Toy makers/distributors are in a unique predicament when it comes to marketing their products/services. Because their primary market is kids under the age of 13 and that market is somewhat protected (personal data) by the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, developing a marketing strategy can be quite tricky.
Two of the largest toy manufacturers, Mattel (#1) and Hasbro (#2) have developed marketing strategies through a combination of traditional (print/television) and social media to enhance their overall marketing efforts. And while both have embraced new forms of advertising/social media, Mattel seems to have the edge on Hasbro.
Mattel has delved deeper into its individual brands, particularly the most popular brands like Barbie and Hotwheels, by developing on-line communities specific to these brands (2009, Mattel). The “Barbie Girls” site boasts one of the most robust communities. It includes the ability for kids to essentially create their own Barbie avatar, earn virtual Barbie bucks, play games, etc. Additionally, the site also includes a “grown ups” page that presents opportunities to engage parents through links to “top toys”, Barbie vintage trivia, party/safety tips, and the ability to sign up for special offers/updates. Several of the sites also include subtle video messages about new products and the ability to earn stickers.
In addition to these communities, you will find Mattel trying to engage consumers through Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. These mediums may be fairly new to the company, and right now the Facebook fan page has less than 200 fans and Twitter followers are less than 100. But, these are mediums that are emerging and, if used appropriately and creatively, may further extend the reach to consumers.
So, enough about Mattel – I’m sure we’ll be coming back to them to make some comparisons, but let’s talk Hasbro.
Part of Hasbro’s mission is to “provide some of the highest quality and most recognizable play and recreational experiences in the world” and “inspire play” through its brands. The company does so by offering a wide array of products, including traditional toys and games to those with high-tech, interactive capabilities. Some of the most recognizable and popular toys include, Transformers, Tonka and Parker Brothers -- you know, the brand for Monopoly (2009, Hasbro). Sales for 2009 came in at just a little over $4 billion, compared to Mattel’s annual revenue of nearly $6 billion (2009, Hoover’s).
The company’s primary target audience is children ranging in age from 3-12 (22 percent). The male to female ratio for that audience is almost dead even, with females edging out the males 54 percent to 46 percent. It’s Web site – Hasbro.com – reaches 1.5 million consumers monthly (2009, Quantcast). During the past two years, the company has placed an enhanced focus on “tweens” (kids ages 8-12) by focusing on products that are high-tech/digitally innovative products (2009, Hoovers).
Hasbro’s primary advertising vehicle continues to be television. In addition, the company also markets products through the American International Toy Fair in New York each year. Last year, the company spent more than $4.5 million on advertising (2009, Hasbro Annual Report).
Hasbro’s Facebook page (not sure if it’s official or unofficial) has limited information/engagement opportunities and includes only about 1,000 fans. However, the Hispanic Hasbro site boasts more than 5,000 fans (2009, Facebook). This may seem understandable given that their target audience (kids under the age of 12) may not be using Facebook. However, in looking at what I believe to be a larger target audience – their parents – it may make sense to enhance this presence. Adults ages 35-54 using Facebook grew more than 170 percent in less than a year, and those ages 24-35 and 55+ also saw substantial growth, more than 97 percent (2008, Corbett). Either way, the presence of fans/users is almost nonexistent, and this is an area where there is a lot of potential to engage consumers, particularly parents.
It also appears that Hasbro continues to rely on e-mail updates on product recalls/new products/special offers. There doesn’t appear to be a Twitter presence or even the use of text messaging for these special alerts. Parents now often rely on text updates for local school closings; wouldn’t it be great if Hasbro offered text updates on new product offers or recalls? A simple, cheap and effective way to reach more consumers.
Some of the individual Hasbro brands offer interactive opportunities for kids. For example, the company’s “My Little Pony” brand provides information on how to plan a party, recipes, an opportunity to “meet the ponies” and the ability for parents to send electronic greeting cards to their kids from the ponies.
Hasbro is also trying to engage parents by providing parenting tips from a renowned psychologist, as well as other experts. Most of the topics don’t even pertain to toys. They are just topics relating to children/families. The site also gives parents, access to toy demos, educational information, commercials and other informational videos.
We’ve just touched the tip of the ice berg here, but hopefully this provides a short glimpse into some of the marketing techniques/strategies in place at Hasbro. So, during the coming weeks, we will be looking at new opportunities to further enhance marketing efforts that will help make this brand more successful and possibly even help it catapult over the competition.
References:
Corbett, P. (2008, June 20). Facebook demographics 2008 update -- It’s getting older in there. Retrieved October 30, 2009, from http://www.istrategylabs.com/2008/06/facebook-demographics-2008-update-its-getting-older-in-there/
Facebook (2009). Hasbro. Retrieved November 1, 2009, from http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=Mattel&init=quick#/Mattel?ref=search&sid=25827717.1300079418..1
Hasbro (2009, February 25). 10-K and Annual Report to Shareholders. Hasbro.com. Retrieved November 2, 2009, from http://www.scribd.com/doc/12937028/HASBRO-INC-10K-Annual-Reports-20090225
Hoover’s (2009). Hasbro, Inc. and Mattel, Inc. Retrieved November 1, 2009, from http://hoovers.com/hasbro/--ID__12007,period__A--/free-co-fin-income.xhtml
Mattel (2009). Retrieved November 1, 2009, from www.mattel.com
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