With many of their member companies relying on plastics for the covermounted gifts found on their children’s magazines, sustainability is of undeniable importance for the Professional Publishers Association (PPA).
Whilst the topic is well discussed from broader environmental and societal perspective, less was known to PPA about the actual attitudes and behaviours of consumers when it comes to children’s entertainment products, particularly in light of shifting environmental opinions. KI was asked to research and make sense of this topic to help inform PPA on potential industry action.
Our methodology was formed around an online survey, which was used to reach over 1000 UK families with children aged two-14. The survey allowed us to shed light on what consumers of magazines do to contribute towards looking after the environment, how this interacts with their behaviours as a consumer and what they expect in the future from the children’s entertainment industry.
Our quantitative methods allowed us to create age relevant, virtual shopping scenarios that we used to assess the competitive advantage of free covermount gifts on children's magazines. We then further contextualised these findings with data on brand, product and category preferences to truly understand how parents feel about free plastic gifts.
We were able to bring together primary survey data, broader societal opinions, and our knowledge of children and families to inform the PPA on consumer behaviours and what is expected from the industry moving forward. From this, we also provided recommendations for industry-wide sustainability strategies when it comes to children’s magazines that utilise free gifts. The findings and recommendations highlighted by KI have already been used to inform PPA’s 2020 sustainability pledge.
