesh
Business Today, 22nd February 1999.