In this episode of the DMI podcast, host ⁠⁠Will Francis⁠⁠ speaks with ⁠⁠Maurice Wheeler⁠⁠, CEO of We Are Family, a specialist agency focused on research, strategy, and creative work for brands that market to children, teens, and families. Maurice shares how his agency helps household-name brands like Nickelodeon, Hasbro, and Moonbug understand rapidly shifting youth trends – from meme culture to Roblox – while staying legally compliant and ethically sound.

This episode digs into how marketing to under-18s must balance creativity with a deep understanding of cognitive development, parental expectations, and platform dynamics. Maurice also explains how his agency conducts global research with thousands of children annually and why “marketing without manipulation” is their north star.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why audience insight matters more than ever in youth marketing

• How to ethically and legally engage under-18s

• The importance of cognitive development in content design

• What platforms kids really use – and how

• Why screen time post-COVID is evolving again

• How to balance messaging across kids, parents, and platforms

• Where influencer marketing fits – and where it doesn’t

• Why creativity must thrive inside tight guardrails
  

Top 3 Tips from Maurice:

1. Talk to kids constantly: Research can't be replaced by reports. Direct conversations reveal the truth.

2. Learn the rules: Global youth marketing demands obsessive knowledge of local legal and ethical guidelines.

3. Immerse yourself in their world: Play Roblox, scroll YouTube Shorts, and understand meme culture. You can’t market what you don’t experience.
   

Timestamps

• 01:00 – How brands stay in touch with kids’ realities

• 02:30 – Meme trends, masculinity, and parenting shifts post-COVID

• 05:15 – How brands act on research and insights

• 07:44 – The challenge of ethical creativity in marketing to kids

• 11:30 – Why guardrails make for better creativity

• 13:49 – Breaking down under-18s into real audience cohorts

• 16:38 – Running global research with very young children

• 19:14 – Sharing vs. owning insights: what gets published

• 20:50 – Developmental personas vs. traditional marketing personas

• 23:00 – The Venn diagram of kids, parents, and platforms

• 26:43 – Creating immersive brand experiences in Roblox

• 30:07 – Influencer marketing and where to draw the line

• 32:10 – Marketing ethics in YouTube content for kids

• 34:04 – How Maurice parented with a marketer’s mindset

• 36:25 – What metrics really matter in this space

• 39:48 – The rise of co-viewing and why it’s good news

• 41:55 – Maurice’s early career from Leo Burnett to Disney

• 47:51 – What’s changed most in 20+ years of marketing

  53:39 – AI in research and creativity: risks and realities