Zodiak Kids launches international research department

Zodiak Kids launches international research department

Zodiak Kids

MUMBAI: Zodiak Kids, Zodiak Media‘s children‘s division, has set up an international research department and promoted François Vallerian to VP, marketing research, Zodiak Kids from his previous position as Marathon Media‘s research manager.

The research lab will provide market information to all Zodiak Kids production companies including Marathon Media (Totally Spies, Redakai), Tele Images Productions (The Basketeers, Extreme Football), The Foundation (Waybuloo, Mister Maker), Zodiak Active (The Qpiz), as well as to its international sales and licensing teams.

The surveys, conducted by independent institutes, will assess Zodiak Kids‘ new developments in order to help creative teams adhere to kids‘ expectations, and also assess the sales potential of its current productions in key territories.

The research unit will focus on three different areas: Commission qualitative and quantitative studies with kids in Europe and North America; Track the performance of Zodiak‘s shows worldwide for its sales team; and monitor key market trends worldwide.

It will look into international property launches, audience hits, changes in kids‘ expectations, developing themes, emerging genres, and changes in interactivity as well as taking a broader look at the evolving relationship between kids & families and media & leisure activities.

One of the first surveys commissioned by the new research lab was an online panel conducted in the USA on the animated series The Basketeers, produced by Tele Images Productions for M6, by Harris Interactive and Aloa Consulting.

The panel revealed excellent results among children 6-11: 77 per cent of them liked the show, and 85 per cent of them judged The Basketeers to be "very different from what they know". They appreciated the mix of action, adventure, basketball and comedy that, according to 65 per cent of them. It appeals to girls just as much as boys. These results are very encouraging for sales of the programme in the US.