OUTSIDE THE BOX Remember: As good as your product and product packaging is, it must evolve with your fast-moving, ever-changing customer, or you risk becoming marginalized. No matter how well you’re currently doing, it’s important to challenge yourself to do better. Tweaking product and package design to one-up customer experience keeps your brand fresh and relevant. It also staves off me-too competitors. While the visual entices consumers first, don’t ignore the other senses. Engaging multiple senses enhances consumer brand experience. Tactile packaging that encourages touch is important for kids. They love to touch the things that visually attract them. If the substrates used in packaging make that touch memorable, or a tactile toy is exposed within packaging, that’s even better. Scent is another terrific element. Crayola’s scented markers and crayons are a hit for that reason. “Try Me” packaging that comes replete with sound is another way to elevate kids’ experiences with brands. The more senses that toy manufacturers can bring to packaging to engage kids, the better their experience. Skyrocket’s new Pomsies brand does just that. Pomsies feature the heads and tails of cats, while cashing in on the pom-pom craze. They’re wearable and interactive toys—two elements that up the ante in the collectibles category. When kids touch Pomsies, they’re
already envisioning them as their new, virtual pets. Rubbing the cat’s nose, mouth, or head, activates up to 50 cute sounds and phrases. Its eyes change color to let kids know how it’s feeling. Lastly, Pomsies feature a special freeze dance mode to play with friends and other Pomsies as well. The carded packaging exhorts kids to “try me” and “press my nose, pet me,” which is a highly sensory, emotive experience. During this process, kids can discover the cat’s features very quickly. This is packaging that doesn’t spell out the interactive assets of the toy. Other than a quick mention, “Loveable, wearable pompom pets,” the packaging is enticing enough to get kids to pick it up and discover its wonderful secrets for themselves. A custom logo in bright pink features a heart in the wraparound tail formed in the first “S” of the brand name. Pastel hearts and swirls form the backdrop for Pomsies. A visual of a young girl holding her Pomsie is irresistible, enabling every child to envision him or herself with his or her own special, new pet. This is smart minimalism in packaging. It’s smart in what it chooses to communicate and what it omits to say with all of its visual and verbal cues. It engages through touch and sound. RELEVANCE: THE NAME OF THE GAME Timing is everything. Smart brands release updated versions of their most popular toys in the fall as they plan to bring in that all-important holiday business. Doing so at this crucial time of the year creates buzz and anticipation. It also keeps brands relevant. Spin Master’s powerful Hatchimals brand gave a sneak peek of its fall launch at New York Toy Fair in February. A peek is all that kids will get, since the packaging features the brand’s ubiquitous, cracking egg with eyes peering out from within, and that’s all they can see. Question marks appear alongside the egg rather than the usual depiction of a group of characters, one of which obviously resides inside the egg, only to be revealed when kids fully hatch it. Beneath the now-famous logo appears the word “Mystery,” along with the tagline on the bottom of the package: “Who Will You Hatch?” further inciting kids’ curiosity. A tantalizing glimpse of four new cuddly creatures appears on social
72
THE TOY BOOK | DECEMBER/JANUARY 2019 | toybook.com
media and in the press. But wisely, none of those visuals appear on pack. As a result, the air of mystery is more compelling. As the popular collectibles category becomes crowded with brands that are vying to be the hit of the coming holiday season, moves like this one help to keep properties relevant and in demand. Great package design goes a long way to creating buzz and engagement, while deepening relationships with kids. It elevates every customer experience with the brand. It all begins with developing a visual design language that will always stand for the brand—no matter how many new products roll out in the future— and one that you can easily update to accommodate a fast-changing culture and its savvy, restless consumers. Especially today’s kids. » Ted Mininni is president and creative director at Design Force Inc., a package and licensing program design consultancy to the consumer product and entertainment industries. The goal of Design Force is to establish strong emotional connections with consumers and create powerful visual brand experiences that engage, excite, entertain, inspire, and influence consumers’ decision to buy. Mininni can be reached at (856) 810-2277. Visit designforceinc.com for more information.
