TOTAL LICENSING there. It just comes through a different medium. And there are hundreds of these influential little people! What better way, indeed, to decide if you like a toy, or want your parents to buy a toy, than watching someone play with it and give it an honest review? As there are hundreds of influencers, this is a veritable goldmine of opportunity for the licensing industry. Never in years before has marketing to the right audience been so direct. We’ve seen it for a long time – when a member of the Kardashian clan, for example, wears something and puts a snap of herself on Instagram, her millions of followers see it instantly. Product sales go up. Sometimes these are paid partnerships, sometimes not.
In 2017, Ryan’s parents signed a deal with pocket.watch for Ryan’s YouTube channels, and last year pocket.watch and WildWorks created an app called Tag. In 2018, Walmart released the first line of Ryan toys. Ryan Toys Review and pocket.watch have also produced a 20-episode television series for pre-schoolers which debuted in April of this year. However, the monetary scale of influencers can be hard to quantify, and millions of fans do not necessarily equate to millions of dollars in revenue.
The influencers that are seeing real business success are the ones that have the ring of authenticity. Kids aren’t stupid – they know if their little idol is enjoying the toy, and they know that if an adult put out a message telling them they like this toy, their attention would wander elsewhere. The unboxing trend has of course gone hand-in-hand with the rise of collectibles at retail. The element of surprise is what keeps the video, and the toy, fun. Children and their natural curiosity, as well as instinct for play and fun, mean that unboxing videos are becoming a strong element in a purchasing decision. And what better way of reaching millions? KidToyTesters, a joint channel run by five siblings, creates content that is fun and kid-friendly. The children test out different games every week and upload their reviews on their channel. These kid influencers also engage their 3 million subscribers through giveaways and challenges.. Their most popular video is the one where all of the kids recreate a scene from “The Little Mermaid.” It has garnered over 38 million views.
They produce videos that earn them around $3,000 to $20,000 per sponsored video. California brothers Gabe and Garrett, 11 and 9, introduce their audience to new games through their YouTube channel, reviewing everything from Power Wheels to Sidewalk Cops. JANGBRiCKS, reviewing popular Lego sets and bundles, has over a million subscribers on YouTube. Brittany the Toy Reviewer takes a look at many different kinds of girls’ toys that are both popular and indie, including some that aren’t dolls or figures. She reviews everything from Barbie and My Little Pony to food sets and kids make-up. While you can definitely watch Brittany’s reviews for the latest on traditional properties,, some of her videos cover alternative toys like food making sets and make-up bundles for kids. Nicole Sykes saw over three million views of her video unboxing Num Noms, Shopkins, and Smooshy Mushy. She has also done slime and putty reviews for the many members of her ‘Sykes Squad’. On doing some research for this article, I got lost down the rabbit hole of unboxing videos. They are colourful, fun, noisy and appeal highly to children – even if it might seem like a different language to their parents. And increasingly, the licensing industry is seeing the great value in the reach and influence of these pint-sized power houses. Now, if you will excuse me, I’m just heading back to YouTube to watch with increasing envy as Ryan gets to play all day long!
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