The Promotional Idea Showcase - Summer 2003 - Updated Quarterly

Inside Incentives
Toys As Incentives – Not Just Child’s Play
By William Keenan

• Toys are used extensively as gifts at trade shows and as door-openers for hard-to-reach customers. 
• Trainers and meeting planners often use toys/games as ice-breakers for meetings or training sessions. 
• Toys imprinted with a comp-any’s logo encourage customers to associate the company with good times. 
• Used alone, toys offer a departure from traditional promotions. They can also add an extra dimension to programs that include other merchandise. 
• Even low-cost, low-tech toys can have a high-perceived value. 

Key Elements 

As with any product, the most important question is, is a toy appropriate for the audience you’re trying to reach? If you’re targeting children it becomes a question of whether a particular toy is right for a particular age group. Remember, too, that safety is important in choosing toys for kids, and the government sets different standards for different age groups. 

A wide variety of toys have been successfully used for adults, but, again, be sure of your audience. A thoughtless selection can send the wrong message and trivializes your program. A little market research goes a long way. 

Just as travel-planners make a point of getting a salesperson’s spouse and family excited about a potential trip, using toys can also introduce an element of family participation to the motivational mix. 

Katering To Kids

In fact, the amount of money spent each year on sales promotions for kids is estimated to exceed $1.4 billion – even more than what’s spent advertising to them. Example: Toys as premiums are a major weapon in the market-share battle between Burger King and McDonald’s, and toys are used effectively as premiums for cereals, candy, and other products. Even banks use toys as incentives to encourage parents to open savings accounts for their kids. 

Toys can also be used to encourage children to:

• Join clubs. Many food product companies and fast-food restaurants use clubs as a way to build brand recognition, brand loyalty, and encourage repeat business.
• Choose retail outlets. Super-markets, banks and other retailers have found toys to be an effective incentive. 
• Buy products. CrackerJack may have pioneered the concept, but toys are used as premiums for such products as videocassettes, shampoos, cereals, toothpaste and even other toys. 

Matching Toys To Target

Using toys as incentives requires careful consideration. If for adults, will they perceive value in the toy for themselves or their family? 

If for children, is it appropriate for the age, skills and abilities of the group you’re targeting? Other concerns: 

• Even if the toy is targeted to kids, will it withstand the scrutiny of an adult gatekeeper? The younger the target, the more thought should go into how a parent might view the toy. 
• If applicable, will the toy live up to the expectations created by the image in your other promotional materials?
• Does it pose any safety hazards? Is it nontoxic? Will it stand up to potential rough treatment, either in shipment or kids’ hands? 

Stressing Safety

Safety is a key issue to consider when choosing toys as incentives. In 1997, an estimated 140,700 children were treated for toy-related incidents, and 13 died. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) offers these guidelines: 

• Under 3 years old. Children under three tend to put everything in their mouths. Even large toys may have small parts that could pose a choking hazzard. Uninflated balloons also can choke a child if swallowed. Avoid marbles and games with balls – anything with a diameter of 13/4 inches or less. Children at this age also pull, prod and twist toys, so look for toys that are well made, with tightly secured eyes, noses and other parts. 
• Ages 3-5. Avoid toys made with thin, brittle plastic that might break into small pieces or leave jagged edges. Crayons, markers, paint sets and other art materials should be marked with the designation ASTM D-4236, meaning the product has been reviewed by a toxicologist and, if required, labeled with cautionary information. 
• Ages 6-12. Avoid toys that can be easily damaged or broken. If, by chance, you’re considering a toy gun, be sure the barrel or entire gun is brightly colored so it won’t be mistaken for the real thing. 

Choosing A Product

Trends and tastes in toys vary from year to year, if not day to day. For children, the options for promotional tie-ins seem endless. The more popular toys will bring the greatest response, of course, but what’s popular can change quickly. Check the current market first. 

Sometimes it’s best to stick with standards – toys that have endured from generation to generation – puzzle cubes, flying discs, spring toys, action figures, plush and so on. Other popular offerings include computer games, bobble-head dolls and collectibles. To reach the widest range of interests, try an assortment, if feasible. Sometimes a custom piece works best. Your counselor can help you choose. 

In one case, Little Debbie Snack Foods, targeting middle-income female consumers aged 18-49, used Little Debbie, a custom collectible doll, as a premium for its snack cakes. The thinking was the gift might appeal to target consumers, either for themselves or a child. The doll was sold via an on-pack offer on approximately 60 million packages and was supported by trade promos and p-o-p advertising. In addition, a national display contest awarded 3,000 dolls. 

The program resulted in a sales boost for the cakes and the sale of over 195,000 dolls. 

Higher-end toys have been successfully used as door-openers for companies going after small groups of hard-to-reach customers. One firm employs remote-controlled cars to gain access to top executives. Sales reps send the car to the executive they want to meet, with a note asking for an appointment. If the person says yes, the sales rep shows up with batteries and the car’s control unit. 

A Connecticut direct marketing firm once used a similar approach to reach potential clients. In a series of mailings designed to build interest, it sent the balls and cues to a tabletop pool table. Then, a rep called and offered to deliver the table itself in return for the opportunity to make a 45-minute presentation. 

In another case, a telemarketing comp-any in Colorado gave a set of logoed beanbags to its employees along with instructions on how to juggle them. If employees got worked up over a difficult call, they were encouraged to practice juggling for awhile to reduce their tension. Another company gives employees an entire stress kit that includes wind-up toys, chattering teeth, a rubber clown nose, a comedy audiotape and several pens shaped like vegetables. The lid reads, “Don’t take yourself too seriously.” 

In a few words, toys, when properly applied to a promotion, can make it more memorable than you can imagine. Ask your counselor to show you what’s available and if your marketing plan qualifies. 
Then start having fun.

William Keenan is editorial director of Alexander Communications Group, editor of Sales Rep’s Advisor newsletter, and the former editor of Sell!ng magazine.