Inside Yoto – the speaker brand striving to prove tech can be a force for good for kids

The kids’ audio tech category has taken off in the past few years as parents look for screen-free alternatives to keep their kids entertained. Despite Yoto leaning into this through its strap ‘Screens off, imagination on’ and referring to the product as ‘The screen-free audio player for children,’ its head of brand, Huntly Gordon, is careful not to tap into parental anxieties in his brand comms.

“Things like anti-screen, or even the word ‘afraid,’ are too loaded or charged to truly reflect where Yoto is coming from,” he tells The Drum. “We are not dogmatic about screens in the homes. The people in the company are pro-tech, we really believe that technology can be a real force for good in family life and in children’s lives,” Gordon says.

While he admits people do buy Yoto to get their kids off screens, he doesn’t want to use Yoto’s marketing to make it an either-or decision for parents. “We know that screens are a concern for many parents, but also that many parents are realists. They know that there will be balance, and we support a balance, but we also believe that families deserve innovative and compelling alternatives to screen-based devices,” Gordon says.

Gordon believes parents are less concerned about screens and more concerned about the ads and the inappropriate content that kids are exposed to on them. And this does influence his brand strategy. “What people really wanted is safer ways for their kids to be independent and to explore what inspires them,” Gordon says. The independence and giving kids control of their own play in a safe way is really the crux of the Yoto brand, he says.

It’s an emerging category, though, and Gordon accepts there is still a lot of work to be done. “The entire category is very young and people are only just now discovering what role audio can play in family life, but also what role thoughtful technology built with kids in mind can do for them,” he says.

Gordon has high ambitions for the Yoto brand. “We want Yoto to be amongst the world’s great brands and not be limited to the parenting and family space,” he proclaims. “Kids should watch Disney, play Lego and listen to Yoto.”

Advertising is how he plans to achieve this level of brand fame. The ‘For ears with a mind of their own’ ads from the agency Insiders marked the brand’s first global campaign. The creative spanned out-of-home and online and could be seen in the UK, US, France, Canada and Australia. The ads use prosthetics to implant imaginary ears onto kids’ faces as visual metaphor for inspiration and creativity.

“A campaign like this that is high stakes and eye-catching and arresting and puts forward a point of view and holds more prestigious media placements is helping us pave the way for Yoto to become more of a household name,” he says. Gordon takes inspiration from “world-class brands” in thinking of ways to integrate “creative playfulness” into Yoto’s brand communications.

Beyond the above-the-line marketing, Gordon ensures that Yoto products are in places and spaces where families spend time, such as the dentist’s waiting room or a museum play area.

Not wanting to be a ‘plastic and noisy’ toy

Gordon says Yoto’s design sets it apart from the competition. While other brands lean into the “toy aesthetic,” Yoto was designed to appeal to parents and kids.

“It had to be something that parents would be really happy to have in their homes and could quite proudly be on display and not feel like it needs to be tucked away in a toy box when you’ve got guests around,” Gordon explains. The more stripped-back design also plays into the company belief that kids have many personalities. “They are people that have taste and nuance in their views and don’t need everything to be brightly colored, plastic and noisy,” he says.

Yoto is now in its seventh year and is moving from a startup mentality that views advertising for quick sales to shoring up future growth with investment in long-term brand strategy. The second phase of its ‘Ears and minds of their own’ campaign drops in October as the brand plans its next expansion stage.

“I believe Yoto will be synonymous with childhood and family life for generations. That’s the company that we’re building and we need creative work and advertising that that helps us achieve that,” he says.