Global Toy News

The Strong’s Artifact of the Month: Schoenhut Toy Piano

Throughout my childhood, I proved a fickle piano player—I’d eagerly start taking lessons, then denounce sheet music and hide the metronome, only to begin lessons with a new instructor a year or two later. I was not without musical ambitions—I screeched along with Janis Joplin and I joined summer musicals. When it came to playing the piano, perhaps my lack of dexterity and rhythm stemmed from never playing with A. Schoenhut Company toy piano.

The Competitive Edge of Packaging

 

 

 

 

 

Jill Chase, Art Director of the Go Dog Design Group started her graphic design career in publishing where she learned paper engineering for pop-up books. This rare talent developed into a unique perspective for designing product packaging. She has had the opportunity to apply her fresh approach to design and marketing to brands such as Power Rangers, Terminator and Family Guy.

Whatever your product is, eventually it will need to stand bravely next to another product and compete for someone's hard earned dollars. This is where killer packaging makes all the difference. Packaging is where the rubber hits the road and your product either gets traction or not. You can have the best product with the most innovative features, but if you don’t get anyone's attention, it doesn't matter. To make stand out packaging we start with a comprehensive analysis of the competition and a trip to the store - or maybe 2 or 3. Where would your product be logically on shelf and what do the competitors look like? This exercise isn’t about copying their look, just the opposite. You want to make sure you don’t blend in and vanish on shelf.

The Strong's Artifact of the Month: Hel-Lo the Telephone Game

Since Alexander Graham Bell patented the telephone on February 14, 1876, the phone has served as a prop for various scandalous and playful moments in history. Bell originally developed a prototype with the innocent intention of creating a “harmonic telegraph” that allowed individuals to speak to each other from different locations. Journalist and historian of science Seth Shulman suggests that Bell’s story soon became convoluted when it evolved into the pursuit of a love interest and stolen intellectual property.

Direct Mail: An Effective Traffic Builder

 

 

 

Mary Ann Everett has presided over Toy Collection Catalog and consulted with catalogers for 19 years. Contact her for more information about catalog marketing at mae@toycollection.com. See a sample specialty toy catalog at www.toycollectionholidaycatalog.com.

Picking up from where I left off on Friday, my thoughts turn to why retailers use direct mail promotions. These effective promotions are most often used by independent toy stores as traffic-building catalogs, rather than direct-response catalogs used by national catalogers. They usually are mailed within about a 10 mile radius of the store’s location and most purchases are made at the store with the added support of its knowledgeable sales staff. The catalogs often compliment other community “buy local” campaigns. Retailers using catalogs and flyers often include a coupon offer to encourage and track response. Response rates of 3% to 8% are typical, depending on the season and type of mailing list used. This rate is much higher than the average 2% response for national catalogers. Store owners are also able to track response to their promotions informally, as when they see a steady stream of customers arrive in their stores clutching catalogs right after the mailing hits.

Choosing direct mail is not without challenges. Even with digital design and printing innovations, it can be a time consuming and expensive endeavor for a small business owner. There is also a need to rent, build, or maintain a quality mailing list. Specialty toy retailers are extremely fortunate to have group catalog options that are convenient and affordable, allowing them to order a reasonable number of copies and get a full holiday catalog in the mail for about 80 cents per piece. Group programs such as The Good Toy Group, Toy Collection Catalog, and franchisors such as Learning Express and Brilliant Sky all provide marketing support with print promotions. Even the ASTRA organization offers its members a printed flyer to promote the winning “Best Toys For Kids.”  Other large stores have the resources to select their own merchandise and promotions for fully custom catalogs, often leaning on vendor ad allowances to help with production costs.  

With postage accounting for 25%-50% of the cost of any direct mail promotion, having a quality mailing list is crucial. Retailers find their own customer file is the most responsive, but since kids do age out of toys it is always a good idea to “prospect” to potential new customers as well. A list compiler can supply targeted rental names that fit the demographic profile of their customer base: high-income families living close to their store, for instance. The store list is a valuable asset and is worth the effort to maintain. A “clean” mailing list starts at the point of entry, usually when a purchase is made, and should include a date field and use standard address abbreviations. Store files should be updated annually with NCOA (National Change of Address) service to find customers that may have moved. A reliable mailing house can remove duplicates and standardize list files for optimal delivery and postal discounts.

Toy Catalogs Deliver for Small Retailers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mary Ann Everett has presided over Toy Collection Catalog and consulted with catalogers for 19 years. Contact her for more information about catalog marketing at mae@toycollection.com. See a sample specialty toy catalog at www.toycollectionholidaycatalog.com.

Some of the most successful small toy retailers use traditional media to reach their customer base. This may seem counter-intuitive at a time when social media is exploding, ad budgets are tight and many small businesses equate successful marketing with collecting the most email addresses. An estimated 30% of specialty toy stores make direct mail promotions the foundation of their marketing plan, relying on catalogs and flyers to build traffic, drive sales and create customer loyalty. These savvy retailers return to traditional direct mail campaigns year after year because of the big impression their branded mailings produce, the immediate response they generate, and the long-lasting return on their investment.

Toy catalogs are clean, visually appealing and helpful. Oftentimes they also refer customers to the store’s website or Facebook page, but most typically they call for action by bringing customers into the local brick and mortar store. Print promotions distinguish these thriving retailers from their local, national and online competition. 

Auntie Up! The Power of the Aunt as Primary Gift Giver

 

 

 

 

Melanie Notkin is the founder and CEO of the award-winning SavvyAuntie.com and creator of the popular Savvy Auntie lifestyle brand – the phenomenon heralded by fabulous kid-friendly women everywhere as a celebration of modern, cosmopolitan aunthood.  Melanie certainly makes a case for why toy companies should be including Aunts in their marketing plans.

I can remember clearly the moment I first saw my nephew, minutes-old in my brother’s arms. Everything changed for me in that moment. I immediately fell madly, unconditionally in love. And I made a promise to myself to love this child, safeguard this child, and do whatever I could to make this child happy. Since then, my nephew has welcomed several little sisters, my amazing nieces, and my love has grown.

At the time my nephew was born, I was a senior executive at a global beauty company. I had an extraordinary life. I would travel for business to Paris one week and lead a meeting with the CEO the next. But as savvy as I was in my cosmopolitan lifestyle, I was not savvy about the things children need and love. As much as I love children, I made gaffs simply because I didn’t have the resources moms and dads do. So, for example, when I handed my then two- year-old niece a beautiful doll from Paris, she was disappointed that it wasn’t Dora. But back then, I had no clue who Dora The Explorer was! And my nephew, who was growing up to love classic boy toys … well as a woman, what did I really know about boy toys? I felt like I was disappointing them time and time again.

This experience was part of the inspiration for SavvyAuntie.com, the award-winning lifestyle brand I launched four years ago this week, as the primary resource for cool aunts, great-aunts, godmothers and all women who love kids. Interestingly, nearly half of all American women – 47.1% - are childless. That’s a steep rise from just 35% in 1976. While the majority of women do eventually go on to be mothers, we’re having children later than ever before. In fact, 46% of women ages 25-29 are not (yet) moms and 14% of first-time moms are age 35 or older. And one in five women ages 40-44 are not (yet) moms, for a number of valid reasons. We’ve stretched out the time between adolescence and motherhood by decades! And that leaves a lot of devoted time, and discretionary income, to spend on our nieces and nephews by relation and our nieces and nephews by choice (our friends’ children).

I established the Savvy Auntie lifestyle brand to give aunts the tools and resources they need to be Savvy Aunties – and the credit they deserve for their generosity of time and income toward the children in their lives which is often overlooked. For instance, in my best-selling book, Savvy Auntie: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and All Women Who Love Kids (Morrow, April 2011), I introduce the concept of “QualAuntie Time.” The time an aunt spends with a child-not-her-own is most often dedicated playtime.  The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends one hour of uninterrupted playtime for young children to help with their cognitive, emotional and social development, not to mention fine motor skill and language development. That precious hour is very challenging for a parent to find for their children. But Auntie? She’s carved out time specifically to visit and play with her nieces and nephews. And simply by playing, they are developing!

That's what? ToyPedia helps demystify the toy box

 

 

 

Chris Braun was an early collector of toy soldiers and started trading toys at age 16 to help finance his degrees. After working for Bain & Company, GE Capital and others, he found his way back to toys while managing a business selling on eBay and other platforms with revenues of more than $15 million. He started www.ToyCollector.com to satisfy both his need for the ultimate resource for toy fans as well as to create a better trading environment for collectors, the public, retailers and manufacturers.

 The thought behind creating ToyPedia was simple: construct a comprehensive database where not only vintage toy collectors could discover a breath of toys to delight their imaginations, but provide information about new and old favorites to toy lovers everywhere.

At the heart of ToyPedia is the ability to educate and inform the world at large about toys whether someone found a gem in an attic or picked up at a cool item at a garage sale. Furthermore, it enables us to drive our collectable toy marketplace allowing buyers to find out more about a toy thereby making it easier for them to sell it.

We started out with a tree structure, organized by brand name – everything from A-Call-to-Arms to Zylmex is listed on this level. ToyPedia is intuitive as well, so for household names like Barbie and Hot Wheels, they’re on the same level as Mattel, even though both are Mattel brands. Users can browse the brand list or type a few letters into the search box to display all manufacturers containing those letters. For example, type “Mat,” and up comes Animate Toy, Major Matt Mason, Matchbox, Mattel and Playmates – many more will be added going forward!

Clicking on a brand name gives users the next level beneath it – sometimes that’s a list of product ranges, sometimes it's items grouped by type such as cars, dolls, figures, etc. The data for each brand is structured individually to strike the best balance between preserving range structure for the purist collectors and making stuff easy to find for the newcomer. It’s amazing how complex toy ranges can get, but if someone has a model of a rocket with “Airfix” on it and the next level under Airfix is “Space,” they’ll know that’s where to find it. Sometimes there is more than one sub-level, but the goal is to avoid that as nobody likes clicking through too many levels – navigating back through every stage is easy and gives users big red X buttons to go back a level each time.

The Mother of Invention

 

 

 

 

 David Smith launched ToyTalk.co.uk, an online magazine covering the world of toys in the UK, in 2006. He is also the writer of the book 100 Classic Toys.

 

I’ve always loved inventors. The white coat-wearing, wild-haired, arm-waving types are the best (think of Christopher Lloyd in Back to the Future) but any inventor is worthy of reverence in my book.

The toy world has had its share of great inventors. Maybe none of them has come up with something as radical or important as the internal combustion engine (or, for that matter, a time-travelling DeLorean), but the likes of Erno Rubik, Frank Hornby and Ruth Handler have enhanced countless lives with their creations.

I find it a little dispiriting, therefore, that so much of the modern toy industry is so heavily reliant on recycling existing products, simply putting a new licensing spin on toys that have been with us for years.

There’s still new stuff out there, but the recent launch of Battleship games with a Battleship (the movie) twist (a licensed product based on a film that is, in turn, based on the original game) is surely an ultimately futile exercise in chasing your own tail.

In more than six years covering the toy industry in the UK, I’ve been lucky enough to meet some genuinely inspiring people – inventors who have dreamed up something new. Some of them have been snapped up by established companies, while others have done it the hard way, financing their own dreams and bringing products to market with little or no help from anybody else.

I look back on meeting the creative talents behind Jurassic Wars (a brilliant dinosaur-based card game) Daughters of History (high-end, historically themed dolls) and others as some of the highlights of my time writing about toys.

At January’s Toy Fair in London, I met another pioneer, quite by accident. On my way to an appointment with one of the biggest toy companies operating in the UK, I was stopped by a young woman carrying a plastic bag. Luckily, I had a few minutes to spare and was happy enough to listen to what she had to say.

Abigail Obar quickly outlined her plans to launch a new board game. She had arrived at Toy Fair with a prototype in the bag she was carrying and was pitching the idea to anyone who would listen.

I thought the game, called Medal Haul, had enough relevance in this Olympics year to maybe attract one or two of the established manufacturers to take a closer look. Exchanging business cards, I promised to keep in touch.

Inventor Events – Young or Old, New or Professional

 

 

 

 

 

Mike Hirtle is a 36-year industry veteran who started his career at Mattel as an engineer in the Preliminary Design Department specializing in flying toys. Not surprisingly, since he has a degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland and a Masters in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford. Over the years, he also held key positions at Fisher-Price, Tyco and Hasbro. In 2011, he became a Game Industry Consultant for his own company, Paladin LLC. Hirtle is in a unique position, traveling the world looking for products for several companies.

An event that I proudly co-chair is the International Summit for Professional Inventors, I-SPI, (www.inventorsummit.com) a part of November’s great week of Toy and Game events sponsored by the Chicago Toy and Game Group. Established inventors from all over the world will gather to hear pitches from and meet with international companies, big and small. I-SPI was a resounding success in its 2011 debut; so much so that we are expanding the program this year to an extra day. I-SPI brings inventor relations executives from dozens of companies and gives them a chance to present their top-secret wishlists to the professional inventor community. The inventors are then able meet with the manufacturers in private meeting rooms to pitch concepts. There are also information-packed workshops and seminars relating to many aspects of the inventing business. For established professional inventors only, attendance at I-SPI is by invitation only and if you have not been invited previously, there is information on the website.

Here's what a sample of past presenting companies and inventors had to say:

“Last year, Ohio Art had the opportunity to meet new inventors at the Inventor Summit and we were extremely impressed with the quality of their ideas. This event is a great opportunity to connect with the best and brightest thinkers in the toy business" - Martin Killgallon, senior vp marketing and product development, The Ohio Art Company.

Digital Kids Conference Sure to Engage Attendees

 

 

 

Chris Sherman is on the cutting edge of play and technology. He is the founder and ceo of Engage Digital, a company that executes trade shows featuring the latest in business-to-consumer commerce. His latest event is the 6th annual Digital Kids Conference in Los Angeles on April 25-26. Formerly called Engage! Expo held alongside Toy Fair in NYC in 2010 and 2011, Digital Kids is endorsed by the Toy Industry Association and is the largest gathering of professionals engaged in building online and mobile products and services for kids.

 

With the skyrocketing use of mobile and online devices by kids, our re-brand from Engage! Expo to Digital Kids really says it all. We're now intensely focused on helping companies position themselves for success in the hyper-connected youth market space.

Kids these days are growing up with instantaneous access to information and communications across a variety of platforms. Recent studies by the Pew Research Center, the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop and Common Sense Media help paint that picture.

Toddlers and Preschoolers Drawn To Apps

The Pew Research Center tells us that 77% of teens have cell phones today and that the average teen text user sends 60 texts per day - up from an average of 50 texts in 2009. We also know that digitally connected children and "screenagers" are among the most active users of smartphones and tablets. Apps for toddlers and preschoolers alone grew by 23% over the last two years, according to the Joan Ganz Cooney Center. And a recent study by Common Sense Media tells us that half of children under 8 have access to mobile devices. 

5 Tracks, 70 Speakers = Education and New Business Opportunities

In light of this, the Digital Kids Conference will provide unparalleled exposure to best practices, trends and business strategies and successful techniques for developing and marketing toys, games and more to digitally connected kids and youth. The event is an ideal opportunity to connect with peers across various industries and get new business done while attending conference tracks focused on Business, Content, Market Research, Operations and Safety.

China Steps Up Its Game in Product Sourcing

 

 

Rich Stern has over 25 years operational involvement with the importation of goods from around the globe. Stern spent a good part of his career with a privately-owned importer and distributor of toys, giftware and housewares. He is currently doing consulting work, having recently completed a project with a large toy importer.

China has managed its manufacturing growth to remain the No. 1 source for product which is exported all over the world. Yes, prices are increasing, factories along with production capacity seem to be shrinking, quality seems to be slipping, transportation costs are constantly changing and regulations have made it much more difficult for us all. Plenty of reason for concern, but for now, and in the distant future, I do not see an alternative. As we combat the ongoing challenges, we know all along, that there is no other country that can produce these types of products at the aggressive pricing we negotiate.

To better understand Chinas explosive growth, it is interesting to see how it evolved. When I look back at my earlier days of importing product, during the early '80s, my company was focused on sourcing product from Taiwan and Hong Kong, with the higher percentage of goods coming out of Taiwan.  Then, in the mid ''80s, as the political pressure eased in China, the business trends started to shift heavier to Hong Kong, with a sharp reduction of product coming out of Taiwan. It was also during this transition when we were introduced to factories in Shenzhen and Dongguan, China. I was skeptical of this new region, as I was afraid the infrastructure was not in place to produce product to our required specs, along with efficiently having the goods transported for shipment.  My gut was saying to stay out of this region.  No way would they be able to produce what we need. I was fearful of the quality and what the product would look like coming out of production. Well, my gut was wrong. The product was produced to spec, done timely, the quality was decent, and the pricing was phenomenal.  Sure, we had to stay on top of things, but if you’re in this business, you had better be hands on as to what is going on in the factories. 

Barbie, Bratz and the Dilemma Over Bald Fashion Dolls

 

 

 

Michelle Spelman is a Live Wire! An urban mom of three, she is editor and inventor relations liaison for Chicago Toy & Game Group. She is co-founder of Flying Pig Games LLC, founder of Cincinnati Game & Toy Industry Professionals group, and is the Cincinnati Children’s Toy Examiner. Spelman works with schools, organizing family game night fundraisers and brings toy making history lessons into classrooms. She is also an independent marketing consultant providing contract services, executive coaching and strategic direction that helps firms leverage and integrate new media into their marketing objectives.

A few months ago, a grassroots campaign gained steam lobbying Mattel to make a bald Barbie doll for children suffering from medical conditions that cause hair loss. The movement gained notoriety very quickly by leveraging social media, especially Facebook, to create awareness. Mattel just announced it will produce a new fashion doll, yet to be named, that will be a “friend of Barbie.”

Here is Mattel’s official announcement, as it was published on its Facebook page:

“Play is vital for children, especially during difficult times. We are pleased to share with our community that next year we will be producing a fashion doll, that will be a friend of Barbie, which will include wigs, hats, scarves and other fashion accessories to provide girls with a traditional fashion play experience. For those girls who choose, the wigs and head coverings can be interchanged or ... completely removed. We will work with our longstanding partner, the Children’s Hospital Association, to donate and distribute the dolls exclusively to children’s hospitals directly reaching girls who are most affected by hair loss. A limited number of dolls and monetary donations will also be made to CureSearch for Children’s Cancer and the National Alopecia Areata Foundation.

Image courtesy of BarbieMedia.com

Through a thoughtful approach, we made the decision not to sell these dolls at retail stores, but rather get the dolls directly into the hands of children who can most benefit from the unique play experience, demonstrating Mattel’s ongoing commitment to encourage play as a respite for children in the hospital and to bring joy to children who need it most. We appreciate the conversation around this issue, and are interested to hear what you think!”

It’s been a bumpy path for Mattel navigating this issue in the social media space these last couple of months. They were slow to respond to the public’s appeal, and when they did, they found their answer harshly criticized in the media as being inadequate. 

Unite & Fight: Brands and Retailers Should Join Forces for More Sales

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mark Grondin has over 15 years of experience in eCommerce, web and mobile technology, having provided eCommerce consulting to firms like the German Stock Exchange, Swissair and Johnson Outdoors, and managing web agency relationships with Hewlett-Packard, Disney, and Apple. He is currently Senior Vice President of Marketing for Shopatron, responsible for business development, PR, demand generation and outbound sales for the #1 retail-integrated eCommerce solution in the world.

 

 

Consider this: according to The NPD Group, in 2011 “nearly 40%  of toy shoppers used a smartphone in a store to scope out websites of other stores.” The question is, how can toy brands and their retailers make this trend work in their favor?

There’s no denying the awesome power and influence of the web, especially with the rise of mobile and smartphone usage. We are in an era of “no boundaries” shopping, where customers can virtually find anything, anytime, anywhere. In order to get their slice of the pie, toy brands also need to be available to consumers anytime and anywhere. They need a website, they need a mobile site and they need physical locations.

When eCommerce first came on the scene, it seemed like it might always be a sideshow to brick-and-mortar retail – a nice place for niche players. But new studies are showing a different trend, one moving toward integration. Customers expect a hybrid shopping experience, where the boundary between buying online and buying in-store virtually disappears. That’s where the importance of quality relationships between toy brands and local toy shops comes in. The brand can provide the name and eCommerce presence and the retailer can take care of the fulfillment and local service.

If toy brands and retailers can create this type of seamless shopping experience between the online and in-store channels, it will reflect in their overall sales. They will even be poised to compete with mega retailers like Amazon and Walmart because they can offer customers more: better product information, comprehensive product inventory and the personalized service of a local shop.

Doing Business in Brazil; What You Must Know

Stacey Bowers, MILS, is a Global Regulatory Specialist at Compliance & Risks, Ltd., which provides regulatory monitoring and management services and solutions to retailers, brands, and their supply chain partners. Stacey supports companies in developing and implementing global "compliance philosophies," with a specialty in assessing the business potential of new geographic markets and new product categories.

With Brazil recently surpassing the United Kingdom (UK) to become the sixth-largest economy in the world, as well as the country's plans to host the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games, the country has become one of the most attractive geographic markets to foreign retailers and brands.

In particular, Brazil is attractive to toy retailers and brands, given that the country’s toy market doubled in sales between 2005-2010. In fact, to capitalize on this opportunity, the Carlyle Group, a global private equity firm, recently bought a majority stake in Ri Happy, Brazil's largest toy retailer http://www.globaltoynews.com/2012/03/brazil-and-toys.html).

However, before importing or selling toys in Brazil, it is important to understand the country's unique approach to toy compliance. This is more important than ever, as the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Brazil's National Institute of Metrology, Standardization, and Industrial Quality (INMETRO) recently renewed their memorandum of understanding (MOU) on product safety.

The New Toy Chemical Data Requirements

 

 

 

 

Joseph Rinkevich, an entrepreneur and consultant with over 15 years experience working with manufacturers and retailers on environmental and sustainability strategy across many product categories, is co-founder of SciVera, a chemical safety assessment solution provider based in Charlottesville, Va. SciVera is active in the US and European toy industries helping manufacturers and their suppliers respond to new chemical requirements like those in the revised European Toy Safety Directive (2009/48/EC).

I recently had the opportunity to speak as part of the TIA/TIF educational sessions at Toy Fair. My presentation was a summary of the data requirements for new chemical regulation of toys in the US and Europe based on recent trends in these markets.

I hoped for a lively discussion and was not disappointed. Session attendees consisted of representatives from large and small toy manufacturers, retailers, and a few entrepreneurs. Several participants expressed surprise at the new requirements in Europe that took effect on July 20, 2011. Others seemed quite well informed about what documentation is now needed for compliance.  

 For those who have not had the opportunity to catch up on the recent changes in chemical safety data requirements for Europe and the US, here is a summary of three key developments:

• New regulations in US and Europe require significant business process changes for the toy supply chain;
• Companies now must gather much more detailed data from suppliers to validate safety of all chemicals in toy materials;
• Gathering and evaluating these product chemical data require scalable processes, automation, transparency, and scientific consistency.

The Perfect Pitch will Score Big with Media

 

 

 

Samantha Martin is the founder and ceo of Media Maison, a New York City full-service public relations firm. As a third-generation toy industry specialist who works one-on-one with Hong Kong’s top toy manufacturers, she has a deep grasp of the ever-changing toy business, and is uniquely qualified to provide her clients with the benefit of her industry knowledge, expertise, and far-reaching personal connections both in media and the toy industry.  Sam can be reached at samantha@mediamaison.com.

Are you a smaller toy and game company in need of a little PR Therapy?

In case you missed it at Toy Fair, Media Maison hosted the seminar “PR Therapy,” a no-nonsense insider look into the world of PR featuring guest speakers Sara Haines, TODAY Show Correspondent (and Media Maison client) as well as the founder of FUBU and investor on ABC’s Shark Tank Daymond John. Emailing editors, sending samples to Mommy Bloggers, and finding time to tweet. Building your brand is exhausting.

Take some tips from the PR pros.

TODAY Show Correspondent Sara Haines’ Pitching Pet Peeves:        

• Do your homework – watch the show!  
• Cater your pitch. Does your product or story fit their beat? If not, it’s a no-go.
• Outline the product or service into an actual segment. If you just send a product pitch, it probably won’t go far. If you craft it into a segment, it will have a better shot.

•  Be personal. Referencing past segments and stories is a good way to show that you have done your homework.

• Don’t overpitch – especially if you don’t have a relationship with the recipient. Overpitching is a good way to be forever destined for the junk folder. Pitching 10 ideas in one email is not going to get you far.
• Don’t send unsolicited samples.

 

Daymond John’s Shark Success Tips:

• S: Special - PR teams tell people how special you are.
• H: Homework - Know who to pitch. Know how to pitch them.
• A: Affiliation - Gain trust.
• R: Relevant - How relevant are you?
• K: Keep - Keep reinventing yourself.

The storytellers

 

 

 

 

Gina Manola is an inventor and the owner of CALICO, www.calico-kids.com, an award-winning, design studio offering product development, design, branding, and marketing to companies in the toy, game, gift and educational markets. Gina has developed successful toy, game and gift products for the specialty and mass markets and her work has been honored by “100 Best Children’s Products” and “10 Best Socially Responsible Products.” 

 

As a designer and packager of toys and games, I often think about how they influence a child’s imagination. Like the opening scene in a book or movie, toys and their packaging establish a narrative that can signal what kind of play a child might experience.

 So what kinds of narratives are we establishing? It depends on the toy or game and some are more loaded than others. Thankfully, there are a variety of options to choose from. I'm a firm believer that the toys and games we give our children communicate to them what we value, and in turn, what we hope they will value. I wrote a bit about this in a previous post titled, "The Fashion Action Doll.” http://calico-kids.com/wp/?p=271

Some narratives are open-ended, some are layered, and others have specific narratives built in. All have value to children and their development. There are lots of great stories being told, and arguably, some stories we might want to rewrite. As developers of products for children, we simply need to be aware and judge for ourselves which narratives merit handing down from generation to generation. 

What communicates these narratives? In a word, everything in and on the box, i.e., the gender of the children pictured at play on the packaging, the product, its name and marketing copy, packaging graphics and objects depicted.

The Outdoor Toy Awards; Toyology Goes Outside, Gets Active

 

 

Peter Jenkinson, a journalist with over 10 years experience writing on toys and technology for several national UK titles as well as many online outlets, operates an online .tv show devoted to toys and one of the leading toy review websites. Often called upon by broadcasters to wax lyrical about his favorite subject, toys, he is well known in the UK and Europe as a leading toy expert.

The outdoor toy category grew by an impressive 12% last year. Interestingly, it wasn't a particularly balmy summer nor were there any major events of the sporting variety that might have been responsible; just seems that good old-fashioned get up, out and active found some new followers.

The market better hold its breath in 2012. Perhaps we're over optimistic, but with the arrival of the Olympics on our shores and the European football finals further to the east, it is hard not to be.

This important super-category has every chance of being the soaraway sales success it should be in this sporty year. Yes, there is an element of "weather permitting," but the inspiration of the aforementioned events is going to have an upside impact.

Upon research we found not a single dedicated event to this sector, and so, we embarked upon setting up the 1st Outdoor Toy Awards, and now we're accepting entries.

Rather than follow the standard (and effective/respected) judging methods, we're bringing a huge amount of energy to the awards by having a group of up to 50 kids from 5+ outdoors with all the entries interacting not only with the playthings, but with each other for a few hours. An afternoon off school for them all, approved by the headmaster as part of their curriculum.

Joining them will be a panel of high-profile journalists and a handful of teachers to assist the kids post-play in talking about key play points and scoring each toy. In addition we'll be introducing our "Fun-ometer" which is going to be a key metric on the score sheet and involves the kids letting loose with their screams and shouts to move its "meter."

Keys to Successful Toy Packaging

 

 

 

Jill Chase has been an Art Director creating eye-popping graphics for the toy industry for over 15 years. Starting her graphic design career in publishing, she learned paper engineering for pop-up books, which developed into a unique perspective for designing product packaging. She has had the opportunity to apply her fresh approach to design and marketing to brands such as Power Rangers, Terminator and Family Guy.

In this super competitive atmosphere of the toy world, it's so important to get your packaging just right. It isn't enough to have a good product. If the packaging isn't great, it might not even make it to the toy aisle, let alone get on the shelf and go home with someone. A great package gives the toy a perceived added value, and a bad one can make it look cheap. In our more than 15 years creating branding for the toy industry, we have come up with some universal truths about great packaging.

 1. Know your brand.

This might seem obvious, but it's so important to immerse yourself in your brand and really feel it. If it's a movie or TV license, you can't fake it, you need to really watch it, and know it. Your branding will have a verisimilitude that can't be achieved by just reading a synopsis or script. When we worked on Michael Jackson packaging, we constantly had MJ videos playing in the background, and when we worked on Terminator, we worked to the sounds of the action movies.

 2. Know your market.

Again, this may seem obvious, but it's important. If your product is aimed at an 8-year-old boy, it helps if you can really channel that 8-year-old boy inside yourself. We really never grew up, so it's not hard for us. This gets tricky when the brand is really aimed at an older audience than your market. This happens. For instance, a movie such as Terminator might be a brand that can be a bit dark at first glance. Coming up with a look that satisfies both the brand and the market is a tricky tightrope act.

3. Know the competition.

I don't want to dwell too much on what others are doing, but you have to know what's out there to stand out from the crowd. What seems like a great design solution in the isolation of your studio might seem quite stale when you see it in the context of the shelf, next to the competition. What is your product’s point of differentiation? Can I highlight that difference more?

Revealing the Wonder of Women in Toys

 

 

 

Genna Rosenberg is the executive vice president, marketing, communications and business development for Imperial Toy, a leading maker of licensed and non-licensed kids’ bubbles, seasonal products, toys and novelties. Rosenberg also acts as an ambassador to some of the world's most widely known licensed brands from power house IP holders, including Disney, Hasbro, Mattel, Sanrio, MGA, HIT Entertainment, Nickelodeon and more.  Rosenberg has a personal passion for philanthropy and serves on the Board of Directors for Women in Toys, the Toy Industry Foundation and Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times.

 

Richard: You have a big event coming up during Toy Fair. Can you tell us about it?

Genna: The 8th Annual Wonder Women of Toys, Licensing and Entertainment is a Women in Toys event being held this weekend. This year, we will honor more than 50 of the most influential and impactful women business leaders in toys, licensing and children's entertainment. This will be a totally new event as my co-chair Ashley Mady from Brandberry and I are really switching things up this year.We have an all-new venue, The Light House at Pier 60, which has stunning floor to ceiling windows overlooking the New York skyline, a gourmet menu by famed NY caterer Abigail Kirsch, entertainment by the fabulous Champian Fulton, a valuable silent auction and more for our guests. The response has been amazing, and we've almost tripled our attendees for this year already.  People can still buy tickets at the womenintoys.com website.  

Richard: Can you tell our readers a little about Women In Toys, and where do you see WIT going under your leadership?  

Genna: Women in Toys is a member organization and a powerful networking tool for both men and women.  WIT provides social and informative events that give folks at all levels a place to learn about new trends, and to network with potential new business partners.  We also seek out ways to recognize the accomplishments of people who are making their mark on toys, licensing or the entertainment industry, as we do through our Wonder Women Awards.  The Women in Toys Foundation provides scholarships for future toy industry leaders; young women who are studying toy design at colleges around the world.  We have WIT chapters all over the world, including the US, Canada, Scandinavia, even Israel, and this powerful network helps facilitate collaboration and business amongst our wide membership base.   From toymakers to filmmakers, from branding or ad agencies to design studios, from veteran entrepreneurs and rainmakers to rising stars of all types, we are actively working to engage women who "play" in all areas of toys, licensing and entertainment.  I believe WIT and networking opportunities in general are what you make of them.  I have put in the time to attend events, have enjoyed every minute of them, and have cultivated some amazing relationships as a result. As an organization, we are looking to engage more people of every age and level, however, we know that powerhouse young people are the future leaders of our industry and will take WIT to new heights.

Beyond Play: Behind the Scenes with Toy Testers Part II

 

 

 

Anna van Slee began her career in multi-media journalism, focused on bringing science news to the public in an entertaining way. Through her experience with comic books and storytelling she came to Kunoichi, where she leads creative strategies that make multi-platform toy brands more meaningful and successful. Check out Kunoichi at www.kunoichi.com, and connect with Anna at
http://www.linkedin.com/in/annavanslee.

AM Testing & Services primarily performs compliance testing, which is divided into three categories: physical, chemical and flammability. Collecting samples for the chemical testing leaves behind some bizarre leftovers: rubber ducks with cutout faces, dolls with scratched-out eyes, wheel-less trucks. If not for the legal implications, AMTS could open an exceptional art gallery.

 But AMTS looks more like a lab than an art gallery. It's difficult not to think of the AMC show "Breaking Bad” when speaking with Mike Bauer, AMTS’s director of technical services. Like the shows' hero, Walter White, Bauer is quite accomplished: He currently holds three U.S. patents. Also like Walt, Bauer has some very cool machines in his lab, such as the one he uses to analyze toy paint samples. First, the sample is dissolved in acid to mimic human digestive juices. Then, it’s filtered into a vial and placed in the ICPOES (optical emissions spectrometer) which shoots the sample into a fire and measures the light emissions coming off the flame. These wavelengths can reveal heavy metals. “Basically, it’s a furnace with an electric eye that looks at the results,” Bauer summed up. The whole procedure takes place in what looks like a massive blue and white microwave. It’s delightfully impressive, compared with the miniscule technology of everyday life.

However, nothing steps outside of everyday life like the physical abuse tests. The AMTS testers get to pull, twist, drop and intentionally try to break the toys they evaluate. Both before and after this stress testing, the toy and any pieces that did break off are measured against a cylindrical opening that indicates how large an object must be to not present a choking hazard.

AMTS has an army of tiny articulated metal probes that they explore toys with, assessing where a child-sized finger could reach. This investigation requires both expertise and imagination. “I play with everything,” Bauer said. “It helps to understand the developmental stages of children - depending on how old a child is, they will use [the toy] differently.”

Beyond Play: Behind the Scenes with Toy Testers Part I

 

 

 

Anna van Slee began her career in multi-media journalism, focused on bringing science news to the public in an entertaining way. Through her experience with comic books and storytelling she came to Kunoichi, where she leads creative strategies that make multi-platform toy brands more meaningful and successful. Check out Kunoichi at www.kunoichi.com, and connect with Anna at http://www.linkedin.com/in/annavanslee.

From concept sketches to marketing, some steps in the toy development process get more attention than others, although perhaps none are more overlooked than testing. These are the people who get to break stuff for a living. They are scientists who tweak, twist, probe, drop and set ablaze the contents of the American toy box. Meet Santa’s unsung heroes: AM Testing & Services. 

About 60% of the products that the company reviews are toys. Compared with other consumer products, toys have the strictest regulations - and the younger the child, the stricter the standards. Seeking insight on this essential and low-profile profession, I traveled to AMTS’s lab in Alsip, IL., where six intrepid lab testing employees wile away the day with inductively coupled plasma, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and rubber duckies. 

AMTS’s testing falls under two categories: compliance testing, and everything else. Compliance testing determines whether the product meets the applicable federal, state and European-mandated standards. "Everything else" goes beyond that, usually focusing on the toys' longevity. For instance, how many times do you think shoppers can press the "Try Me" button on an action figure package before the battery runs out? AMTS gets to actually push the "Try Me" ad infinitum (or build a machine that does it for them at a measurable rate) until the battery dies. And that's just the tip of the awesome iceberg.

Let's focus on the iceberg metaphor for a moment, because it's an apt description of compliance testing. Like the Titanic, most toymakers don’t see it coming. And unprepared ships can sink. Major toy companies have entire departments dedicated to testing, but smaller toymakers don't have those resources on staff. Enter Ozzie Cartagena, AMTS Testing Consultant. Cartagena handles the initial stages of the testing process - Consultation/Evaluation and Scope - helping toymakers chart a course around the proverbial iceberg.

Designing and inventing toys is like a box of chocolates

 

 

 

Peter A. Wachtel, Chief Creative Kid @KidToyology is an award-winning designer, inventor, teacher, and president of Toy Association of Southern California www.coroflot.com/kidtoyology. Follow KID Toyology on Facebook, LinkedIn & Twitter.

I always loved toys, and even play with my kids' toys. So when I became a toy designer and inventor, it was like eating chocolates, but sometimes you didn’t know what you were going to get.

When designing or inventing toys, be it an action figure, doll, plush toy, game, vehicle or water toy - it’s a little like the lottery. By this I mean that when you start out, you may have something particular in mind, but as the process continues new information, new technology or needs come into play making it necessary to adapt your design or invention to fit. I think the process is exciting, and you learn to adapt as you design.

You may start out in one direction or many, and then the world and your life’s experiences start to mold the toy in new directions. The toy has a life of its own, and your journey takes you down a road where you find little treasures of information along the way. Sometimes your design or invention works out even better than expected, like finding gold in the river; and sometimes you find out that your idea was nothing more than a mirage or some artifact that is worthless.

Here’s one example… One day I was designing some Tonka vehicles. Almost every truck in the world has been made by Tonka - dump trucks, cement mixers, bulldozers, cranes, etc. But Tonka wanted something new, innovative and different. I thought I could create a modern vehicle, yet at its core it would still be a dump truck, cement mixer, bulldozer or crane that looked new - but not innovative.

  As luck would have it, my street was blocked one day as construction crews put in a new road. I parked my car and began the two block walk towards home. It was no big deal, and actually worked out pretty well. As I got closer to home, smelling the fresh asphalt, and seeing all the construction vehicles - a ditch witch, a steam roller and a drill truck as well as a few others it hit me - what if the new Tonka vehicle was a hybrid construction vehicle that looks cool and has multiple functions. The next day I started on the designs and ended up with a steam rolling, drilling and grinding monster of a machine. My boss loved it, it worked great, and it went into production! You may of heard of it the “Tonka Road Constructor” the No. 1 sku for Tonka that year and winner of a few awards.

It just goes to show that you may start out in one direction, but then the world and your life’s experiences start to mold the toy in new directions, and that designing and inventing toys is like a box of chocolates - you never know what you are gonna get!

Why Twitter is a must-have at Toy Fair

 

 

 

Samantha Martin is the founder and ceo of Media Maison, a New York City full-service public relations firm. As a third-generation toy industry specialist who works one-on-one with Hong Kong’s top toy manufacturer, she has a deep grasp of the ever-changing toy business, and is uniquely qualified to provide her clients with the benefit of her industry knowledge, expertise, and far-reaching personal connections both in media and the toy industry.  Sam can be reached at samantha@mediamaison.com.

Twitter has fast become a favorite tool to drive booth traffic at trade shows – and Toy Fair 2012 is no exception.  In fact, after a quick Twitter search, I found more people than ever buzzing about the show. Expect to see attendees using Twitter as the communication tool of choice to keep up with what’s going on at the Javits Center, and to get the scoop on meet-ups and after-parties.  With so much online chatter adding to the collective Toy Fair buzz, you’ll definitely want to join in. Not only is it a great way to drive traffic to your booth, but it can also help make for a terrific Toy Fair experience – for your company and your brand. 

Here are some tips to help you get your Toy Fair Twitter groove on:

Most Important: Use Hashtags – Hashtags have become the gold standard for tracking what’s happening before, during, and after trade shows and conferences.  Why?  They’re beneficial for drawing attention to the show, your company, and for enticing attendees into your booth.   So what’s a hashtag and how is it used?  It’s pretty simple.  A hashtag is a set of characters that include the ‘pound’ or ‘number’ sign with a word or phrase after it.  For example, the official hashtag of NY Toy Fair 2012 is #TF12.  Hashtags are inserted within the 140 characters of your tweet – usually at the end.  Their key function is create trending topics on Twitter – topics that get more popular the more often they’re tweeted by a large and diverse number of people, and then to help users organize and track the topics.  Think of trending topics as “Most Discussed Hashtags,” or “Active Discussion Topics,” and it’ll make more sense.  You’ll want to come up with a hashtag for your brand or company and begin a trending topic of your own.  Keep it as simple as possible – remember you’ve only got 140 characters in a tweet.  If your company name is The Best Game in Town, don’t use #thebestgameintown.  Use something like #bestgame instead.  And be sure to remind your customers, retailers, Twitter followers and Facebook Fans of your hashtag often – on your website, blog, in pre-show promotions, newsletters, and your tweets during the show. 

A sample tweet using hashtags would look something like this:  We’re giving away a free iPad in 15 min. Head over to Booth 1234 for a chance to win! #bestgame #TF12

Track What’s Happening – Now that you have hashtags down, you’ll want to track them.  Twitter Search is the easiest way to do that.  Just type in the hashtag (i.e. #TF12) and Twitter will show search results starting with the most recent.  Another great tool for using and monitoring Twitter is Tweetdeck – a free Adobe AIR download that lets you set up columns to track tweets based on search items.   Tweetdeck allows you to set up as many as 10 columns where you can follow tweets based on criteria you set.  So if you search for #TF12 or #bestgame, a column will appear showing all the latest tweets using that hashtag – and it will automatically update for you. 

The perfect pitch: 10 PR tips for small toy & game firms

 

 

 

Samantha Martin is the founder and ceo of Media Maison, a New York City full-service public relations firm. As a third-generation toy industry specialist who works one-on-one with Hong Kong’s top toy manufacturer, she has a deep grasp of the ever-changing toy business, and is uniquely qualified to provide her clients with the benefit of her industry knowledge, expertise, and far-reaching personal connections both in media and the toy industry.  Sam can be reached at samantha@mediamaison.com.

Your business is your baby. It’s your pride and joy. And like most people, you believe your baby is The Greatest Thing in the World. But when an editor or producer says “pass,” it can be pretty hurtful.

Here’s the deal: You need to get over it. It’s not personal. It’s business. The harsh truth is that most media outlets do not have any interest in helping to sell your product.  They’re looking for solid news and features that will interest their readers. Your best defense is to know your odds before you get into the PR game.    

The chances of getting your product on national television or in a major print publication are slim at best unless you have a celebrity endorsement, or Dr. Oz just announced that playing with your game will result in a 10-lb. weight loss or shave five years off your age.

Editors, journalists and producers get hundreds of email pitches each day, and receive hundreds of products each month to review. How can they possibly go through them all? In truth, they can’t. And, they don’t.

To make matters worse, even if you’ve researched the media outlet and the journalist, memorized their editorial calendar, are on top of trending topics to pitch, and have written the most eye-catching pitch letter known to man – you still can’t possibly know everything that’s going on in that editor’s office, and due to circumstances out of your control, you may never get a response. Whether or not something will hit is just an educated guess.  More to the point – a crap shoot.   

So why do PR?  Because nothing will sell more toys than public relations done well. If you consistently pitch the right story to the right media outlet, it will work and you’ll get results.

Ready to dig in?  Here’s a top 10 tip list to get your perfect pitch off the ground:

1. Answer this question before you pitch:  “Why should the reporter care?”  If you don’t know, you’re not ready to pitch.  Know your journalist, producer or blogger; know their beat.

2. Be a source, not a sore spot.  For the media to choose your story, focus on how the journalist and his or her reader/viewer/listener will benefit; not you, your product or your business. Give the writer something their audience will WANT to read, and you’ll be a hero.

3. Don’t be boring. Have at least five different story angles for your product.  Did you invent it? What inspired you?  Great travel toy/game? Family Game Night favorite? Fun for college-bound students? Craft a pitch for each.  Bonus:  Linking your storyline with some basic human emotion such as (love, hope, fear) helps as well.

4.Think of your product as an onion. Don’t just concentrate on getting profile pieces from major media outlets. Peel back your product’s layers to reveal the many ways your story can be told through television, radio, newspapers, magazines, online publications or blogs. And even among outlets there are many options like national, regional, local, community, trade, religious and niche (i.e. ethnic, senior, special needs, etc.).  Pitch outside the box.

Same Language, Same Product?

 

 

 

  Steve Reece is a leading Brand Management Consultant for the toy industry in the UK, working across Europe and beyond. Steve has an Honours Degree in European Politics, and holds the Market Research Society certificate with Distinction. After a period working in retail, Steve joined Hasbro’s market research department, before moving on to Brand Management for some of Hasbro’s top brands, and setting up toy distribution companies. Steve’s favorite toy as a kid was his soccer collectable cards, his favorite board game was and is Risk.

 

       “I don’t care, just make it work in your market!”

       I’ve heard that statement many times in my career.  Having often been given a global mandate to make a new product range huge in every market across the world, I often laboured uphill to make the point that the product itself needed changing from the outset to succeed in certain territories; it wasn’t me and my team failing to be good at selling!

       Frustratingly, my seemingly overwhelming and compelling counter attack along the lines of “but scantily clad fashion dolls won’t sell in Taliban held Afghanistan," often fell on deaf ears!

       Despite the globalization of brands and media, sometimes it just seems harder than it needs to be to make products work in multiple markets worldwide. The reality is though that there are some very significant cultural differences between markets, which can render even the largest of brands underexploited in many markets. This is even the case between the English speaking markets, where in theory there should be most convergence.

       Even major corporations with massive marketing budgets and trade clout have found themselves unable to assail this culture gap on notable occasions – G.I. Joe, American Girl and Candyland are all massive brands in the US, but not had anywhere near the same impact in Europe. Why?

       Well, Europeans don’t have General Infantrymen for a start, and historically at least, had Action Man where the US had G.I. Joe. American Girl seems so far to be very much an American phenomenon for obvious reasons. And whilst ‘Candy’ has meaning in the US, in the UK the reference would be ‘sweets’, in Australia ‘lollies’ and so on.

Differentiating your store against online retailers

 

 

         Unless you’ve been living under a (pet) rock, you’ve probably heard about Amazon’s recent mobile app promotion.

         In December, the online e-tailer offered a $15 incentive to consumers when they used the Amazon PriceCheck app for competitive in-store shopping. Retailers and retail organizations were up in arms over the decision, accusing Amazon of preying on small, independent retail stores and using them as showrooms for the e-tail giant.

        Many brick-and-mortar retailers, however, are structurally incapable of competing on price against online retailers. There are a few exceptions, but it’s unrealistic for most small retail shops to expect to compete with online retailers on price. Retailers’ success will not be dependent upon how they can compete against the Amazon.coms of the world, but how they can create a service and experience that is impossible to replicate online.

       There are three main strategies I believe that retailers can focus on to ensure that they are offering a high-fidelity service--one where the in-store experience is unique, memorable and really does make customers eager to return.

       1. Focus on an in-store experience that entertains and educates. Here, the store should focus on how to create an environment that cannot be duplicated online--an environment that is fun for the entire family and where customers can interact with the products and the store brand.

       2. Re-imagine the store layout and the inventory. Carrying the correct products and having a clear, effective store layout are probably more important today than they’ve ever been before. Having the ideal product mix--at multiple price points--can help stores shrink their real estate and become more cost effective.

Bloggers Post Lucrative Opportunities for Toymakers

 

 

 

        I've mentioned Jim Lecinski in several of my previous columns. The Google managing director of sales & service likened companies’ social media and internet presence to an 800-number that’s already been set up for you. Now, with a strategy in hand, you need to answer that line!

       I’m not saying my business is doing everything right in social media, or that we know it all. But we are trying to learn as much as we can, as fast as we can, while trying to stay open-minded. Where we’ve led is with bloggers, and the more I read about how critical a role they can play in winning online, the happier I am that we have.

       At KidStuff Public Relations, we have spent six years creating a dynamic, constantly changing list of about 200 vetted mom bloggers who deliver the kind of passionate and personal product reviews our clients need to their readers, Facebook fans and Twitter followers.

       Here’s another area where small- and mid-sized companies win against the big guys: they are creating the innovative, educational and playful products and services mom bloggers want their children to play with and want to review. Bloggers appreciate and want to support entrepreneurial businesses with reviews on their blogs.

       At a conference I recently attended, I was surprised to learn that some big companies are paying bloggers for reviews. We never have in six years, and don’t intend to start. The bloggers we work with feel that the product sample is compensation enough and they are providing a service to their readers. I think that paid reviews raise ethical questions and if I were a reader of a blog that wrote paid product reviews, I’d be really mad if I found out. I have no problem with bloggers accepting paid advertising on their sites, or making money in other ways through their business. But don’t feel like you have to pay to get a good product review!

       If you’ve got some wonderful mom blog reviews about your company (and, of course, post them on your website so they are searchable) then you can win at the ZMOT (check out my previous postings for details) when moms are searching about your product or category.

       Guess who else is searching the internet to learn about or vet products for review? Big, national media. Mom blogger reviews are compelling to them. Bloggers deserve our respect and should not be generalized with dismissive statements like “they just want free stuff.” Bloggers also are on the cutting edge of this social media business, so we learn a lot from our best partners as well.  Don’t feel like you have to know everything about online marketing before you start. Just start. See you out there!

Lisa Orman founded her virtual business, KidStuff Public Relations, 18 years ago, when AOL was the only email service and the internet was a baby. Connect with her on her company blog at www.kidstuffpr.com/blog, on Facebook, Twitter, or subscribe to her Youtube channel.

 

Mobilize your online efforts with social media

 

 

 

        When you come to think of it, it's not if you are entrenched in social media, but how are you using it to your advantage.

       Just take a look at the results of a Shopper Sciences study of 5,000 shoppers commissioned by Google. Interestingly, the ceo of the research firm noted, “we’ve seen a 300% increase in mobile phone influence scores on shopping behavior from 2010 to 2011, and that was before smartphone penetration hit the 50% mark.”

       In an earlier column, I mentioned the failure of many toy companies to either create a website or create one that was effective.

       If you have one, is it optimized for mobile? Just because the site can be viewed on a mobile device does not mean it is easy to navigate. The best test is to view it on your own phone. Do you have to zoom a lot or make mistakes on what you intended to tap, etc.? Google did a survey in 2010 and discovered “that only 21% of our top advertisers had mobile-optimized websites. The other 79% didn’t. In my mind those numbers should be flipped,” said Jim Lecinski, managing director of sales & service for Google.

       It’s absolutely crucial that toymakers and sellers jump in on this, care about it, learn about it, engage and dedicate time and money to this.

       I loved Lecinski’s compelling analogy: “You’d never set up a corporate 1-800 number with nobody to answer the phone. (Would you?) You wouldn’t build one and just let it ring. “The Internet is that 1-800 number, and it’s been set up for you even though you didn’t ask for it.

        “People are ‘calling’ you with their web searches every minute of every day. Grandma doesn’t just phone 1-800 Butterball now—she searches online for, ‘How do I know when the turkey’s done?’ If turkey is your business, you’d better be there with a helpful answer…If people search for your products and you don’t answer that search, who do you think will answer?”

       Who, indeed?

 Lisa Orman founded her virtual business, KidStuff Public Relations, 18 years ago, when AOL was the only email service and the internet was a baby. Connect with her on her company blog at www.kidstuffpr.com/blog, on Facebook, Twitter, or subscribe to her Youtube channel.

 

 

 

 

 

What's in a name? Everything these days!

 

 

 

          You’ve heard about social media and you’re ready to join the game. When you’re setting up your names or “handles” on Facebook page and Twitter page,  YouTube and others, make sure your names are as close to your exact business name as possible and try not to add funny extras like underscore or dashes or extra words. Those just make finding you in an online search harder. If someone else already has your company name, that’s a problem.

           A very public example of a huge company making a giant mistake in this regard was Netflix. They had already angered their customer base with a big price increase and blew off the millions of customers who aired their rage on the company’s Facebook page for all to see. They stated that these customers were a small group and not representative of most customers. Their stock price plummeted. Netflix recently decided to separate its streaming video business and give it a new name, Qwikster. Problem was, the company evidently didn’t check on Twitter to see if that name was already taken…if they did, they would have found that it was controlled by a potty-mouthed dude whose icon was a weed-smoking Elmo. Not kidding! You’d think the company would have learned its mistake after the Facebook lambasting it took just weeks before. The curiosity seekers wanted to see what was up with the original Qwikster so his followers went from a few hundred to 9,100 in a day or two! Netflix quickly abandoned the new business name. Want to read more about this business debacle? Click here to see an article in The Atlantic by Megan McArdle. 

         Okay, now you’ve signed up for these key accounts. You need to make it easy for people to find and follow you on them. Make links to them in your email signature so every recipient can click and follow easily. (If you don’t know how to create links and use Windows product like Outlook and Word, just highlight the words you want to link to like I’ve done in this article, right-mouse click and choose Hyperlink, and type a link or URL in the address window at the bottom, or find the link you want on the Internet and copy and paste the URL in your browser into the Hyperlink address window. It’s easy!) Also get the little icons from each of these companies and post them on the home page of your site. Then visitors to your site can follow you through these mediums, especially if you had to modify your name on these pages at all from your company name. To get started, check out pages of others in the business that you know or admire and see who they are following, and follow them too! But stay relevant! You are known by the company you keep, even online.

Lisa Orman founded her virtual business, KidStuff Public Relations, 18 years ago, when AOL was the only email service and the internet was a baby. Connect with her on her company blog at www.kidstuffpr.com/blog, on Facebook, Twitter, or subscribe to her Youtube channel.

 

 

 

 

Don't just google at social media, embrace it

 

   

 

         Unbelievably, many toymakers do not have a website yet. And of those who do, many have just a very barebones site that is of minimal use to their B2B customers or consumers. And still more do not have a company Facebook (FB) page (called public fan page) or Twitter account. Many use a personal FB page and think that’s good enough. It’s not. (Not to say you can’t use a personal FB page for some B2B correspondence, but your company name, FB page and Twitter handle are for brand building so it is imperative that it be handled professionally and include your company name.)

       I realize the toy business is tough, constantly evolving and getting more expensive and complicated. Making a living in this business can be exhausting, but that’s no excuse to stand by and not react to these seismic changes. These trends are here to stay and will only become more important and more entrenched in consumers’ buying habits.

       I really admire the people I’ve noticed lately who plunged ahead and got involved and dabbled in social media to see how it works and feels despite all the other constraints on their time.

       The good news for small and mid-sized toy businesses is that they have an advantage in social media because a genuine, passionate and knowledgeable voice rises above the online clutter, and no one knows more about a company/product/store than the owner. This is the perfect opportunity to connect directly with customers and educate them, and in turn, to learn from them.

     

       The biggest firms have long understood the importance of social media, but their size essentially forces them to hire a director of social media to handle the job. They’re approaching online communications in a mass way, just like they do with their advertising.

Is your toy ideal for Direct Response TV? Tips to help you find out

 
Direct Response Television is one of those phenomena that are an unavoidable part of modern life for anyone who watches television.  Yet, few of us know much about the nuts and bolts of actually preparing and running one not to mention whether it is something that makes sense for our products.  That is why I asked Robert Yusim, a leading expert on direct response in the toy category, to write a blog about it.

Rob began his career working directly with Raymond Kives one of the founders of K-Tel and Quality Dino Entertainment. In 2006 Rob crossed over into the toy category and started Spin Direct, Spin Master Ltd's DRTV division, with the launches of Rocket Fishing Rod, Moon Sand, Storm Launcher and Reflex Heli. Over the past 5 years Rob has launched or licensed over 100 toy product campaigns in the US, Canada and UK. In 2010 Rob launched Product Counsel to provide complete turnkey DRTV services to clients in the toy industry.  

 
People often ask me, how do you know if a product is right for DRTV?  The answer is that there are a number of important criteria that if adhered to, will significantly increase the chances for success. One thing I’ve  learned is DRTV is a great strategy for toy marketers because its proven to be very effective across a broad range of toy sub-categories, including Activities, Bath, Collectibles, Compounds, Dolls, Food Fun, Furniture, Novelties, Outdoor, RC & more.

Let’s consider the following list of toy specific product criteria for DRTV success:

Is the product New, Unique & Innovative? If the product is a brand new innovation or technology then DRTV could be the ideal launch strategy. DRTV, with its longer: 120 &:60 formats, is ideal for telling the story by introducing, communicating & demonstrating a new product’s features and benefits. While DRTV can be effective for products that have previously been distributed, it works best for brand new innovations.

Does the product have Demo-ability or a Magical Transformation? Do the product’s features, benefits & play pattern demonstrate or is there a magical transformation?  If yes, then DRTV

Toy Recall Three Years Later

Three years ago at the height of the Christmas season recalls, LIsa Merriam did a bunch of on-the-street interviews. Check out what happened when she did a repeat on Christmas Eve 2010 to see if the recalls had any long-term impact.