If I had a dollar for every key industry contact that told us the concept of a licensing showcase during American International Toy Fair was nothing short of brilliant, I would have at least $10. Maybe even $12.

After all, what isn’t right about endeavoring to create a “Licensing Upfront” for brand and property owners when all the right people with all the right innovation, influence, and interest are already in New York City for Toy Fair? And, what could be off the mark about bringing together an audience of Madison Avenue marketers, manufacturers from around the world, mass market and independent retailers, and critically important global media available only in New York City? The short answer is nothing. But the short answer just kind of falls short of telling the story.

A venture like this requires that you start with a clear objective, but just as important is the need to remain flexible and open to modification along the way. As it turned out, even with high levels of interest, the formats that prevailed were the small meetings with key partners, invitation-only breakfasts and cocktail receptions, and brand and property exposure through traditional advertising and promotional opportunities. So, while Toy Fair won’t be seeing “big screen showcases” this year, we are pleased that we have provided just the right solutions for these stakeholders’ needs.

The licensing community attends Toy Fair in greater numbers each year. At our 2011 event, we saw a 20 percent combined increase in licensor and entertainment executive attendance. Leading up to Toy Fair 2012, we are tracking double-digit gains year to date. This should come as no surprise.

As we know, there are three key partners who must be at the table when negotiating a license deal: the brand owner, manufacturing partners, and key retailers. Three’s the charm, right? If so, then Toy Fair is charmed because there is no other event in the U.S. that delivers so powerfully these three essential partners.

With great anticipation, we look forward to hosting our toy, youth product, entertainment, retail, and media guests back to Toy Fair. We join them in celebrating the 75th anniversaries of the Tonka and Dr. Seuss’ Mulberry Street brands, as well as the anniversaries of other well-established brands such as Girl Scouts (100 years), Clifford the Big Red Dog (50 years), Masters of the Universe (30 years), Where’s Waldo (25 years), K’nex (20 years), Build-a-Bear (15 years), and more. We are also looking forward to seeing exciting new product lines this year centered on Cinderella, Batman, Spider-Man, and Marvel’s The Avengers.

TIA is very proud of the marketplaces we produce for our members and prospective members. We are constantly looking for ways to better serve the industry we represent. Our base of stakeholders is much more broadly defined this year than it has ever been and we seek business growth opportunities for all of our members, whether they are manufacturers, importers, manufacturers’ reps, inventors and designers, retailers or, of course, licensors. We will continue to provide opportunities for all.

This post was originally written by Marian Bossard and published by ToyBook.com. For more news, visit www.toybook.com, follow The Toy Book on Twitter, and like The Toy Book on Facebook. The Toy Book is a bimonthly trade magazine covering the toy industry, published by Adventure Publishing Group.

The Good Luck Troll was originally created in 1959 by Danish fisherman and woodcutter Thomas Dam. At various times since the early 1960s, Trolls have been a top-selling toy, building a seldom-achieved brand equity. Dam Things, which holds all rights to the works of Thomas Dam, is in the process of launching a complete slate of merchandise activities and products for the Good Luck Trolls. Dark Horse Comics has been granted the license for a collectibles program. The line will consist of 15 different trolls, some of which are rare, sold in mystery box assortments.

Dark Horse felt the Good Luck Troll would be a natural fit in the designer vinyl and specialty retail arena, and has created Trolls with unique variations of color and surface treatments. The product development was closely supervised by Dam Things and its brand manager Dannie Festa of Festa Entertainment, including a trip from Denmark to the West Coast prototyping facility to assess and approve the works in progress.

The mystery box, or “blind-box” trading figures, are essentially the same product, varying in decoration and materials and sold at random in sealed packages. Some of the figures are common to every counter display, and some are scarce, and are known as “chase” figures. The ratio of availability is printed on a graphic on each package, so the consumer knows the relative scarcity of the figure purchased. This type of assortment is common in Japan, but a relatively recent phenomenon in the U.S. The Good Luck Trolls “mystery box” is presented in a counter display unit, holding 15 individual blind boxes. Each Troll is packaged in an opaque foil bag inside its box to prevent tampering or viewing prior to purchase.

Dark Horse’s previously produced “mystery box” assortments of Japanese stop-motion animation character Domo have continually sold out at retail. Rather than reprint its Domo figures, the company has simply created new designs, and presented a new series. This will be the approach intended for Good Luck Trolls as well.

Dark Horse will debut an all-new mystery box assortment at Toy Fair.

This post was originally written by Jackie Breyer and published by ToyBook.com. For more news, visit www.toybook.com, follow The Toy Book on Twitter, and like The Toy Book on Facebook. The Toy Book is a bimonthly trade magazine covering the toy industry, published by Adventure Publishing Group.

by Julie Livingston, director, business development and accounts, Child’s Play Communications

That crazy mix of anticipation, excitement, and adrenaline occurs each year for me, as I walk into the Javits Center on opening day of Toy Fair. There is so much to do in advance of the show, not to mention managing the intensity of the four-day event and post-show follow up.

If you have already reached out to the media and bloggers to schedule appointments to meet and give them a heads up on your new products, that’s a good thing. There is a chance that some reporters may spend times “walking the floor,” but with staff cutbacks at many media companies, their time is often limited. It is more likely for reporters to come to Toy Fair with predetermined ideas of what they want to see; they may also narrow their search for specific products that exemplify a particular toy trend (or trends) they are covering, such as tech or connected toys.

As a Toy Fair exhibitor, what is the best way to handle the media on site at the show? This is often the biggest challenge for exhibitors who are preoccupied with retailer meetings and managing a handful of product samples. This post includes tips and advice on how to work with the media that attend the event.

Scheduled Appointments

If you have preset appointments, tell your exhibit booth administrator and designate another colleague as a backup, in case you are unavailable. If your backup is someone unaccustomed to dealing with the press, provide an overview of the media outlet and leave any press materials for them, as well as your business card and mobile number. Given the hectic nature of Toy Fair, it is not unusual for appointments to show up early or late, which may throw a curve ball into your day. However you handle it, make sure the reporter is taken care of properly and professionally.

Drop Ins

Being in the frenzy of Toy Fair can make it frustrating when a media representative drops in without an appointment. This can be a good thing, if handled properly. Although your first priority must be to work with retail buyers, try to be accommodating. Do your best to find a staff member to help or see if they can come back at a more convenient time (although note that once the reporter leaves your booth, they may not return).

Bloggers

Blogs are a type of niche media outlet, and the ones with strong followings are highly influential at driving purchases, especially the mom blogs. Bloggers should be treated with the same respect as a journalist.

That said, not everyone at your exhibit booth will be well-versed on what a blog is and how a product feature can contribute to sales. According to the Merriam Webster online dictionary, a blog is a website that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer. Toy Fair exhibitors will be interested in bloggers, mainly “mom” bloggers who write product reviews. In order to gain access to Toy Fair, bloggers must show their credentials, and provide examples of recent blog posts they have written. That said, it is perfectly acceptable for you to request to see a few sample blog posts before you invite them in. Importantly, if you have an internet connection, go online and look at the blog to check out its quality, tone, and regularity of posts.

Toy Samples

If a media outlet requests product samples during the show for photography or broadcast, this can present a unique set of challenges, since only a few prototypes may be available. Following are suggestions:

Give priority to top tier media outlets. Track when the samples leave your possession and note the expected return time. Take down all contact information so the reporter can be reached by mobile phone, and get a signature to make the loan official.

Top tier media outlets will expect an exclusive. However, if a singular product is your top item, and you have no choice but to give it to all outlets, make sure that the story or broadcast segment has a different theme, such as price/value, new technology, licensing, toy anniversary, etc.

Photography Display Components

Send along any critical display components that will help position your toy well in photography or live broadcast, as many media outlets do not have these readily available. This may include a doll stand or clear Lucite platforms to prop up an item (especially important for soft toys or when displaying multiple items of different sizes and shapes). Also, send along electrical or masking tape to hold batteries in place.

Toy Demonstrator

In some cases, especially with prototypes or electronic toys, it may be necessary to send a toy demonstrator or “wrangler” on set with your product. A toy wrangler is an industry expert who is well-versed in how a toy operates. Over the course of my time in the industry, these individuals have been invaluable, especially with regard to electronic toys, which can be complicated to activate and have a short delay in broadcast segments. If your toy doesn’t “perform” live, chances are it won’t translate into real visibility, so a wrangler may be a worthwhile investment.

Special thanks to Reyne Rice, toy trends expert, for her contributions.

Coming next week: How to keep the momentum going after Toy Fair

About Julie Livingston

A strategic communications expert, Julie Livingston has spent the past decade immersed in the toy and youth entertainment sectors. Before joining Child’s Play Communications, specialists in reaching moms, she was senior director of public relations for the Toy Industry Association, and earlier served as director, corporate communications for Scholastic, Inc, the global children’s publishing, education, and media company.

To read Tip 1, click here.

To read Tip 2, click here.

To read Tip 3, click here.

To read Tip 4, click here.

This post was originally written by Julie Livingston and published by ToyBook.com. For more news, visit www.toybook.com, follow The Toy Book on Twitter, and like The Toy Book on Facebook. The Toy Book is a bimonthly trade magazine covering the toy industry, published by Adventure Publishing Group.

by Julie Livingston, director, business development and accounts, Child’s Play Communications, New York City

With Toy Fair less than a month away, how will you engage the media to ensure coverage for your toys or youth entertainment products? Here at Child’s Play, we’ve been working overtime to fine-tune our media lists and pitches on behalf of clients. This week’s post will include some of our tried and true strategies and tactics for pitching the press.

Think Like a Journalist

With less space for toy coverage and so many exhibitors to see—more than 1,000 at the Javits Center alone, as well as those in private showrooms across New York City—reporters are pressed for time. So, when choosing media channels to pitch, focus on the “why”/reason an outlet would be interested, to determine the “where”/ specific outlets to concentrate on.

Prior to Toy Fair, many journalists will do an online search, hunting for toys that are a match for the following themes, so post your press release on all company social media platforms incorporating the following key themes and key words.

• Tech, “connected” toys and apps, especially those that are a) highly demonstrable, b) skill-focused, c) related to a video game or viral sensation
• Noted character or entertainment brands celebrating special milestones
• Celebrity or pop culture-inspired
• Interesting business, cause-marketing, or quirky entrepreneurial angles.
• Stories with a hometown connection (of interest to regional press representatives)

Create a Toy Fair Media List

Typically, the media outlets that cover Toy Fair include: regional and local media, and national broadcast and print publications. Reporters covering the following beats will be of key importance: lifestyle, entertainment (particularly those who cover celebrities or licensing news), family/parenting and youth reporters and business. The toy and licensing trade publications will most certainly have a presence at the show as well.

“Cherry pick” the individual reporters you wish to pitch. Be selective and avoid sending press materials to everyone on the staff; this can be more of an annoyance and a hindrance.

If you don’t have a subscription to a professional media database service, you may want to consider buying a list for one-time use from a service like Burrelles/Luce. To bolster press release distribution for Toy Fair, enlist a service such as PR Web. A Google search for recent toy news coverage can also uncover additional media outlets.
If your company was a 2011 Toy Fair exhibitor and/or a current Toy Industry Association member, you can request a 2011 Toy Fair media list. Although a year old, this list is a good starting point. Note that for companies in the tech toy sector, media coverage of the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show, which took place in January, can provide additional media contacts.

Niche Media Coverage

It can be extremely challenging to get your little-known (but creative) product featured in a top-tier media outlet like The New York Times or USA Today. However, there are many opportunities in niche media and popular blogs which are specific to the theme or trend you are promoting. Examples include: technology (Wired, Popular Science, Fast Company); fashion or celebrity dolls (Women’s Wear Daily, In Style, People).

Connect with the Media on Social Networks

The importance of social media to increase visibility before, during, or after Toy Fair can’t be emphasized enough. Be sure to post your press releases, and even “teaser” announcements, on all company social media platforms so they come up in search. If you or your company has a robust following on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, or LinkedIn, ask your followers if they are going to or covering Toy Fair. This is an easy way to set up appointments with journalists and bloggers, too.

Although your website is still important and necessary, research indicates a shift to Facebook as the “go-to” information source. That said, make sure basic facts about your company, brand, and driver products are posted.

Draw attention to the visual qualities of toys or entertainment products by maximizing Facebook, Flickr, and YouTube to post videos (including sizzle reels) and photos. Populate these platforms to showcase what makes your product stand out from the rest.

On Twitter, follow key journalists, writers, and producers who are tweeting about Toy Fair. Additionally, watch for trends by doing an “active search” and create a Toy Fair journalist list, which will naturally draw more attention to your company’s Twitter page.

Follow Up

Once your press materials go out, make follow up calls. Practice beforehand (I often refer to a short script) so your message is clear and succinct. If leaving a voicemail, be sure to speak slowly and clearly, and leave your contact information.

Ignite Visual Electricity

Camera crews walking through the aisles at Toy Fair will be scoping out the most exciting visual displays. If you have a friendly, colorful costumed character, live demonstrator (particularly effective with “performance” toys, such as juggling balls), a larger-than-life version of your product (which should be at least six feet tall) or one with moving parts; an engaging environment (such as a cool-looking child’s bedroom) that can serve as a backdrop for a live remote or b-roll footage from the show floor, your exhibit may attract additional attention. For years, the humongous Radio Flyer wagon display, strategically positioned at the entrance to the company’s exhibit space, acted as a Toy Fair landmark and subsequently appeared in hoards of media photos and broadcast segments.

Coming next week: Tips for working with toy industry experts and bloggers.

About the author

A strategic communications expert, Julie Livingston has spent the past decade immersed in the toy and youth entertainment sectors. Before joining Child’s Play Communications, specialists in reaching moms, she was senior director of public relations for the Toy Industry Association, and earlier served as director, corporate communications for Scholastic, Inc, the global children’s publishing, education, and media company.

To read Tip 4, click here.

By Julie Livingston, director, business development and accounts, Child’s Play Communications, New York City

Toy Fair is a month away, and for many toy and youth entertainment companies, the annual event is an important media platform that can help drive brand awareness and buzz for hot items throughout the year. With approximately one thousand media representatives from around the world in attendance, how will your company or brand garner the attention it deserves? Following are tips and information collected during the six years I served overseeing public relations for the Toy Industry Association and Toy Fair, as well as serving toy and youth entertainment industry clients as a PR professional.

1.     Prioritize your communications goals and objectives. For example, is it a new product line review you want the media to see? Or, do you have a hot item you want to hype to help drive holiday orders?  Do you have an announcement about a licensing agreement or strategic partnership? Identifying your primary goals and objectives will provide a framework for all related activities, including any responsibilities that you want other communications personnel or a public relations agency to handle.

Identifying key “driver” products will give you concise talking points to use with the media. Driver products are those items or product lines that you expect to be top performers over the next year. I recommend no more than five or six. These can be based on early retailer feedback and retailer availability, price, as well as media appeal.

2.     Start booking media appointments NOW. With Toy Fair just a month away, it’s wise to reach out to those reporters with whom you have met previously or those you want to start a relationship with. If your company is an official Toy Fair exhibitor, the Toy Industry Association will provide a media list from the 2011event free of charge by request. Although there may be changes to this list, many of the reporters attending the 2012 event will be the same.

Reach out to the press with a simple invitation—I suggest email first—and then follow up with a phone call. Your electronic invitation should be brief, and highlight your product/service news in bold fashion. Don’t forget to include your contact information, including email, office number, and cell phone number.

3.     Is your toy or youth entertainment product or service media-friendly? A range of journalists, from broadcast, print, and social media platforms, cover Toy Fair. However, not all toys and youth entertainment products are suitable across all media platforms. To gauge which toys are newsworthy, consider the following:

a)     Is the toy really “new”? This means is it dramatically different from any earlier version, or is this a line extension?

b)    Were the toy(s) accepted by target market retailers during the October Toy Fair? If retailers want it in their stores, then there’s a good chance that the media will want to feature it too. Media will usually only cover items that consumers have access to on shelf or via pre-sale online.

c)     If the toy is from a just-introduced line extension, it must be distinctive and notably different from the original product line.

d)    Is the toy demonstrable and can its special features be easily communicated in one sentence? If so, it may be a good fit for television. However, if it lacks “bells and whistles,” the product may not have enough camera-appeal.  Much will depend on the kind of story or feature that the individual reporter is working on.

e)     Is it an electronic toy? The majority of reporters who cover Toy Fair are interested in the newest tech toys, however, electronic toys can present certain challenges on broadcast. When demonstrating a tech toy, there is a slight delay in the activation of the “reveal”—which may include special sounds, lights, or action. Although the delay may range from 1-15 seconds, on television, that amount of time can feel like an eternity. Also, since many products shown at Toy Fair are in prototype format, to gauge retailer interest, or because they are early production samples, they may not function perfectly.

f)     Does your product fit into a bigger trend story such as board games, electronic or connected toys, preschool, girls’ toys, or boys’ toys? If so, cite this information to engage reporters.

4. How many product samples are enough? This is often the biggest dilemma for exhibitors as “hot” items may be in very limited supply. If you think you have a media-friendly product, you need at least three product samples with six as an ideal amount. This provides some flexibility in case items need to be transported to an outside location, or photo or broadcast studio.

Coming next week: What should be in your Toy Fair media tool kit?

About the author

A strategic communications expert, Julie Livingston has spent the past decade immersed in the toy and youth entertainment sectors. Before joining Child’s Play Communications, specialists in reaching moms, she was senior director of public relations for the Toy Industry Association, and earlier served as director, corporate communications for Scholastic, Inc, the global children’s publishing, education, and media company.

Special thanks to Reyne Rice, toy trend expert, for her contributions to this post.

This post was originally written by Julie Livingston and published by ToyBook.com. For more news, visit www.toybook.com, follow The Toy Book on Twitter, and like The Toy Book on Facebook. The Toy Book is a bimonthly trade magazine covering the toy industry, published by Adventure Publishing Group.

To read Tip 2, click here.

The first game I tried my hand at, literally, was Family Game Night 4 The Game Show on the Kinect for Xbox 360. Family Game Night 4 brings the excitement of The Hub network’s TV show right into your living room.

There are a variety of games to choose from, such as Connect 4 Basketball, Yahtzee! Bowling, Scrabble Flash, Sorry! Sliders, Bop-It Boptagon, and Monopoly Crazy Cash. I played Yahtzee! Bowling and Sorry! Sliders, and, in my opinion, both games were awesome and the graphics were great, too.

Next, I moved on to play Popcorn Dragon by Pop Cap on the iPad. Developed for the iOS platform, Popcorn Dragon is a touch-screen experience full of vibrant colors. The dragon, Ignatius Flambe, is ambitious. He breathes fire to pop popcorn kernels, then devours the kernels for points, but must stay away from danger.

The classic movie-themed levels present challenges from velociraptors to aliens. I gathered all the popcorn I could and scored bonus points for upgrades. I plan to become a pro at this game soon!

I also tried FIFA on the PlayStation Vita. For a non-gamer such as myself, I was hooked. Vita has all the classic buttons as previous Sony handhelds, but includes improved graphics and a touchscreen on the front and back. FIFA features soccer teams and players from around the world. Players can touch the screen to pass the ball from player to player and go in for the score, or use the traditional controls.

Whatever your game preference, the “Naughty or Nice” event had something for everyone to enjoy.

This post was originally written by Ericka Johnson and published by ToyBook.com. For more news, visit www.toybook.com, follow The Toy Book on Twitter, and like The Toy Book on Facebook. The Toy Book is a bimonthly trade magazine covering the toy industry, published by Adventure Publishing Group.

The new Brand & Entertainment Showcase satisfies increased demands from the licensing community to collaborate in a formalized setting at the show. Content providers will be able to simply show up and show off in small, private meeting spaces or large, public theaters. Turnkey presentation solutions and an audience of marketers ensure that all participants’ needs will be met.

As the largest and most important gathering for youth entertainment in the Western Hemisphere, Toy Fair last year welcomed an unprecedented surge in entertainment executives (+31 percent) and licensors (+8 percent). In 2010, licensed toys represented 25 percent of total industry sales. In addition, the co-located Brand & Entertainment Showcase gives participants access to the important ancillary advertising, marketing, and promotion-oriented industries that are concentrated in and around the media epicenter of the world.

Adventure Publishing’s signature publications—The Licensing Book and The Toy

Book—and its online communities will be a primary conduit of information and updates about the showcase to the global community, and the key vehicles for brand advertisers during the event itself.

For more information about participating in TIA’s Brand and Entertainment Showcase, contact Jennifer Coleman, sales executive and producer (973.760.8181, jennifer@jcinc.biz); for information about advertising opportunities, please contact Jonathan Samet at Adventure Publishing (212.575.4510, jsamet@adventurepub.com).

Walking into the toy section of a store like Target during the holiday season can be overwhelming for shoppers, who are faced with toy aisle upon toy aisle of great products to choose from. Thousands of additional products can be found online. Those that make it onto store shelves during the season are often thought of as the crème de la crème, and being chosen for Target’s shelves can bring tremendous success to a toy manufacturer.

Stephanie Lucy, Target’s vice president of merchandising, chats with Elizabeth A. Reid of The Toy Book to talk about holiday merchandising strategies, how it makes its toy selections, and what Target is doing to become a top destination for holiday shopping.

The Toy Book: Let’s paint a picture of how great toys get to Target. How far in advance do you plan for each holiday season?

Stephanie Lucy: We actually start looking for content for the holiday season in September or October the year before. For example, we are going to market right now to look for products for next holiday season.

TB: So, how do you pick the toys? When you are at market, what do you look for?

SL: First of all, it starts with us evaluating what is currently working at Target—what’s selling and what’s not—and ensuring that we understand what the guest is interested in. Beyond that, it really is strong partnerships with our vendors. We do business with the largest toy manufacturers around the world. So, it’s sitting down with them and understanding what they believe the hottest toys are going to be, and what they believe content should look like for the year to come.

TB: So after you pick the toys, what comes next?

SL: A lot of it has to do with making sure we have a focused assortment. Before we even go to market and before we look at new content, [we ensure] that we have all of the items that mom would expect. So that means the great brands—from Barbie to Nerf to Hot Wheels—and great licenses. This year, as an example, there were a lot of movie releases—Thor, Transformers, Captain America, Cars 2.

It’s also about ensuring that we have relevant exclusives. We want to make sure that we are able to offer guests something different in the brands and licenses that are important to them. Lastly, it’s having a balance with our own brands, our private label brands, like Circo and Play Wonder.

We carry at any given time about 1,800 [toy] items in our stores and about 5,000 [additional toys] online. Our dot com serves as a way to have an expanded selection on the great brands, licenses, and private label content that we offer.

TB: How do you pick which toys will be in stores and which toys will be online only?

SL: The majority of our toys that are in stores are also online, and the additional 5,000 are really above and beyond. It’s really about expanding the brands that resonate with the Target guest, and I’m calling the Target guest “mom” because that is who our average guest is—a woman who has several children and is in her 40s. It’s offering more kids’ content; for example, more assortment within Barbie, larger pack sizes, but it’s also about testing and trying out new brands that might be in the marketplace. Dot com gives us a great opportunity to see whether or not the guest is really responding to those items.

TB: Say you are a smaller manufacturer and want to get into Target. Do you think online is a great way to start a new partnership?

SL: I think it depends on the content. We are always looking for new, innovative items to differentiate ourselves from the competition. And if it’s relevant, I think it depends on how that product’s story can be told, and whether it’s more viable in our stores or online.

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MGA Entertainment has announced plans to enter the world of specialty toy products with the launch of its own specialty division, MGA Entertainment Specialty. The company is currently hiring sales representation groups across the U.S. that will service specialty retailers at store level. MGA Entertainment Specialty will offer a vast assortment of unique toys and gifts derived from its portfolio of brands, including Little Tikes, Moxie Girlz, Zapf, Rescue Pets, and more.

Sales industry veteran Terri Maccarrone has been tapped to helm MGA Entertainment Specialty. With a background that includes roles at Small World Toys, Michel & Company, and Applause, Terri is poised to lead the way in widening the scope of retail outlets that carry MGA brands.