Children's Day: Gen Alpha leads family dynamics: Can marketers keep up?

The power dynamics at home are shifting, and it’s the youngest members of the family steering the wheel. The Kantar Kidscan 2024 report reveals just how influential Gen Alpha (those born from 2010 onwards) has become in family purchases, especially in tech and digital entertainment products.

The study shows that 1.46X more parents now consider their child’s input when choosing a Smart TV compared to 2022, underscoring the sway of these digital natives. For brands, understanding this internet-immersed generation is no longer just an option; it’s an imperative.

Puneet Avasthi, Director, Specialist Businesses, Insights, South Asia at Kantar, explains, “Gen Alpha is reshaping the family dynamic in ways we haven’t seen before. Their influence is far-reaching, from tech and entertainment choices to key household purchases. The 2024 Kidscan Report captures these shifts, providing brands with invaluable insights into the preferences and digital behaviours of this new generation.” Brands that fail to understand this new consumer base risk losing relevance, he adds, as Gen Alpha begins to define household consumption patterns.

Historically, children have influenced purchases with "pester power," but Gen Alpha is flipping the script with a more reasoned, persuasive approach. These young influencers can articulate the value of their preferred choices to parents, adding a new layer to family decision-making. Anjali Malthankar, National Strategy Director at Tonic Worldwide, highlights this shift: “Kids today don’t just have pester power; they have convincing power. The marketing strategy has to work both ways. From the perspective of parents, it’s a dream come true to encourage Gen Alpha to move away from the small screen.”

According to Malthankar, Smart TV brands can harness this shift by promoting the benefits of watching on a larger, high-quality screen rather than mobile devices. “For Gen Alpha, the experience has to resonate with their digital lives. The small screen consumers (Gen Alpha) have to be shown the joy of the big pixel in gaming, watching, and sharing. Smart TVs can play a role in bringing together young families struggling to be on the same screen or page,” Malthankar adds.

Vinay Kanchan, brand expert and storyteller, reinforces this view, pointing out that in many households, “even the adults aren’t watching conventional TV programming but are also on streaming platforms.” For Kanchan, this trend presents an untapped opportunity for Smart TV brands to position their products as the modern “family fireplace.” “Smart TVs have the potential to become a connecting device between generations. While kids watch content tailored to them, parents and children alike can share moments on a larger screen,” he says. By offering personalized kid profiles, parental controls, and a curated range of apps, brands can bridge the generational gap while creating a shared, safe viewing space.

With online video consumption among kids up by 60% since 2022, brands must think beyond traditional marketing to connect with this digitally fluent generation. Darrell Fernandes, Senior Vice President of Client Partnerships at White Rivers Media, suggests that this new audience expects more from brands in terms of authenticity and purpose-driven messaging. “For Gen Alpha, brands must be both innovative and socially responsible,” he says. “Anything less won’t resonate.”

Brands must emphasize tech-forward and immersive strategies that meet Gen Alpha’s high expectations for digital engagement. Fernandes believes features like multi-device connectivity and gesture-based remotes are just the beginning; to truly capture this demographic, brands need to go further by “seamlessly blending entertainment with education.” By embedding interactive, educational tools, Smart TV brands can support both the leisure and learning needs of Gen Alpha, turning the TV into a multifunctional hub.

The next step in brand engagement is building a community around Gen Alpha’s preferences. “This is a generation growing up on follower counts and community-driven content,” says Kanchan. “Brands willing to speak directly to this group and not just their parents will stand out.” He suggests that smart TV brands create a “tribe” around their product, targeting Gen Alpha with content that encourages family engagement and online interaction, such as virtual group viewing and real-time chat features during live events.

For Smart TV brands, these efforts would mark a major pivot. As Kanchan notes, many companies still rely on umbrella brand promises aimed at adults. “The opportunity might be for smaller brands to break out with a distinctive approach that resonates with young digital natives,” he says. Given the importance of storytelling in shaping perceptions, Kanchan argues that brands should bring more creative energy to their Smart TV campaigns. “It’s time to build emotional storytelling around the concept of the ‘smart’ in Smart TV, why it’s the choice of a smarter generation,” he adds.

Malthankar also believes that Smart TV brands need to start at the product innovation level with Gen Alpha in mind, designing with connectivity, choice, and shared family experiences as priorities. “This generation loves activities that bring parents into the fold, whether cooking, reviewing products, or gaming,” she says. Brands can further connect by incorporating interactive tools that allow Gen Alpha to engage, create, and explore in ways beyond passive viewing.

For Fernandes, tapping into this generation’s distinctive behaviors and motivations should be the top priority for brands. By speaking directly to Gen Alpha’s unique language, brands can forge strong, lasting connections. “When a Smart TV brand gets Gen Alpha’s lingo right, they’re not just building awareness but nurturing loyalty,” he asserts. The future of Smart TV marketing, he believes, lies in creating experiences that make these young consumers feel seen and understood.

In a world that’s shifting at the pace of technology, brands must embrace new ways to remain relevant. Gen Alpha is fundamentally changing the way families make purchasing decisions, and the brands that adapt to this shift will lead in their respective markets. As Avasthi notes, “For brands, understanding Gen Alpha is not just an opportunity but an imperative to stay relevant in a rapidly evolving landscape.”

Brands that pivot their strategies, focusing on both functionality and connection, will find resonance with these emerging young decision-makers. With Gen Alpha holding the remote control in their hands, brands now have a unique opportunity to bring families closer through shared digital experiences, making Smart TVs an essential part of the modern family dynamic.