Online marketers looking to increase their brand’s exposure using social media would do well to study the viral content created by one of the more successful online communities, toy enthusiasts.
A match that was seemingly always meant to be, the combination of toys and social media has produced some very intriguing trends that advertisers should want to latch onto.
Noting the variety of factors that contribute to the popularity of toys among groups of varying demographics Director of Strategic Communications for the Toy Association Adrienne Appell points out that market demand for toys is by nature strongly socially motivated.
Citing the increase in the anticipated market demand for dinosaur toys following the release of the upcoming Jurassic Park sequel, Appell also points out that popular technology trends are also a major factor driving sales increases seen with tech-based toys such as smart devices and internet-based products.
This social sharing trend extends into the consumer’s use of the toys. Several youtube videos where game players have shared humorous content such as hitting each other in the face with pies and talking while wearing sports mouth pieces have become viral sensations, generating millions of views.
Brands in other markets have started to realize the importance of strengthening their voices on social media as a prelude to expanding their sales into new markets.
One such company, the popular shoe manufacturer Vans has made effective use of the WeChat social media platform in China to reach the country’s younger generation eager to associate themselves with the shoe distributor’s product lines.
Nick Street, the VP of Global Integrated Marketing confirms that Vans has experienced an exceptional amount of recent success using the WeChat platform to share content with their target audiences, combining news content and events from the Chinese media into promotional content within the application.
The company also points out that it has seen very high user engagement rates with the video it shares using WeChat.
Street shares an ironic observation that he made while leading the marketing efforts in China for three years that it’s easier to reach an audience base in China than it is in the U.S. and Europe.
Noting an increase of 23 percent in Asian-Pacific sales during its last quarter, Vans is definitely onto something.
Several social marketing indicators have been pointing to video as the next major content type to experience sharp increases in popularity.
Successful marketers have observed that this trend already seems to be well underway.
Dil Bole Oberoi
