Gaming giants take high score in kids’ coolest brands list
Gaming brands including Roblox, Minecraft and Nintendo have topped the league table ranking 50 of the ‘coolest’ brands from the perspective of kids and teens.
Gaming giants win the hearts of kids and teens in ‘coolest’ brand list
Compiled by Beano Brain, the specialist children and family insights agency, the ranking was led by YouTube, with Netflix, McDonald’s, Amazon and Disney rounding out the top five with a hyperactive mix of fast food and streaming entertainment.
Gaming brands also made their presence felt with perennial world-building favorite Minecraft claiming seventh spot, followed by Japanese powerhouse Nintendo in ninth place and online gaming platform Roblox in tenth.
Top 10 coolest brands for all kids 7-14
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YouTube
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Netflix
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McDonald’s
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Amazon
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Disney
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Apple
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Minecraft
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Nike
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Nintendo
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Roblox
The detailed breakdown follows a direct survey of 30,000 7-14-year-olds – crucially circumventing the influence of parents – conducted over the past year to kickstart what will become an annual countdown of the businesses that are cutting through to the youngest demographics.
Helenor Gilmour, director of insight for Beano Brain, said: “So often we forget that increasingly kids and young people are navigating their way through a world designed by and around adults. Brands that make them feel safe, welcomed and valued stand out for gen alpha, and with this generation’s predisposition for nostalgia and a mix of old and new, this suggests that those brands who get the balance right now will be nurturing lifelong fans.”
The Beano Brain chart outlines a clear gender divide, with boys favoring gaming brands such as Nintendo (now considered to be the Disney of gaming), PlayStation and Xbox, while girls turn to social brands such as TikTok in general.
Belying stereotypes that generation alpha crave instant gratification above all else, Gilmour states that those born after 2010 expect both depth and breadth of content from their chosen brands, in addition to full integration across multiple platforms and next-day delivery.
The highest-scoring brands were those that understood their creator communities and didn’t talk down to their audiences, with children looking for brands that permit freedom of discovery without skills barriers. Shared experiences, ecological considerations, innovation and safety were also highly-prized attributes.
The ranking coincides with a forthright statement from US president Joe Biden urging a clampdown on social media platforms targeting adverts at children.