Brand savvy kids to drive demand at Mother Baby & Child Show

Their demand is fueling global marketing campaigns to target teens and tweens, children in the 4 - 12 age range, directly to create brand awareness and loyalty. Brand savvy kids are now very much an integral part of the decision making process and that will be mirrored at this year's Mother Baby & Child Show 2005 to be held at Dubai International Exhibition Centre between, December 21-23.

Demographics in the Middle East are changing at a rapid pace, currently over 50 per cent of the population in the Middle East is under the age of 16 and they spend more time surfing the Internet and using their mobile phones than watching television. With this global marketers have been quick to target 'teens and tweens', taking advantage of the flexibility, cost and speed of the latest technology to market their brands throughout the Middle East.

Peer pressure plays a major role for children but they are now computer literate at an earlier age than ever before. Marketing messages can now be sent directly to 'teens and tweens' through the Internet or straight to their mobile phones, but as many marketers have found out, pre-teens are also extremely media savvy and will simply reject a sales pitch.

Mobile phone users worldwide are getting younger and younger, in Germany a staggering 1.7 million children under the age of 13 now have their own mobile phone, according to a report from German publisher Egmont Ehapa with other European countries following a similar trend. A total of 26 per cent of the children do not pay anything for their phone, as everything is paid for by their parents, while the other three quarters of this age group spend the equivalent of AED 52 per month on their mobiles.

According to Leila Amaar of Virgin MegastoreTeenScene, "New technology is transforming the spending patterns of young adults and exhibitions such as The Mother, Baby & Child Show can help manufacturers and retailers keep in touch with the elusive teenage market".

Shannon Norris, Exhibition Director, TME, organisers of The Mother Baby & Child Show 2005, added,

"With such a young and fast growing population, it is only natural that 'teens and tweens' from around the region will demand brands and obviously it will be their parents who will ultimately buy them. I'm sure it hasn't been lost on global brand marketers that the Gulf enjoys one of the highest per capita incomes in the world and is one of the main reasons why The Mother Baby & Child Show 2005 will provide an ideal platform for exhibitors to reach the influencers and the decision makers, or in other words mums and kids"!

The Mother Baby & Child Show is 'growing up fast' since cutting its teeth at the inaugural event last year. The number of exhibitors is expected to rise by 25 per cent to 150 and the visitors will top 25,000, a respectable 20 per cent year-on-year increase, for such a young show.

This year's gold sponsors are Wyeth and Gillette brands, Braun and Oral B with Mothercare, Okaidi, Virgin Megastore TeenScene, New Boy & Space Toon and the American Hospital playing key supporting roles at the event.