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Canwest News Service
Daniel Wilson is not ruffled by the fact that in his world, playing with toys has serious implications.
Toys 'R' Us Canada is hoping the affable 13-year-old, its new "chief play officer," will give the company a special edge with consumers this year in what is expected to be a holiday season of tough sledding for retailers.
On a recent afternoon after school, Daniel, an accomplished piano player and hockey lover who lives in Uxbridge, Ont., had finished up his homework and slipped effortlessly into the job he'll hold for a year –a toy tester-cum-pitch-boy, who is equally comfortable talking about this season's hot Barbie dolls or the Constructicon Devastator.
The latter, a hulking super Transformer that combines six vehicles and is featured in the latest instalment of the alien robot toy's movie franchise, sits in the centre of a large pile of toys on an oak table in Daniel's living room. He demonstrates how its glowing green jaws open and close, and then reaches into the mound and scoops out a colourful four-inch skateboard.
He begins spinning it around with his fingers and running it through a miniature skate park.
"I really like the Tech Decks," he enthuses. "Finger skateboards made by SpinMaster — and with these new ones, you can build a skate park [that looks like] the actual parks that the pros use."
Gesturing at the pile, which includes stuffed toys, an Easy Bake Oven and the latest version of Monopoly, he says: "These are the toys I have at home…. I've also played at the Toys 'R' Us corporate head office, where we've had toy testing. That was an eight-hour toy-testing day. It was unreal."
Daniel was plucked from obscurity for his role after the retailer conducted a cross-country search through talent agents for the perfect spokeskid (there are two, actually; 13-year-old Laurie-Kim Gosselin of Mascouche, Que., is fulfilling the role in French Canada). Daniel receives about one or two boxes of toys every two weeks and spends a few hours a week playing with them and writing a weekly blog entry on Facebook about his experiences and making toy recommendations the retailer hopes adults will heed.
The kid-centric marketing effort comes as Toys 'R' Us Delaware Inc. reported third-quarter sales fell 9% at stores open for more than a year in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. That was despite a drop of 6.8% in second quarter same-store sales. The Toys 'R' Us unit, which includes its 69 stores in Canada and stores in the United States, but excludes other international operations, will report full third-quarter results in December.
The most critical period in the sector is the fourth-quarter holiday period, when about 50% of annual toy revenues are generated, says market-research firm NPD Group. Toy sales fell 3% in 2008, NPD says.
The very fact that Daniel's role was created illustrates how companies are trying to respond to the eroding walls between consumers and brands through online networking. People write about their experiences with brands on blogs, create their own mock advertisements on YouTube and complain loudly when corporations go in a direction they do not like. (After a consumer outcry, new Tropicana packaging that omitted its signature striped straw was scrapped just weeks after the PepsiCo brand launched it this year.)
Amid the surge in word of mouth, companies are desperate to feature "real" consumers in their marketing efforts. It did wonders for business at Subway, whose sales soared after they hired real guy Jared Fogle to share his weight-loss success story with the world at the beginning of the decade.
And it could foster consumer loyalty and trust at a time when price-wary consumers choose to shop at Toys 'R' Us or go elsewhere to try to find deeper discounts.
"[The chief play officer] is a brilliant idea," said Mary Donohue, founder of the National Mentoring Program and a consultant for Molson Canada. "Somebody should have thought of that a long time ago. Kids talking to kids and kids talking to parents –clearly he is a good spokesperson. He has his talking points, and he is eloquent, but he also plays with toys –he walks the talk."
Liz MacDonald, vice-president of marketing and store planning for Toys 'R' Us Canada, said research indicates kids are strongly influenced by other kids' opinions about toys. "I think kids relate much better to other kids. They would definitely relate better to Daniel than they would relate to me talking about toys."
Indigo Books & Music Inc., which in 2004 first explored the notion of getting articulate young readers to give reviews and feedback to their peers through its Junior Book Lovers panel, also sees a clear connection between marketing within the peer group and brand loyalty.
"The most dedicated shoppers are probably our teen shoppers," said Trevor Dayton, vice-president of kids and entertainment at Indigo, which ran the program for four years and will re-launch a similar program in March. "They love hanging out at our stores. I think over time [loyalty] does accrue. This is such a savvy consumer, and their B-S meter is so high that you have to be careful not to market to them in any way that is not authentic."
Having kids carve out an online presence also raises interesting privacy questions. Toys 'R' Us chose brand ambassadors who were age 13 rather than 10, for example, because 13 is the minimum age allowed to register on Facebook.
In the case of Indigo, you have to be 17 to participate and offer reader feedback on its online community forums.
"It's funny, because [teens] are probably the most active users of our site, whether they are actually 17 or have lied about their age," Mr. Dayton said.
"I think that their enthusiasm is so infectious and genuine that the best thing to do is give them a forum and get out of their way."
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CHIEF PLAY OFFICER DANIEL'S TOP 25 PICKS
Air Hogs Laser Zero Gravity Remote-controlled vehicles that drive on the wall and upside down by following a light beam.
Apple iPod Touch 8 GB pocket computer, game and music player.
Bakugan Battle Brawlers A new variant that creates a 7-in-1 battle monster.
Barbie Fashionistas Artsy Barbie, Girly Barbie, Glam Barbie, Sassy Brunette Barbie and more.
Bendaroos A craft toy that uses wax and string.
Bounce Back Racer Soft-sided, radio-controlled vehicle.
Colour Explosion Glow Dome Kids create their own animations by drawing on the dome, which glows in the dark and spins.
Disney Princess, Sparkle Baby Assortment Baby doll lights up and plays music when she is fed.
GloDoodle Draw and trace with bright light in red, yellow or green; can be erased with the push of a button.
Hot Wheels Colour Shifters Transform vehicle colours with warm or cold water.
Imaginarium Classic Train Table Features a working turntable and a roundhouse; sound and lights are activated by any wooden engine.
Lego City Includes role-play scenes and activities such as construction, police, fire and road rescue.
Lego Star Wars The Home One Mon Calamari Star Cruiser is modelled after scenes from Return of the Jedi.
Micro Terrain Titans Pocket-sized, remote-controlled dune buggy vehicles.
Monopoly City Be a top property developer with this metropolitan edition of Monopoly.
Nerf Recon CS-6 Takes on any dart challenge.
Nintendo DSi A hand-held gaming console with Internet search capability and a camera.
Paperoni Make 3-D artwork using colourful paper rolls.
Rocky the Robot Truck An interactive dump truck who talks, dances and tells jokes.
Strawberry Shortcake Berry Cafe A place for Strawberry and her friends to gather.
Super Mario Bros for Nintendo Wii Players can invite up to three others to join in the game.
Tech Deck Finger skateboards that come with metal trucks, grip tape and real skate-company graphics.
Toy Story Buzz Lightyear and Woody dolls are back.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen 'Constructicon Devastator' The ultimate weapon built by combining six detailed vehicles.
Webkinz A plush pet with an online life and home.
