Girls rule.
Sure, some adolescent boys might disagree but when it comes to some of the most effective and immersive marketing experiences currently being developed for younger consumers, there’s no question that female adolescents and pre-teens are a demographic that cannot be ignored. In recent years, several leading toy brands have come up with far-reaching multichannel marketing campaigns that have consistently proven girls to be a valued and influential audience.
Among these brands, few have been more successful in marketing to girls than doll manufacturer American Girl, which specializes in a line of dolls with period themes. Founded in 1986, American Girl started with just a mail-order catalog promoting three dolls (Kirsten, Samantha and Molly).
Since these initial direct mail efforts, the company has exploded. American Girl has sold 117 million books and 13 million dolls. And it continues to be a major player in direct mail: Its catalog ranks as one of the top 25 consumer catalogs in the country; its American Girl magazine has a circulation of 650,000 and receives 10,000 pieces of reader mail every time it is published.
Along with the products that continue to be promoted in the American Girl catalog, the company’s Web site, americangirl.com, gets 23 million visitors each year. More than 20 million of them visit “Fun for Girls,” the editorial section of the site. The company also boasts proprietary retail stores, “American Girl Place” and “American Girl Boutique and Bistro,” the newest boutique/bistro having opened in Dallas this November.
“Our brand has always been more than just a collection of toys,” says American Girl spokeswoman Stephanie Spanos. “Young girls have a deep, emotional connection to our product lines, which has allowed us to create meaningful experiences around them, elevating us to a lifestyle brand.”
At its 40,000-square-foot flagship stores in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York, 19 million visitors have experienced what American Girl describes as “experiential retail.” In addition to purchasing dolls and accessories, girls can eat brunch and lunch and enjoy afternoon tea or dinner at the American Girl Cafe. There’s also a theater featuring live productions based on the American Girl books, including The American Girls Revue, as well as a participatory performance for younger girls, Bitty Bear’s Matinee: The Family Tree. Packages include parties, a day at the store, a late night at the store and a chance to be a “Star for a Day.” Special events include things like A Great Day with Grandparents, Doll Hair Salon Spectacular and cooking classes for girls.
American Girl has deployed a host of marketing techniques from direct mail and event marketing to word-of-mouth and e-mail to create a full-service experiential retail environment that visitors can see as an extension of an American Girl “lifestyle.”
Marketers who specialize in promoting brands to young consumers underscore that, even in an age when young people are hooked on the Internet, direct mail remains the most effective way to carry on an ongoing conversation with them.
Pages: 1 2 Brand Marketing, Branded Content, Large Business, Targeting
