Kids and Brands

I have a six year old. And like most six year olds, he spends most of the time in front of the television. Watching cartoon shows from across the world and across generations – Japanese cartoons to Disney toons. Ones that I recognize and ones that I don’t.

All of them dubbed in Hindi. Chaste Hindi. As a result, his spoken Hindi has improved to unimaginable levels. He uses words that we don’t generally use at home and sounds really, really cute when he talks in this strangely formal manner.

He also recognizes jingles, characters, categories and brands and also probably knows the perceived benefits that these brands offer.Simply fascinating to see how quickly kids get into brands without even realizing it.

And oh, by the way, he is addicted to thumb sucking. Given a choice he would keep at it all day and all night long. So, as responsible parents, we are always admonishing him for this habit. “Stop thumb-sucking.” “Don’t suck your thumb.” “No thumb-sucking beta……”

Coming back to brands, the two of us were chatting – at the dinner table – about a product category that has been the subject of his fascination for the past couple of years – Carbonated Cola drinks.

I don’t remember how we got talking about this but I do remember me asking him to describe it. With a twinkle in his eyes and big smile on his face he described the experience. ‘It’s cold’, he said, ‘and gives a shock when you drink it’.

I grinned at this very appropriate description in the words of a little boy. I pushed him a little further to see if he could distinguish the brands.

‘Coke’, he said as his first choice, thereby confirming that it is not for nothing that Coke is the biggest brand in the universe.

‘Thepsi’ was the second brand that he recalled. Fair enough, I thought to myself. If Reebok for kids can be Weebok, why can’t Pepsi for kids be Thepsi?

But my little one was not yet finished. He then went on to describe his favourite cola. The one that gives him the most delight. One that he prefers over Coke or Thepsi because he just loves the taste.

‘Thumbs Suck’ is his favourite cola. He could not understand why I was on the floor rolling with laughter but I will make it a point to share this with Ramesh Chauhan the next time I meet him, assuring him that his iconic brand is safe in the hands of the next generation.