Why kid-centric brands must shift their marketing strategy

Generation Alpha is growing up in a world where screens are second nature, choices are endless, and influence starts younger than ever. They are not just watching; they are swiping, skipping, scanning, comparing, and nudging parents toward what they want with surprising precision. They absorb trends faster, outgrow formats quicker, and expect more from every interaction.

And yet, too many kid-focused brands are still relying on playbooks that were built for a different era, where a shiny sticker or a jingle on TV might have been enough. Today’s child audience is not just harder to reach, they are harder to impress, harder to retain, and quick to move on. So, how can brands create relevance and earn attention?

Participation is a long-term engagement engine. Kids today don’t simply watch what is fed to them; they expect to have a say in shaping it. Nearly 40% of Gen Alpha in India say that they want to be influencers, which tells us they are not looking to be entertained from the sidelines but wish to shape what they engage with. In a fragmented, screen-heavy environment where attention is hard to retain, this shift signals moving from performance to participatory marketing. And in this landscape, freebies and one-time gimmicks like a sticker or a toy might catch attention momentarily, but it won’t hold it. Today’s kids want to co-create, not just consume.

When a child gets to name a character, vote on a new flavour, or design a digital avatar, they are investing a part of their identity into the brand. We need to move away from isolated campaigns and instead build rolling missions that evolve. This involves designing the next pack, unlocking the next level, and building their team. When done right, these micro-participation loops can keep kids coming back.

The dual-audience hurdle

Every kid-centric brand faces the same challenge—your user is a child, but the buyer is a parent. Today’s Indian parent is digitally fluent, health-conscious, and increasingly picky about what earns their trust. They want experiences that support cognitive growth, better habits, and active routines—while kids want fun, fast rewards, and social validation.

Smart brands are cracking the dual-audience challenge with layered, gamified campaigns. Time-bound challenges, daily streaks, and milestone badges turn routine tasks into playful wins encouraging habit formation without resistance. They are fun for kids and feel purposeful to parents. User-generated content adds another powerful layer—when kids post their trick shots, artwork, or weekend missions, they aren’t just showing off, they are shaping the narrative. It creates a loop where kids feel seen, and parents see value. Add in real-world triggers like earning points for football practice or levelling up through a weekend DIY project, and you start turning screen time into structured, active time. The brands that win here aren’t picking sides, they are designing for both audiences at once. And that’s what builds lasting trust.

Activating offline engagement with online

Most brands still separate digital engagement from physical touchpoints, and that is where the gap is. Screen time isn’t going anywhere, but there is real opportunity in using it as a springboard into the physical world, giving brand experience more depth.

Kids today are highly responsive to the idea of unlocking rewards—levels, collectables, surprises—but what makes a deeper impact is when that progression spills over into something they can see, hold, or do. Whether it is a mission that encourages them to complete a task at home, a festive collectable tied to activities they love, or rewards they can redeem in-store. These real-world extensions turn into long-term engagement also giving parents a way to feel better about screen time, because it starts to deliver something tangible and constructive beyond the device. And that’s how brands can move from momentary interest to daily relevance.

The power of peer recognition

In a world driven by nano-influencers, closed circles, and algorithm-curated feeds, peer credibility now holds more weight than celebrity endorsements. For Gen Alpha, influence is personal when it comes from a kid in their school, a cousin, or someone on YouTube with 3K followers. This is a generation that trusts authenticity over polish, and brands need to recalibrate accordingly.

Brand focus must be on building the kind of experiences that kids want to talk about, show off, or compete on. That means giving them tools to share progress, celebrate wins, and challenge friends. Recognition mechanics are often overlooked, but they are incredibly effective. When a child crosses a milestone and it is acknowledged visibly, or when one child shares that moment, creating aspiration for another. This builds an organic flywheel of peer-driven visibility, far more sustainable than media-spend-dependent campaigns. Being visible in a million small, personal ways is what adds up to cultural relevance.

Gen Alpha makes up for over 200 crore consumers globally, with growing influence over family spending decisions, especially in categories like food, toys, entertainment, and retail. This generation is reshaping the rules of engagement.

But let’s be clear—winning Gen Alpha means working harder than ever before. Brands must continuously innovate, offer deeper engagement, and deliver experiences that resonate both, emotionally and rationally. By embracing the shift toward participatory marketing and creating multi-dimensional experiences, brands can move from fleeting moments of attention to long-term, organic loyalty.

— Vikas Shah, co-founder, BigCity Promotions.