Rule number one for communicators targeting the kids' market: the young 'uns don't care how big and powerful your company is. This was the hard lesson learned by Totes Isotoner Corp. when it made its first foray into toyland with its SplashFlash umbrella. The new product, designed to be "the bomb" nearly became a bomb.
The kids' market isn't all fun and games - particularly for outsiders who trying to make a grand entrance. Cliques dominate the scene, and retailers are quick to shun oddball product pitches that just don't fit in. Case in point: the SplashFlash umbrella faced delayed and shrunken distribution because the company went into uncharted territory with few contacts and a hard-to-define concept. The new product, slated to hit shelves in July, took an extra 2 « months to get there. And at this point, "there" means far fewer distribution channels than the company expected for the item, geared toward kids ages 7 to 12.
Initial consumer testing by AcuPoll Precision Research showed kids and parents loving the product as a toy, but the product that hit the shelves is a hybrid. The umbrella features five patterns, glow-in-the-dark tips and a detachable flashlight in the handle. Replacement flashlights offer options such as strobes. But Totes spokespersons were unable to answer the question, "Is it a toy or an accessory?" at the onset. This led to confusion within retail chains as to which buyer should handle purchasing of the item.
To make matters worse, the company was dissed by Mother Nature. You've gotta have rain to sell umbrellas, and this summer didn't deliver. Because of the drought, retailers were "choking on inventory," says John Catt, marketing director at Totes.
No Friends? No Clout
Totes also suffered from the fact that it entered the market as a loner. "The list of customers who don't carry [the product] is a 'Who's Who' of U.S. retailers," says Catt. "We're not in Wal-Mart, we're not in Kmart, we're only in 150 Toys'R'Us stores," he says.
Nancy Shenkerman of WonderYears Kids Marketing, which worked with Totes on the project, agrees. "We're not at the distribution levels we'd want to be at this point," she adds.
According to the Web site www.splashflash.com, the product will be available soon at Wal-Mart and Toys 'R' Us. Catt says, "If you had told me [a year ago] that at this point, the product would not be in Kmart, Wal-Mart or Target, I would have said you're crazy."
Totes felt justified in its initial haughtiness, considering it dominates the adult umbrella business with "77% of the U.S. department store sales." It wasn't used to having calls to retailers go unreturned. This perspective has changed. "We've got a great product, a great TV commercial (showing on Nickelodeon, Fox Family, CBS Saturday Morning, Cartoon Network), great packaging. We just don't have the same credibility with kids' channels as with adults," Catt says.
Taking a Raincheck
Thanks to changing weather patterns and a new partner, things are looking up for Totes. Last month the manufacturer announced a new licensing deal with Fisher-Price to reach even younger kids with weather-related accessories (due out in the spring). Totes is "the first line to be offered a co-branding deal by Fisher-Price. The products will be labeled Fisher-Price by Totes," Catt says.
"A rising tide raises all boats," he adds with a fatherly pun in reference to his business line. Totes hopes that having Fisher-Price in its stable will help line up additional distribution channels. Fisher-Price Licensing Manager Al Hellinger is amenable: "We will make the introductions wherever necessary."
Another benefit: Instead of pitching retailers with a single product, the partnership will spawn a line of six umbrellas and five raincoats for ages 2 to 6, based on existing Fisher-Price brands. The license extends to next fall with slipper socks and other items. Totes now touts 25 styles (up from just one), giving buyers a reason to listen up.
"I keep waiting for the dam to break," Catt says. (There he goes again.)
Umbrellas: Not Just for Rain
Even after rain falls and buyers answer calls, a basic question remains: Do kids even like umbrellas? "I went into the June '98 focus group not having a clue," says Catt, adding that he thought no 11-year-old boy would use one. Then he saw the reaction to the extreme snowboarder style - one of five patterns that also include auto racing, smiley-face-checkerboards and pop flowers.
In AcuPoll's research, boys 11 to 12 gave the product a B while kids 8 to 12 overall gave the product an A+ (on a scale of A to F), in the top 5% of all ideas the company has tested. Girls might pop the umbrellas open and spin them around. Boys might put two together to make a fort. "I don't think they're taking them to school," says Catt. But both genders like the glow-in-the-dark tips and detachable flashlights in the handle, he says.
Never assume a kid will use a product the way adults intended it. And never assume you're king of the world. The world is a bigger place than one might think.
(Catt, 513/682-8415; Hellinger, 716/687-3522; AcuPoll,513/943-0020; Shenkerman: 513/357-2950, ext. 122)
The kids' market is like a parallel world, with a second language. "Now we speak it fluently," says John Catt, marketing director at Totes Isotoner Corp. Advice for other newcomers in the market:
1. Get toy people on your team.
2. Partner with a company that already targets kids.
3. You'll gain more credibility and interest from retailers by introducing a line of products, not just one.
4. Research not only kids, but also retailers. which department and buyer will be handling your category? If it isn't clear cut, you may have trouble getting the product on the shelves.