State of the Industry Sharon DiMinico Founder and CEO, Learning Express
Ben Gadbois Global President and COO, Spin Master Ltd.
How are you utilizing social media components such as YouTube, Twitter, and Pinterest? We often find that customers enjoy seeing our toys out of the box and in action. YouTube is a great way for us to teach our customers more about the products we offer and help them explore new ways to play. With social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, we can create an engaging relationship with our customers through direct interaction. These platforms are extremely useful in keeping our customers well-informed about our new products, promotions, in-store events, and other initiatives. Pinterest has allowed us to become a valuable resource for our customers. Through Pinterest we can provide our customers with useful content and information relating to not only our products and services, but also parenting and child development.
What trends are you anticipating leading into 2014, and how are you altering your product development in response? We can see how tech ties in to games (such as Skylanders and Disney Infinity), so expect to see us take this trend seriously. Activities are also showing a resurgence with, for example, the success of Rainbow Loom, and our own success with a test launch of our Sew Cool line. New adaptations to old toys that focus on tried and true play patterns will continue to be reflected in consumer offerings. Construction toys continue to be hot sellers. Our recent acquisition of Meccano and the newly launched Tenkai Knights by Ionix will continue to shapeshift the construction aisle, allowing builders to experience classic construction play in a brand new way. Interactive toys that allow realistic and free play choices will remain popular. Additionally, tablets, spy games, and robotics will continue to develop. Spin Master will continue to build immersive digital extensions to many of our toy lines through the creation of entertainment properties, companion applications, games, and digital experiences that are suited for changing consumer play patterns. Our Spy Gear line is the best it has ever been, complete with high-tech surveillance gear disguised as pens, smartphones, and sunglasses.Our Spin Master Robotics line will also continue with progressive technologies.
Does packaging design drive sales in your stores? What would you like to see manufacturers do differently? The best toy in the world will sit on the shelf if the package design is not good. Conversely, a mediocre toy will sell really well if the package is attractive. Manufacturers need to appreciate the importance of white space on a package. Product exclusives continue to be a major trend. Will you rely on manufacturers to provide these offerings, source yourself, or a combination of both? We’re really not equipped to source exclusives ourselves. Instead, we present our ideas to manufacturers, and they in turn will source the materials and manufacture it for us for a limited amount of time—usually one year.
52 • THE TOY BOOK
Is enough emphasis being placed on creating new kids’ entertainment properties that can translate into successful toy lines? Our goal is to create great brands for kids. In many cases, we start with entertainment. For example, with Paw Patrol, we look for characters and stories that make an emotional connection to kids’ lives. We ask ourselves, “What aspirational qualities are kids of today looking for? And how can we build a meaningful relationship with kids through content and stories?” Rather than create a show that features a toy line, we look to put the emphasis on building characters and content that demonstrates play patterns. How can the content we create enhance the toy play and vice versa?
FEBRUARY 2014