as Words with Friends. Why have you decided to go down this route? Do you think these games will translate well to physical product? As you may know, Hasbro and Zynga announced in February a global partnership for Hasbro to develop a wide range of toy and gaming experiences based on Zynga’s social games and brands. We are very excited with this partnership and to be bringing physical games into market this A/W. Hasbro’s Zynga games will bring Words With Friends, FarmVille and CityVille to life through face-to-face, hands-on gaming experiences. For the first time, players will be able to play Zynga games with family and friends both online and face-to- face. Each of Hasbro’s Zynga games includes both a physical and digital game value, making the offering at retail a truly unique one for the gaming aisle.
How much more important is the social networking and app side of the business becoming for toy companies such as yourself, do you think? There’s obviously a desire from consumers for new and innovative ways to play. What are Hasbro’s views on that? With changing consumers trends, it’s always vital that manufacturers adapt and change. We are always looking
for new ways to connect with our consumers, be it through play or their media consumption habits. Some great examples are our new Zynga titles and Hasbro zAPPed games. Hasbro also has a robust presence across a wide variety of online social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for many of its popular brands, including Nerf, Hasbro Gaming, Furby, My Little Pony and more.
My Little Pony hosts a royal pony wedding in Equestria, with the Pony Princess Wedding Castle Play-set. Finally our two-in-one Kre-o Transformers building sets put kids’ builders to the test with an Optimus Prime vs Megatron construction play-set.
Are there any other trends that you can see emerging?
As consumer behaviour patterns
Economic conditions will always fluctuate, but we remain fortunate in
having an incredible brand portfolio
that provides strong value. Foye Pascoe, Country Manager, UK/Ireland, Hasbro
What else can we expect to see in the remainder of 2012 from you? What will be your big Christmas lines this year? Watch out for the Nerf N-Strike Elite Hail-Fire launch. Monopoly Millionaire will run a nationwide consumer promotion to win the millionaire lifestyle in October. Also, in September we will be launching our highly anticipated Tickle Time Elmo. Transformers are back with
Weaponizers – all new Transformers Prime-styled figures from Hasbro Studio’s hit TV series in a larger scale with unique features.
change, especially within the digital world, there will be a greater focus on product innovation, and delivering enriched and immersive brand experiences. Take for example our launch of Furby. Through a combination of interactive programming and robotic engineering, Hasbro has created a truly innovative toy experience which utilises the current trend of commonplace smartphone and tablet usage, with a toy that really creates its own personality.
What is the mood like at retail currently? Are you still seeing
retailers being cautious when it comes to new brands? And do you see this improving as we move into 2013 and beyond?
As always, Hasbro remains focused on delivering immersive brand experiences that consumers can enjoy anytime, anywhere.
Economic conditions will always fluctuate, but we remain fortunate in having an incredible brand portfolio that provides strong value and can be enjoyed by all members of the family.
What are your main aims for the business for the rest of 2012 and moving into 2013?
Our continued focus to rollout our Branded Play blueprint of re- inventing, re-igniting and re- imagining our brands; leading to a deeper connection with our consumers, better trading with our retailers and building on our 2011 accolade of UK Toy Supplier of the Year.
What are your hot tips from your 2013 product line that we should watch out for? We will continue to innovate within our brands, with new global entertainment in both film and television in 2013, and we will also build on our strong relationships with both core entertainment licensees and licensors.