Tag Archives: children

by | Tuesday, September 10, 2019 · 10:08 pm

Mascots Help Bring a Brand to Life

Brand mascots have been around for decades. The fictitious and colorful characters are used by companies to bring brands to life and create personalities that engage consumers. Mascots can be human appearing, animals, cartoons, or even an object. Quick – name five brand mascots right now…. Chances are that you could actually name many more than five, and that you have positive feelings about each of the mascots!

Mascots do more than garner positive feelings. According to research from System1, brands increase the effectiveness of advertising when using mascots. Campaigns that included a mascot were 37% more likely to increase market share than campaigns without a mascot. Plus, mascots are 27% more likely to increase customer gains, and 30% more likely to grow profit gains. So, why is it that in the U.S., a study found that only 4% of ads used mascots in 2018?

Mascots also play an important role in recognition and retention. Consumers are more likely to remember an image than they are to recall a phrase. Not all mascots last the test of time though. A mascot has to be the right character for the brand, and it has to have personality that resonates with consumers. Plus, it has translate into visual campaigns and last for years.

What is your favorite brand mascot?

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Divide students into teams. Have each team list as many brand mascots for consumer goods as they can in the next few minutes. (You might want them to have a separate category for sports teams.)
  2. List the mascots on the white board and count the top vote-getters.
  3. How do companies use these mascots in advertising?
  4. Show the chart with brand mascot recognition by generation: https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/infographic-how-brand-mascot-recognition-has-changed-over-time/?utm_content=position_4&utm_source=postup&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MorningDigest_Newsletter_190827054610&lyt_id=194931
  5. For an interactive class, show the following quiz and see how many mascots the students recognize: https://www.thequiz.com/product-brand-mascot-quiz/
  6. Why are different mascots at various levels of recognition by age cohorts?
  7. Divide students into teams. Have each team select a product that does NOT have a brand mascot. Develop a mascot for that product.
  8. Each team should present their idea to the class.

Source: Smiley, M. (23 August 2019). Research says brand mascots really do move the needle. Ad Week.

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by | Wednesday, August 28, 2019 · 7:40 am

Subscription model for Nike kids’ shoes

Subscription services can be a great business model. It gives businesses a monthly recurring revenue stream that is steady and predictable – at least until the consumer ends it. Many subscription services have had initial success, only to lose subscribers as time goes on and subscribers no longer see the value of the service.

The meal subscriptions have been particularly hard hit as customers try various plans, only to eventually stop. There are also a great number of clothing subscription services, including subscriptions for fashion clothing, business apparel, and athletic wear. Now, Nike is launching a new subscription service aimed directly at the kids’ shoes market. It’s an important market space and is valued at roughly $10 billion annually.

Nike will offer three levels of subscriptions: $20, $30, or $50. At $20/month, customers get four new pairs of shoes and play activities; $30/month gets 6 pairs; $50/month gets 12 pairs. Named ‘Nike Adventure Club’, the service is aimed at 2-10 year olds and supplies Nike and Converse shoes. Is it money saving for consumers? Perhaps. It depends on the level of shoe selected. The main goal of the service is to build relationships and maintain brand loyalty for Nike and Converse.

As for correct shoe sizing, Nike includes a sizing chart to help parents measure their child’s feet. In a pilot program run with 10,000 members, only a small percentage of parents had the wrong size. The service includes free shipping and returns along with free size and style exchanges.

Ready to play?

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of subscription-based services.
  2. Pricing is usually a complex topic. Discuss the six steps for pricing (determining objectives, estimating demand, determining cost/profit relationships, select price level, set list price, and make adjustments).
  3. Discuss the various pricing models in class: demand-oriented, cost-oriented, profit-oriented, and competition-oriented.
  4. For Nike Adventure Club, divide students into groups and have each group work on any/all of the six steps.
  5. When setting the price level, assign each team a different model to use (demand-oriented, cost- oriented, etc.).
  6. Is the Nike program correctly priced for the target market?

Source: TechCrunch, CNN, USA Today, Reuters, other news sources

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by | Saturday, May 4, 2019 · 2:04 pm

Happy 60th Birthday, Barbie!

Happy 60th birthday to Barbie!

Launched at the New York Toy Fair at a price of $3.00 way back in 1959, today’s Barbie dolls have taken new shapes, sizes, colors, and careers into their stride. While Barbie has often been criticized, the original vision for Barbie – to encourage girls to think about their futures – still holds today. The doll’s original figure (tall, busty, Caucasian) is also still around, but it has also been broadened and diversified to fit today’s girls and society.

Today’s Barbie dolls include four different body types, seven skin tones, 22 eye colors, 24 hairstyles, and an extensive wardrobe of clothes, accessories, houses, and cars. Barbie has had dozens of careers. She is not only a fashionista, she embraces careers such as actress, politicians, doctors, athletes,  artists, journalists, mountaineers, activists, astronauts, teachers, and more. There simply is no limit to what Barbie – and girls – can accomplish. Barbie is equally at home in a robotics lab as she is on a farm.

And now Barbie is also taking on gender gap in The Dream Gap Project. Beginning at age five, many girls develop limiting beliefs about themselves and what they can accomplish. By age seven, girls are more likely to think that boys are smarter than girls. Barbie is taking this on by showing role model dolls who illustrate what is possible.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Discuss the product life cycle.
  2. Where does Barbie fit in the life cycle?
  3. How does the toy remain relevant?
  4. Show video of Barbie history: https://youtu.be/DXFVaYTI3uQ
  5. Show Barbie Web site: https://barbie.mattel.com/en-us/about/role-models.html?icid=home_body-2_module_role-models_p1
  6. Show the Dream Gap Project site: https://barbie.mattel.com/en-us/about/dream-gap.html
  7. Divide students into team. What else can Mattel do with Barbie?

Source: Klara, R. (25 February 2019). Here’s how much Barbie has changed since her debut almost 60 years ago.

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