Wherever content comes from, story is key, say Hasbro, Mattel & Jazwares execs.
Children may be absorbing content from more places than ever – TV, YouTube, user generated – but a good story remains at the heart of a good brand, a panel of toy experts told Licensing Expo delegates yesterday.
Susie Lecker, chief brands officer of Mattel’s Toy Box Divison; Simon Waters, general manager and svp entertainment consumer products at Hasbro; and Laura Zebersky, chief commercial officer at Jazwares were all speaking at the Toys to Content: Where do we go from here keynote, which was moderated by LIMA’s Marty Brochstein.
“Great stories will always resonate,” said Hasbro’s Simon Waters. “If you tell a good story, you get a good response from consumers. Getting consumers to engage with the story is the real question.”
When asked what made a good property ‘toyetic’, Mattel’s Susie Lecker said that the best ones have a play pattern “organically embedded.”
“You need to bring to life that play pattern and make it resonate. You can to ask if you can imagine a toy line organically, without trying to force it.
“Story is the key – you don’t want to just make a big long toy commercial.”
Speed to market and how it has impacted the toy market was also a key topic of discussion.
Jazwares’ Laura Zebersky said that the company’s success had been based on speed to market and being able to get toys out onto retail shelves quickly.
“We’re nimble and looking for opportunities, but they have to make sense,” she said.
Simon added: “A big shift that everyone needs to take on board is bringing people in earlier.”
Susie added: “Speed to market is the cornerstone now. You have to be able to innovate on a dime.”
