Research shows that kids are increasingly aware of what’s good for them when they reach for beverages on the store shelf. And while marketers work to attract the parental gatekeeper when targeting a toddler audience, holding the attention of older children requires interactive and fun packaging. Marketing products to varying age groups might seem like a daunting challenge, but companies effectively reaching children of all ages are reaping the benefits of communicating to these consumers.

“Half of all kids say there aren’t enough drinks that are fun and good for you,” says Rachel Geller, chief strategic officer at The Geppetto Group, an advertising and marketing agency dedicated to children that recently released the “Health Through a Kid’s Eyes” study. “And more than 80 percent say that if it’s made with real fruit juice, it enhances taste perception. There’s a big opportunity for beverage manufacturers.”

Despite the recent controversy over sugar content in beverages, Geller says marketers have been working hard to deal with the issue by creating flavored waters and flavored water with juice. However, there is limited awareness of these better-for-you products in the beverage category, she says.

“The way we approach marketing to kids, more than any consumer, [is satisfying their urge to] want to know what’s in a product and [showing the emotional benefit],” Geller says. “The first thing we do in product development is taste profiling that meets taste expectations and packaging for kids. Sometimes they want to gulp down a beverage, but they can’t do that with a carbonated beverage. We also see that the labels that have worked for adults cannot work for kids.”

Research shows healthy products with the right message attract kids, but flavors and packaging are part of creating the right product that will work for each age group.

“Toddlers respond to sweet taste and colorful products and colorful graphics,” says Bruce Langer, co-vice president of Langer Juice Co. Inc., City of Industry, Calif. “For the infant stage, we don’t offer artificially sweetened beverages or calcium-enhanced beverages because of federal regulations restricting that. When you get to toddlers and tweens, we do offer beverages with calcium.”

Category	No. of Reports	No. of SKUs
Bottled Waters	4	9
Soft Drinks	3	15
Isotonic, Energy Producing Beverages	3	7
Health Drinks	1	2
Fruit & Fruit Flavored Drinks	47	146
Baby Beverages	1	2
Milk, Non-Dairy Milk & Yogurt Drinks	16	45
Tea	3	4
Beverage Mixes & Flavorings	8	20
Miscellaneous Beverages	1	1
Grand Totals:	87	251

Source: Productscan Online (www.productscan.com). Product introductions from Dec. 15, 2002 to Dec. 15, 2003.