"How to Train Your Dragon" Hypotheses

How to Train Your Dragon is a franchise based upon a 12-book series aimed at kids 7 and up. It consists of three full-length motion-picture films, four short films, and a television show. Additionally, the brand sells merchandise and has a balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. As technology advances, I believe the brand may add virtual-reality games and smart toys to its list of products. (10) I also think the brand is enticing kids aged 8-12 to explore the franchise’s books after watching the movies. (7)

According to the Common Sense Census, “98% of children...live in a home with some type of mobile device” (1). And, “Time spent with mobile devices each day has tripled”(2). This finding leads me to believe this franchise allows mobile streaming of their content because it’s the direction society is moving in. Going mobile serves as a gateway to encourage users to engage more with their brand.

Because the digital divide has shrunk, it’s easy for users to engage with more content (6).Today “96%” of lower-income families have a mobile device and spend an “average of 1:39 more with screen media,”(4) this brand might target this population through granting access to mobile content, free apps, and eBooks.

Because media has changed, “Nearly half (49 percent) of children age 8 or under...watch TV or videos or play video games in the hour before bedtime” (3). This leads me to believe the franchise’s content has an addictive aspect, making the viewer want to be continuously engaged. Recommendations such as the one above might have been unnoticed, because the AAP more successfully reaches “...white, higher-income, and higher-educated parents”(9). This reach neglects Latino and Hispanic parents which allows them to be more accepting of child screen time. Which also makes this an important audience to target. Although, if this community is a target, this brand should avoid sexual and violent content, while aiming to be educational (8). Not only are these the top two concerns in the whole study, but they specifically come from Hispanic and Latino parents (5).

The Common Sense Census: Media Use by Kids Age Zero to Eight 2017: Common Sense Media. (2017, October 19). Retrieved from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/the-common-sense-census-media-use-by-kids-age-zero-to-eight-2017.