The Unboxing Craze Puts Packaging in the Spotlight

Unboxing is a big deal on social media. By one estimate, videos of kids and adults unwrapping all kinds of products attract as many as 10 billion views every month. That's a lot of eyeballs and a lot of marketing impressions for the products and brands coming out of boxes--brands as diverse as Disney, L'Oreal, and Apple, to name only three.

In fact, unboxing videos have been on a sharp upward trend since 2006, reflecting consumer appetite for an inside peek at something new. What's really inside the box when you buy that new product? What accessories are included? And what does that new product actually look like?

Even before unboxing begins, the spotlight is on product packaging. And that's why brands are paying even closer attention to this key marketing element. Sure, packaging is meant to protect the contents and keep the product intact during shipping. But in today's marketing environment, packaging highlights a brand's image and reflects personality as much as functionality.

Toys are being designed to specifically incorporate the element of surprising during unboxing. At left, one of the LOL Surprise Pets, marketed as having 7 unboxing layers to hint at which pet is inside.

Increasingly, toy unboxing is big business as manufacturers court social media stars (AKA opinion leaders) to unwrap their products. Kids like watching the hot "must have" toy of the season being unboxed...and marketers want their toy to be inside that coveted box, attracting millions of eyeballs.

Toy Fair Time: First Look at 2015's Newest Toys

Want to know what you'll see on store shelves come November? The wholesale Toy Fair (which just completed its NYC run) offers an early look at what 13,000 toy retailers from around the globe are buying for the holiday season.

Lots and lots of dinosaurs, for a start, thanks to the upcoming release of the new Jurassic World movie, one of the sequels to the wildly popular classic film Jurassic Park. And, as Fortune notes, generic dinosaur toys can be produced without being licensed from Jurassic Park's owner, Universal Studios. At the same time, LEGO licensed dinos for its new Jurassic World brick set, introduced at the Toy Fair.

All the usual suspects had exhibits at the fair, including Mattel and Hasbro, plus many up-and-coming firms. In addition to new Barbies and Furbys, watch for new Marvel comics superhero toys, drone-type playthings, Star Wars tie-ins, even fake snow. Really.

For more news, follow Toy Fair on Facebook or Twitter.

Mattel's Marketing Strategy for Digital Natives

Today's youngsters are digital natives, which is why Mattel is retooling its marketing to fit their behavior and interests.

Iconic toys like Barbie have nostalgic appeal, to be sure, especially among parents who played with Barbie and Ken as children. Still, Barbie has lots of company (meaning competition) on toy store shelves, including the incredibly popular Frozen sisters from Disney.

In addition, the target market for Barbie and similar fashion dolls is becoming narrower because girls are moving onto more grownup toys earlier than in the past.

Now, with Barbie's sales down for the third consecutive year, and company profits drooping, Mattel is using updated technology for Barbie's 21st century makeover.

The latest Barbie models have ToyTalk technology, allowing them to "converse" with girls. "The most requested thing that kids have wanted to do with Barbie, and Mattel's done unbelievable amounts of research over the course of decades, is to talk to Barbie," says ToyTalk's CEO. Supported by an aggressive product development schedule, Hello Barbie will be on toy shelves late this year, if all goes well.

Another classic Mattel toy, the View-Master (see photo above), is also getting a 21st century make-over. It will be introduced with virtual reality apps (a Mattel proprietary app and others available on Google Play) for more compelling images. The original View-Master was introduced in 1939. This new, affordable VR version will repurpose some of the existing images. Will digital natives go for it?

Melissa & Doug & Classic Toys

In a recent New York Times article about Melissa and Doug Bernstein, who founded the Melissa & Doug toy company, the family (including a 6-year-old daughter and a 9-year-old daughter) is playing with toys being considered as new products.

The younger girl says she likes a set of princess slippers--but the older sister doesn't. "You're not the target market" for the slippers, Melissa tells her daughter.

And she should know: for 25 years, Melissa and Doug have been producing and marketing hands-on toys that are fun, durable, and classic (meaning non-electronic). Once the firm identifies "classic play patterns," Melissa says it looks for products that will "make them more enticing in all kinds of ways."

The company is rarely featured in media profiles, but its quality products are popular in independent toy stores, specialty stores, and chain stores nationwide. Started in a garage, it now has an estimated $325 million in annual sales, gaining revenue momentum in recent years despite challenging economic conditions.

One reason is their emphasis on toys that are timeless, well-made, and interesting enough to engage kids in active, entertaining play. The founders test products on their own children and ask two dozen other families to test and report their reactions to new items. No, Melissa & Doug have no plans to license famous characters or brand franchises, or to go high-tech, although they regularly receive proposals for electronic alliances.

Although the company focuses on traditional toys, it is highly social: Check out its Facebook page (163,000 likes), Twitter account (nearly 25,000 followers), Pinterest pages (192,000 followers), and YouTube channel (156,000 views). It's also on LinkedIn, where it recruits for open positions.

The Season for Silliness in Toys

Babble.com has compiled a list of the most ridiculous toys ever created (snarky comments and all). How were these toys test-marketed before the big launch? How many companies had focus groups of children check out the toys during the development process? Who made these marketing decisions? Of course the list also includes perennial favorites that aren't silly, such as beads. Ho ho ho!

clipped from babble.com