Merete Skar has worked for Egmont Serieforlaget in Norway since 2001. She is editor-in-chief of Serieforlaget’s preschool magazines.
“For many modern children and young people the vast array of entertainment media is as seductive as the excitement and bright lights of Las Vegas. Naturally, the spotlight is on new audiovisual media such as computer games, mobile services and the Internet, which are gradually assuming a greater place in children’s daily life. Next in line are other ‘distractions’ like TV, DVD, books and magazines.
“Norwegian children aged 3-7 spend about 5% of their time on print media, of which comics make up 1.5%. This is the niche of the media inferno in which I and my colleagues operate. Our challenge can be succinctly expressed: ‘How do we hold children’s attention for a full 20-page magazine?’
“As a target group children are spontaneous, intuitive – and merciless. Their media consumption is not dictated by deeply ingrained habits – they choose on the spur of the moment. This is how many bestselling spin-offs from trend products are born. Here today, gone tomorrow, these flash-in-the-pan products briefly dominate the market in multiple sales channels before yielding to the next trend. The product loyalty of the youngest readers is equally brief and intense.
“Another fact is that children seldom remain children. They quickly outgrow their target group, progressing into others crammed with new experiences, opinions and expectations. Manufacturers of media products for children often point out that today’s younger generation develops an early ability to deal with the massive flow of information. But children are neither mature, of age nor adult. After all, that’s the whole point of being a child!
“All our products are packed with various types of messages, of which we are the senders. As creators of good entertainment, we take on this responsibility every day. “We bring stories to life”. Our tagline obliges Egmont to create words and images that provoke thought and emotion. Words and images that strike an emotional chord or make us laugh. Egmont is at the forefront, creating the media consumers of tomorrow. That’s what I call a meaningful job.”
