Toy World spoke to two of Mattel’s key retailers, Tesco and Toys R Us, to find out how they have worked with Mattel brands in 2017. Natalie Ackerman, Tesco’s F&F licensing manager
Andy Brocklehurst, director of merchandise at Toys R Us UK
Can you tell us about the digital support which Mattel has put behind the F&F? At Tesco, we aim to serve our customers a little better every day and having the opportunity to Mattel’s and utilise their social media platforms has allowed us to target our customers for each individual character, ensuring they only receive relevant information on their favourite characters. The recent Thomas campaign was very successful and, based on this, we plan to work with Mattel on new campaigns in the coming months.
Can you give us some details of the Thomas takeover which ran in August? The Mattel team worked in close partnership with the TRU marketing and buying teams to deliver an outstanding campaign. This covered all categories from the core engines through to plush, puzzles, ride–ons and bedding, to name just a few. The campaign was executed instore with print media, and supported online with a very clear offer message of 1/3 off the Thomas range over the five-week promotional period. Toys R Us is very excited to get behind this type of offer; not only does it demonstrate the depth of range that is available in store, but also the fantastic deals we have for our consumers.
Are you pleased with the ongoing performance of the Thomas baby range? Since we launched with seven styles for our exclusive launch window last year, we have continued to support Thomas baby. The style that we currently have in store is working well and we have received good customer response. We’re in discussion to enhance our offering next year with exclusive bundles and mechanics. As the first major retailer to support the Thomas brand extension, how excited are you for the launch? Thomas has strong heritage and history and it is a brand that our customers value and love. We were extremely excited to be able to offer this new range to our customers, as we recognise that there is a real gap in the market. We have had a great response and the range will continue into autumn winter. It’s great to have a product offering that works for boys and girls. How has the Enchantimals range performed since its launch and what are your expectations for the brand in 2018? Customers have reacted well to the Enchantimals toy range, and it is selling well. We are looking forward to assessing how this brand can be translated into other product areas, including hard and soft lines, as well as publishing. What impact do you feel next year’s Barbie movie will have on this iconic brand? Barbie is a fantastic brand; it’s so exciting that it’s got such energy behind it at the moment and it is amazing to see the new fashion ranges recently launched on the high street. It’s great to see the brand reflecting the latest fashion trends and we are already seeing this come through. The movie will be another great step for the iconic brand and brings Barbie back to the forefront of customers’ minds - awareness will be greater than ever. I am looking forward to seeing the spring summer ranges, as I am sure 2018 will be an even stronger year for the Barbie brand.
We were delighted with the results of this event. We saw very positive uplift across the range which makes this level of investment worthwhile from both sides. Are there more take-over events planned with other Mattel franchises going forward? Mattel is a key partner for TRU and we are extremely focused on supporting and activating its key brands. Barbie, Thomas, Fisher-Price and Hot Wheels are the core focus and with an extensive line of product from both toy and licensed partners, it really allows us to maximise these take over events. We have more exciting plans to come as well as we enter Q4 of this year. How effective was the Barbie and Hot Wheels spinner promotion you recently ran? The campaign was very successful, Mattel moved quickly with it’s licensee Bladez to bring this product to market - from production of the product to going live instore was just one month. This is the quickest turn around we have seen from any partner and demonstrates how Mattel and TRU are continuing to become nimbler in leveraging current market trends. How has the Barbie brand performed for you in 2017? Barbie is in double digit growth year on year for us, which is a fantastic result. The new Barbie brand communication is resonating with our customers and we are seeing the results in great sales. As a result of this success, we have increased the brand activity and range, not only within the core toy lines, but also in the licensed categories so we are offering our customers a fantastic choice across the categories. From a Toys R Us perspective, what are the advantages of looking at the total franchise opportunity, rather than just focusing on the specific toy element of the properties? Offering a total cross category selection with any brand is important. We know that our customers come to TRU because of the breadth of range we offer; it is expected that they can pick up a variety of product and if their child loves Barbie then she will want not just the doll but also the bike, the styling head, plush etc. The scale of many of our stores allows us to showcase a broad range. Of course, when we talk franchise it isn’t just product, it is also how our customers interact with the brand - this is another area where we are very proactive. Live events regularly come to our top stores, which not only attracts customers, but brings the brands to life for them. It’s another key area of any franchise to give children a fully immersive experience of the brand.
Mattel Supplement
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