A couple of weeks ago we told you about a survey of 1,500 moms as they mentioned what makes a kids meal toy a GOOD toy. Well, they were also asked what are attributes that would make a toy bad.
1. Poor Quality (80%)
2. Cheap (70%)
3. Made of paper (69%)
4. Doesn’t do anything (68%)
5. Made of cardboard (65%)
6. Small pieces (58%)
7. Runs out of batteries (25%)
Let’s go further into detail about what does each of these mean.
First on the list was quality. Actually the first and second have to do with quality and perception. A cheap toy is a toy that will not last, that will most likely will not have a very lengthy life-span. A high-quality item can do wonders for your kids menu. However, if you have high quality food and quality atmosphere, why would you compromise the overall presentation of your offering by giving away a cheap looking item? If you had a choice to spend US$ 0.50 for a toy or US$ 0.40 for a toy, and you noticed that the quality of the more expensive toy was obvious, would you still pursue saving US$ 0.10? I am not saying you cannot find a good quality item for under US$ 0.40, however, in most cases, items that fall in this category fail to meet the high-quality category (unless you are buying hundreds of thousands at a time and benefiting from some hefty discounts due to volume).
Now let’s talk about items that are made out of paper and cardboard which were third and fifth on the list of items that mothers categorized as bad toys. Typically, items that are made out of paper and cardboard carry a negative connotation because they are usually inexpensive, cheap (points 1 and 2 again) and they don’t last long. However, through clever illustration, incorporation of plastic pieces along with paper/cardboard, some pretty cool concepts can be achieved. I have seen some items of paper absolutely take the market by storm because they are of extremely high quality, the presentation is very unique and the illustration and graphics are top notch. What this means is that you have to when you produce a paper item, that you take all other elements into consideration.
The item does not do anything. Everyone wants something that lights up, that makes a sound, or that has some sort of function or mechanism. Sometimes budgets allow for it and sometimes they don’t. For parents to expect a toy that lights up, that makes a sound, that is collectible and that carries a lot of other qualities and attributes, on top of being free, is unrealistic. What is realistic however is that you work with your kids meal supplier to ensure that the item has some sort of function so that kids can be entertained. What kids find entertaining is not necessarily what an adult would consider fun, therefore focus groups are extremely important.
One of the attributes mentioned by moms was “the item runs out of battery”. This is actually one of my biggest pet-peeves. Promotional items usually use batteries that have a life span of anywhere from 8 to 12 months. There are some that may last longer or less, depending on the quality of the battery source. Now, take into consideration that it normally takes 45 days to ship the goods and deliver them to a warehouse in the US. Now, in some cases, these items may be in storage for months before entering the marketplace, or in other cases, they are kept in a warehouse for sale and, any items that are not sold in the first 6 months are then liquidated to other distributors or catalog companies, which in turn, will try to sell them to restaurant owners. My suggestion is to stay away from ANY item that has a battery in it that is being stocked. Battery operated items that have been manufactured ONLY after you have placed an order, are ideal for these promotions as you are obviously getting the longest life possible out of the item.
Finally, one attribute that was mentioned was “small pieces”. Parents and specially mothers, do care about the safety of their kids. Make sure all the items you give away during your campaign are thoroughly labeled and with the appropriate warning labels, at the very least in English and Spanish.
{ 0 comments… add one now }