m4e AG is developing and marketing for KI.KA the license programme of the new preschool umbrella brand KiKANiNCHEN and announces the launch of licensing.

m4e AG, the brand management and media company based in Grünwald, has now taken over the exclusive license marketing of the new KI.KA preschool brand KiKANiNCHEN. The commission concerns Europe’s German language regions and alongside classic licensing also includes the areas of audio & video. With its licensing concept, m4e prevailed over various competitors with its agency pitch and thus received the licensing commission from the children’s channel of ARD and ZDF.

A high class license programme is planned, that is directed towards TV ‘beginners’ – the 3-6 year olds’ target group, and will be started as a stage model. At the same time, in particular the quality, credibility and knowledge transfer through playing will be maintained in license products, in order to meet the standards and the mandate requirements of public, communal TV with these products.

The development and implementation of KiKANiNCHEN is one of the major programme offensives of the public children’s channel, and it offers the preschool world in KI.KA a name and above all a face as well. Supported by her friend Christian, since 5th October 2009 the Kikaninchen figure accompanies the youngest TV audience through the new programme that is broadcast from monday to friday between 06:50 and 10:25. The programme areas of KiKANiNCHEN integrate many high class preschool programmes and thus positively cultivate identification by the target group and parents. In addition, the programme should also show that learning can be fun and it therefore always ties in all topics examined to the everyday life of the 3-6 year old audience and their surroundings in Germany. The development of KiKANiNCHEN is scientifically accompanied by the International Central Institute for Youth and Educational Television (IZI). The brand is now progressively being expanded as an online portal and as a service feature for parents.

In the initial stage, the marketing strategy of m4e envisages concentrating on strategic alliances, and thereby being able to transport stories and content of KiKANiNCHEN along with the TV contribution for the viewer, that is, to children. These are predominantly partners from the sectors of publishing, toys/plush toys, audio and video, as well as the DVD sector.

In additional stages spread over time, it is intended to continuously expand the licensing programme in width and depth and to complement it with meaningful license products, which all have one thing in common with KiKANiNCHEN: They arouse curiosity, are imaginative, awaken interest and stimulate participation – true to the KiKANiNCHEN motto – “join in! you can do it!”

"We are really pleased to have m4e as a partner collaborating with us for KiKANiNCHEN. Since the end of last year our engagement is specifically directed towards the youngest of the “media consuming public”. With an innovative programme, in-depth online pages, with newly created off-air activities and comprehensive services on offer for parents and teachers, KiKANiNCHEN is the quality address for preschool children. We regard the preschool theme as the core competence in the public domain and it is an extremely important matter for us, to offer high-grade learning and playing materials in an advertising-free and safe environment, that also instruct the youngest media participants in the best spirit of media teaching practices and make them fit for the future”, explains Steffen Kottkamp, programme director of the ARD and ZDF children’s channel.

Steffen Kottkamp adds: “To intensify online, that which is seen in the programme, to be able to understand and widen the medial experience at home in one’s own room in a playful way – this is what makes the integral principle of KiKANiNCHEN quite clear. We need strong partners for this, in order to attain the best possible for all our children. Thus, we can successively complete the media-pedagogic and educational quality principle of our preschool range.”

Hans Ulrich Stoef, CEO of m4e AG, adds: “We are very proud to have been able to convince KI.KA with our concept in our pitch for this high-grade brand. This marketing mandate represents an extremely exciting task for our team. The sustainability via the programme concept of KiKANiNCHEN represents an ideal basis for the establishment of a long-term and successful licensing programme.”