TOMY_Toy World_Vertical Ads_60x285mm_X4.pdf 3 05/12/2013
08:39
Ali Mafi 50 Fifty Gifts
The power of now
So another year draws to a close and, habitually, many are thinking about changes they will make to their lives next year and how after struggling with the last few verses of Auld Lang Syne there will emerge a new person. The reality is that nothing will change and, as the saying goes, it will be same old, same old. In any case, Christmas Day and January first
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
are just days like any other; you don’t wake up to trees being purple or the sky being pink and there is, therefore, no logical reason to postpone changes ‘til then, it’s just a delaying tactic. If, for example, you want to be fitter or slimmer, then today is as good a day as any to get started. Blue-arsed flies who consider themselves so
busy are a real source of amusement to me, and I have had to tolerate a few in my life. In reality, as I have stated before, all 6.3 billion of the people on this planet have exactly the same amount of time per day, and those who have a manic existence do so solely and purely because they have created it and failed miserably to prioritise aspects of their lives. I have not read Steve Job’s book but I absolutely adore the title, The Journey is the Reward, and I can honestly say that I consider it the wisest, most profound and most accurate
statement about life I have ever heard. Achievement is never a long-term source of joy or happiness, and nor is ownership. The joy, in every aspect of life, is the chase. I remember an occasion many years ago where I was at a traffic light and this gleaming Porsche 911 Carreras 4S pulled alongside me. I looked at it enviously thinking “lovely car”, and I had totally forgotten I was driving an identical and newer version!
What I am saying is that the thrill and the joy was getting to a position where I could have that car but once I got it, shortly after, it was just my car and then the first scratch came followed by a mechanical problem and some time later the sat nav broke down, which led to my dream car becoming an irritation. I genuinely believe that everything follows the same pattern, expectation followed by achievement followed by acceptance followed by irritation and finally ending in profound disappointment. The best part, without doubt, is the expectation. My favourite example is chasing after a job, the excitement and trepidation of the interview, the anxiety during the wait and the jubilation of getting it, but after a while it’s just your job and then the irritations with colleagues, customers, the practices, the boss etc, set in. Believe me, I know how it feels to chase and chase a customer, and the feeling of jubilation when you crack it, but after a few months they are just another customer and three cancelled orders later they become a pain and after repeatedly being late paying they become a misery. So what is a good New Year’s resolution? Well the best I can think of is to conduct your life in such a manner so as not to need one next year. So if acquisition and achieving goals does not
bring long-term happiness then what does? In my humble opinion it is actually quite
Dan
Salem Prism Digital
Solutions
Focus on brand building
Action packed toys inspired by TV Series 4
58 Toyworld
Happy New Year! As we embark on another Toy Fair season, the
results of Christmas will have been digested and the ‘Tablet versus Toy’ results will be in. With the expected huge increase in tablet take up, many heads will be focused on how to maintain growth in an ever-increasingly competitive environment for kids time.
Whilst many app toys have so far failed to make an impact, it appears that the content on tablets themselves is providing the play value for kids without the need for connected add-ons. The psychology behind this is linked to a shampoo ad some of us will be familiar with from a few years ago: “Why take two things into the shower, when you can take one.” This provides a massive opportunity for brands to focus on brand building across multiple platforms. One only has to look at the success of Lego over the past few years to see how its strategy has not only created new platforms to engage with the audience, but has engaged fans in new ways bringing a range of user-generated content and PR to the brand.
The combination of long-term licensed
franchises with home grown content, allows for a greater chance of success. More importantly, the fact that Lego has
increasingly spread its marketing activity throughout the year with various spikes, allows the company to ride the busy Christmas season without having to stand out as much as some of the other toy brands.
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