Toy News

Mattel’s evergreen pre-school brand, Fisher-Price, is currently number one in the infant and pre-school category.

The brand’s value growth is up by 9.27 per cent year on year (source: NPD POS, June YTD 2008), a testament to the emphasis the company places on the portfolio.

The introduction of nursery products to Fisher-Price in the UK in 2004 clearly contributed to the growth of the brand, giving the range opportunities for exposure outside the toy aisles.

Meanwhile, the infant category has continued to grow, rising by 6.5 per cent over the past three years (source: NPD POS). The company attributes this success to a strong mix of product and marketing campaigns.

Phil Hooper, senior marketing manager at Fisher-Price says: “We are committed to fostering our leadership position and driving Fisher-Price forward through the continued launch of innovative products backed with impactful, heavyweight marketing campaigns.”

Fisher-Price’s infant and pre-school brands fall into four main categories: Newborn, infant, pre-school and character brands.

In newborn, the current emphasis is on babygear, particularly the Rainforest range, and the infant category will focus on the Go, Baby, Go collection. The Bounce n Spin Zebra remains popular and key products for autumn are the Crawl n Cruise Jungle, Sit to Crawl Polar Coaster and Fun with Friends Musical Table.

Mattel sees the Kid Tough Camera as a jewel in the pre-school crown, with stats showing it’s the number one best-selling kids digital camera in the UK (source: NPD POS June YTD 2008, Youth Electronics category.)

The company will continue to place a heavy emphasis on driving consumer demand through TV as well as introducing innovation such as the new waterproof version.

Mattel is also backing the pre-school boys sector. Shake n Go continues to perform well and will benefit from TV advertising in Q4. A redesigned Imaginext range with new products will also be supported on TV and GeoTrax is being relaunched with new lines in the autumn.

Character brands continue their success and Dora the Explorer, Diego and Winnie the Pooh remain powerful brands. The forthcoming launch of the Mr Men Show range is major news for the company, with ratings for the show indicating that it has great potential.

My Friends Tigger and Pooh enables Fisher-Price to reach older pre-schoolers, where the property is strong. Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go will have a solid autumn line-up including the Dora Deluxe Doll’s House and Winter Princess Dora.

Elmo Live is perhaps the cherry on the licensed brands cake and has a lot to live up to after the success of TMX Elmo in 2006. The toy has mass appeal and the launch is supported by new programming Sesame Tree on Cbeebies.

Hooper explains: “Elmo Live is quite simply the most lifelike special feature plush we have ever launched. With over 150 actions, phrases, jokes and stories, he is packed with content and is bound to cause a stir. Response from retailers has been unbelievable.”

The overall brand awareness of each of these Fisher-Price categories is due largely to marketing initiatives. The brand is the number one TV advertiser among pre-school brands and this is set to continue, especially during key selling periods.

Mattel’s ongoing strategy is to explore new channels to reach mums, as seen in the 2007 sponsorship of Five’s Milkshake with Little People, Smart Cycle and Kid Tough Digital Camera.

While TV is crucial to the brand, however, Mattel continues to use new mediums to develop 360 degree campaigns, addressing print, online, direct mail and word of mouth.

Experiential events have received greater emphasis in recent years. A major presence at the Baby Show has encouraged direct product interaction and has driven awareness of the baby gear and infant ranges.

Fisher-price.co.uk also received a major overhaul in 2007 and since then the brand has developed its online strategy further.

Hooper comments: “While mum will always turn to the traditional parenting magazines and ‘bibles’ for advice, they will always value advice from other mums. The internet is playing a vital role in this, mums can now tap into advice from all over the country through social network sites, those geared towards parenting are hugely popular.”

2009 will see further launches and innovation and subsequent marketing investment. The eagerly anticipated Wonder Pets will make an appearance and Elmo’s success is predicted to continue throughout spring and summer.

Next year is also the 50th anniversary of Little People, which will be supported with a programme of PR, TV, events and in-store marketing. Levels of investment will continue to increase for Imaginext also, offering an extensive range of price points and product development, backed with TV support throughout the year.


Tough enough

Mattel was the first to launch a digital camera designed to be tough enough for pre-schoolers and that ‘Kid Tough’ branding is a key strength.

The company says it sees innovation as the lifeblood of the toy industry and electronics as an integral part, from the simple light and sound rewards to more complex toys. This innovation is set to continue.

Kid Tough campaign past and present:

2006/7: Kid Tough camera launched with TV advertising,          online activity, Milkshake strand sponsorship and PR support.

Spring 2008:Further TV advertising and PR campaign.

Autumn 2008: Kid Tough DVD Player joins the range alongside innovation on the camera to upgrade and enhance, including the introduction of the waterproof version.
   
Lines supported by a new, heavyweight TV campaign, extensive PR and online activity.