To many of us, Spongebob Squarepants is a popular children's brand that has a fanbase in the 6-11 year-old demographic. The cartoon airs frequently on Nickelodeon and was even made into a movie a few years ago. Yesterday, Nickelodeon announced that it will be celebrating Spongebob's 10th Anniversary with a Prime Time TV Event. First of all, it is amazing to me that Spongebob has been around so long. I was 12 when the brand first aired yet it seems like he's only been around for a few years. The beauty of Spongebob is that even though I got older and grew out of the cartoon, there are still millions of children that can appreciate the show today. In fact, thanks to the Internet, children can interact with Spongebob any time they like.
The beauty of an animated brand is that as long as the entertainment is delivered and the brand is properly managed, there is no reason why Spongebob should ever lose its power. Unlike other popular children's brands like Hannah Montana, Zach and Cody, and The Jonas Brothers, Spongebob will not grow up. He will not become rebellious and enter into the celebrity party scene. He can't become a has-been. As long as he is properly licensed and branded, he can continue to be like the Simpsons and air for over 20 years. Even after 10 years, Spongebob draws in over 100,000,000 viewers every quarter and is viewed in 26 languages. It is the most widely distributed property of MTV Networks' history.
If anyone wants to disregard the importance of children's animated brands, simply look at the numbers. Merchandising for Spongebob earns $8-BILLION a year. Just to help you compare, the ENTIRE gaming industry was worth 22 billion in 2008. Nickelodeon deserves to have a celebration after 10 years with Spongebob. I'm sure that the big celebrity appearance-filled anniversary show will only make those merchandising numbers keep going up.
No comments:
Post a Comment