Nazli Güney Uysal is Dusyeri Animation Studio‘s Marketing Manager, responsible for the licensing office, publishing house, event management and marketing divisions. With Dusyeri’s partnership with Turkey’s leading kid’s network, Uysal is now also serving as the acquisitions manager of Planet Cocuk.
MIPBlog: What’s the most innovative thing in kids entertainment right now in your opinion, and why?
Nazli Güney Uysal: Modern technology is offering new ways to produce and exploit our content. There is always something brand new. These innovations have created new markets and new business. You must adapt fast to new products and programs if you want to add value to the business. At Dusyeri, we have had a lot of success in the kids market and the reason we’re successful is because we never forget that there is a little child behind every area of our business: productions, budgets, acquisitions, programming… Our innovation was to put the child back at the center of our universe.
> Why does kids TV have such potential for innovation? Do kids have a different relationship with technology than adults?
Children are fast learners and they learn from the world around them. We feed their cries with tablets and be surprised that they’ve become “android robots”. Children have great minds and they have their own way of understanding the world. We see that what really matters is the content itself, no matter how you reach them. Of course, TV will always be the greatest asset to make a connection, and we support the new windows. Innovative technology is a gift as long as we use them as carriers…
> What is your favorite kids IP right now, and why?
I love Pepee. This little boy will soon be the role model of all kids globally. Although he now has very strong marketing support, he is a perfect example of producing something not purely for business needs but solely for kids. He showed us that educational content does not only teach numbers and colors. He teaches kids how to understand the world around them. He is teaching them how to become a good human; and how to deal with life. Being strong, self-confident and supportive and caring at the same time.
> How do you see the (near) future of kids entertainment?
Kids reflect the world around them; kid’s entertainment is also the reflection of the world around us. Wars, catastrophes, anger, hate; the entertainment world is certainly influenced by the world we live in. But just like in the real world, we have hope! We have seen that a profitable business is possible by chasing your dreams. There is tough competition in the kids entertainment business. Violence, sex, tension are working tools to grab the attention of the “target groups”. But we have seen that without these “weapons” kids entertainment can grow by adding real value to their lives.
> As the landscape in children’s media evolves, what (in your opinion) are the implications for the audience?
Evolution is bringing its own challenges. In classical marketing, increase on supply is good for the consumer. As the supply grows things become confusing for the customer and after a point things become confusing for the consumer- in our case the audience- and we lose their attention. Today, in an average market, there is a plethora of content offered to audiences in many ways. To succeed in this landscape the audience should start being selective about who it follows. How a child is entertained is as important as how they are fed.
Nazli Güney Uysal is one of our pre-MIPJunior 2015 kids entertainment ambassadors. These posts are coordinated by Debbie Macdonald, a children’s media consultant. She was formerly VP, programming director at Nickelodeon UK, having worked in acquisitions at the BBC. You can find her on LinkedIn here.
