To market well to kids, marketers need to serve them something that they love – like their favorite sandwich, complete with bread, sauce, salad, cheese and filling, said Warner Bros. Discovery's Monika Oomen, SVP, brand communications and digital strategy, kids, EMEA, during Promax's Festival of Virtual Content on Wednesday.

RELATED: The Fast-Growing Business of FAST Channels

Every good sandwich starts with bread (keto be damned), and “every spot has to start with a solid framework,” Oomen said. “Any and all content is sandwiched between a firm housing of our values. That's the framework where the brand sits.”

For Oomen at WBD Kids EMEA – which comprises kids' networks Cartoonito, Boomerang and Cartoon Network – those brand values include being forward-thinking, open-minded, funny, inclusive, caring about the planet and cool. And of all of those things, funny often leads the way.

That's why funny is often the sauce (or for Americans – ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard and so forth) that holds the sandwich together.

“Funny is one of our most important brand values,” Oomen said, “and that needs to be funny as kids see it, not what grown-ups find funny. Kids are different and they have a completely different view of the world.”

For young kids aged two to seven years old, that means keeping that humor straightforward and silly because things like sarcasm, irony and metaphor are lost on them until they're a little older.

“Be literal,” Oomen said. “Kids think literally up until about 7 years old or older.”

Next up is salad – known in the U.S. as vegetables – and for Oomen, the salad of the sandwich is strategy.

Marketers need to ask themselves where, when and why they are marketing to kids as well as what age groups they are trying to reach. For the brands that Oomen oversees, those are three different demographics. Cartoonito is for younger kids aged two to six; Boomerang is for kids aged six to eight; and Cartoon Network is geared toward older kids aged six to 11.

When creating campaigns targeting these groups, it's important to consider on which platforms the creative is going to air, in what season or event it's going to run and why the campaign is being created.

“It has to be very clear to kids what we want them to do – download an app, play a game, watch a show – and why we are bringing this to them. It's always beneficial when you take the time to understand the bigger picture. Every piece of creative can respond to what is needed.”

Cheese adds some pizzazz to this marketing sandwich. “It's not necessary but OMG can it make it better. Cheese is what's attention grabbing, it's everything that gives a spot a little bit of spice and makes it noticeable.”

Getting kids' attention is imperative in a world where attention spans are short and attention-grabbing content is plentiful.

Finally, choosing just the right filling is what makes kids come back to their favorite sandwich, and likewise, to their favorite shows. In the case of creating marketing content, these are favorite characters, catchphrases or key moments.

“These are things we remember and relate to – the things we love,” Oomen said.

Finishing off the sandwich with another piece of bread is like bringing viewers back to the brand. “Brand is important – kids need to know where this content is coming from. Marketers need to drive brand association and attribution.”

Oomen also offered suggestions on other elements that help successfully market to kids. Visuals, such as emojis, and arresting sounds, like fun music, generally attract kids' notice more than text does, although text can play a role in some content, depending on the age group.

“Language skills develop over time so pitching language at the right time is key,” Oomen said. “Be simple, be concise and use regular syntax. In general, limit text. Also watch out for using adult vocabulary, such as on-demand, VOD, catch-up TV and so forth. Kids don't differentiate between those words.”

In fact, younger kids don't tend to think in terms of time at all, but rather in terms of what is happening – so instead of telling them a time to tune in, say “after school” or “five sleeps until” or “on the weekend.” Visual cues can also help with this.

Kids are not immune to the charms of celebrities, athletes and their favorite characters, so it makes sense to “feature characters prominently and across all touchpoints.”

In terms of blending all of these elements together, “always be balanced,” Oomen said. “If it's too many characters, too many visual cues, too much sauce, so to speak, it can be overwhelming to them.”

In summary, be authentic, be familiar and be funny,” Oomen said. “You can only be all of these things when you know your audience.”

Tune in to Promax's Festival of Virtual Content every Wednesday at 9 a.m. PT/noon ET/6 p.m. CET. Next week, learn about the power of podcasting with Granny Eats Wolf's Tom Billington and the power of artificial intelligence with Buska Video's Martin Gent.