Disney's "Tween Thing" at Toys "R" Us

Brand: Disney ChannelCompany: Disney Consumer ProductsAgency: In-HouseCampaign Title: It's a "Tween Thing" at Toys "R" Us Product Category: ToysTime Frame: Fall/Winter 2007Award Category: Shopper Marketing (No budgetary parameters) Marketing OverviewThe tween segment is ever changing due to the fickle tastes of its constituents. What's "in" today is out tomorrow. Working together, Disney Consumer Products and Toys "R" Us found a unique opportunity to capitalize on "what's hot" with a tween destination featuring stars from the Disney Channel. A major challenge was that Toys "R" Us is considered to be a toy destination for younger kids, whereas the target guest was an older consumer interested in fashion, music and electronics.ObjectivesSuccessfully launch Disney Channel brands at Toys "R" Us.Establish Toys "R" Us as the No. 1 tween destination for holiday 2007.Maximize cross-category sales by merchandising products from all categories in a Disney Channel destination shop.Strategy & Tactics Toys "R" Us created a 32-foot feature shop featuring Disney Channel properties Hannah Montana, High School Musical and The Cheetah Girls. The dynamic graphics towered over the sales floor, creating a billboard to draw in shoppers. The shop made cross-category shopping more accessible and drove impulse/incremental purchases. Toys "R" Us carried nine exclusive products, giving it an advantage over competitors. The chain's New York Times Square flagship store featured Hannah Montana in the windows on 44th Street and a shop with Hannah Montana and Cheetah Girls product. Tapping into the overall musical theme, Toys "R" Us offered a gift with purchase: "Receive a free Disney Channel Hits CD with any Disney Channel purchase of $40 or more." This CD was exclusive to Toys "R" Us, increasing the demand. The gift-with-purchase offer and products were communicated on shelf talkers, circular ads each week in November, two pages in the chain's Holiday Big Book and a TV spot. Toysrus.com supported the program with an e-blast to one million best guests, brand shops and a free shipping offer. Radio Disney on-air ads included the gift-with-purchase offer, and remote broadcasts at Toys "R" Us stores dangled a chance to win much-coveted Hannah Montana concert tickets. Additional exposure was garnered through an AccessHollywood.com segment highlighting the feature shop, products and exclusive CD.ResultsObjectives were met and exceeded: Toys "R" Us doubled their Disney Channel sales plan for the year.Cross-category sales increased astronomically compared with the prior year. Cross-category sales during the promotion were up 511% versus the prior month. Disney Channel's percentage of total Disney sales at Toys "R" Us rose 26% versus prior year. Disney Channel DVDs experienced a weekly lift of 345%. 100% sell-through on the exclusive Hannah Montana guitar and High School Musical bike. On a per-store basis, Toys "R" Us had the largest market share of Disney Channel sales compared with the competition. Summary: This was the first time that Disney Consumer Products and Toys "R" Us utilized cross-media advertising elements in one program: in-store, online, radio/remotes, print and TV. It also was the first time Toys "R" Us partnered with Walt Disney Records to produce and promote an exclusive music CD.In store execution exceeded 90%! The P-O-P materials were designed to fit different store layouts. Each store featured the Disney Channel shop in some rendition. The promotion established Toys "R" Us as the No. 1 player in the market for holiday 2007, and established these brands as core everyday items. The product has now moved to an inline section; Hannah Montana and High School Musical are now a 2008 priority at Toys "R" Us, which will continue to support these brands through marketing and merchandising efforts throughout the year.The results surpassed expectations and proved that Toys "R" Us can win in the tween market.

Disney's "Tween Thing" at Toys "R" Us

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