OPINION Why TV is still best for toys


But execution is critical and can make the difference between serious sell through uplift and a dead duck, says Steve Reece


THE HYPE around social media has died down to some degree. At first, toy marketers had to cut through smoke and mirrors, and ludicrous promises to reach the conclusion social media is great in terms of interaction and engagement with your consumer base, but you still can’t beat TV advertising if you’re looking for a ‘golden bullet’ instant win. We’ve all heard ‘TV is


getting less effective’, and that certainly appears to have some validity. However, a marginal


reduction in effectiveness from a base of actually really very effective indeed needn’t have us pulling the TV ad spend and rushing to spend it elsewhere.


The reality is, due to those lovely TV channels focused solely on kid’s entertainment programming, our consumer can be reached with a powerful


combination of ‘shotgun’


companies targeting adults, especially when mum and dad are passively watching in the background. We’re simply getting


more bang for our buck. The other pragmatic


A credible and believable commitment to TV advertising is likely to secure retail listings for your range, now and in the future.


broad blast marketing, and ‘sniper rifle’ targeting. Even better, TV media


targeting children is significantly cheaper than targeting adults – so we have an innate advantage versus those consumer products


reality is that in terms of achieving retail listings, a credible and believable commitment to TV advertising, followed by effective execution and clear proof to retail that you actually aired the ad, is likely to secure retail


listings for your range, now and in the future. So you can probably tell I’m a believer in TV, even in this day and age and even in the face of other media. However, execution is critical, and can make the difference between serious sell through uplift and a dead duck. There is really no excuse


for getting the execution of a toy TVC wrong, because we aren’t looking for cutting edge/super cool/avant garde. The basic formula is this – identify and understand consumer target, understand product competitive advantages, develop core message, create impactful execution to deliver on all of the above, place your media wisely.


And one very obvious


factor that will help you get maximum results for your campaign, have stock on the shelves.


Seems blindingly obvious,


but experience suggests either due to issues at retail or sometimes supply side, a significant proportion of our TV ad spend pushes consumers to empty shelves. Really it’s a matter of


keeping it simple and focusing on the basics. Forget the awards, forget the glamorous shoot locations, nuts and bolts based on understanding the target consumer is what delivers. It always has, and


looks likely to keep on delivering for the foreseeable future.


Steve Reece is a leading Consultant in the Toy & Games industry. Contact him via steve.reece@vicientertainment.co.uk, or see his blog at www.stevenreece.com Why kids’ tablets is not a passing trend


David Martin of InspirationWorks, the creator of Kurio, explains what this new category is creating and adding to the market place


TODAY’S MODERN parents want their kids into technology as fast as possible. Yesterday’s commentary about kids spending too much time in front of screens and not playing with traditional toys is now history. Today, every other person walking down the street is looking at a smartphone screen. So we have to embrace


the new era and understand that today’s kids want tablets and modern parents want them to have tablets, so in theory it’s an easy sale. The fine art is making


sure your child gets a product with an operating platform that suits and also represents value for money.


An iPad is a great


product marketed at grown-ups and can be used by kids…. and it costs £400. We’re playing our part in


creating tablets which are designed bottom-up for kids, but parents could use them too, and at an affordable price with tons of pre-loaded content so that the out of the box experience delivers the wow factor. There is no realistic comparison between the two styles of tablet. There is no ‘adult’ tablet in our R&D facility which we’ve adapted. The design, creation and development of our children’s tablets is totally focused from the outset on the target end consumer – the real sweet


spot is kids six to eight years old. There is nothing temporary about this category and it is no passing trend. It will evolve and change rapidly with new technologies which become available. It does frighten some


toy retailers and some sectors of the market have historically been reticent to change, but those retailers who have embraced the category and managed it well are reaping the rewards. It’s interesting to see


TRU US developing tablet shops within their own stores, which may well roll into the UK. Expect to see more of these kinds of transitions in due course.


David Martin is director and general manager of KD UK. He can be contacted on 01727 827 194. 20 November www.toynews-online.biz


We’re not trying to further escalate the KGOY factor which used to be such big news - that has happened organically, but even the educational suppliers are putting tablets into schools now, and the education market historically moves at snail’s pace. So if they can embrace


new technology and see the benefit through the educational system, then it shouldn’t be a difficult task at retail where the market moves more quickly. We’ve made


pre-loaded


educational content a priority in our tablets, so that kids not only get the fun experience they crave, but parents can engage with their children and help them learn. This is why we advertise


the family experience which can be achieved. It’s a winning combination all round.


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