There were a few fidgety guests at the media launch for Fisher-Price’s new Laugh & Learn Smart Stages: babies.
The Mattel brand held an event in Toronto on Oct. 8, inviting mainstream media and mom bloggers, as well as their babies and toddlers. The young guests tried out the interactive toys, which feature three levels of learning content that parents can change as their babies get older.
“Because Smart Stages is brand new, we wanted to drive awareness around this new feature and highlight how [these toys] are differentiated from other toys in the marketplace,” said Melissa Farjo, brand manager, Fisher-Price Baby. “The launch event allowed us to really explain to consumers and the media what Smart Stages is about.”
The event, which was organized by Strategic Objectives, featured comedian Gerry Dee as MC and Dr. Deb Weber, child development expert and senior manager of research at Fisher-Price (pictured above). Strategic Objectives also handles PR for Mattel’s Barbie brand, and held an event in July for mom bloggers and their daughters.
At the Fisher-Price event, the mom bloggers were also invited to a “VIP Play Date,” hosted by Momstown, an organization that provides early education programming for kids, as well as parental support, both online and in person. The idea, of course, is to get the moms talking. “We know the power of mothers and their networks,” said Farjo. In fact, “sixty percent of moms buy products and make decisions based on recommendations from other moms,” she said. “So there’s something to be said about having a real mom look at a product and say ‘wow this is a great item.’ It’s much more authentic rather than coming straight from the brand. I think it’s very key to have that mom-to-mom communication.”
Strategic Objectives president Deborah Weinstein said PR programming and media relations for the new Laugh & Learn line will extend across Canada through to Christmas.
Fisher-Price is also running a digital ad campaign handled by Carat. In the initial awareness phase, digital display ads drive to FisherPrice.ca/SmartStages so parents can learn more. Starting in November, the display ads will drive directly to retailers’ websites so parents can purchase items for the holiday season.
Spider Marketing Solutions helped execute the media event and facilitated the partnership with Momstown. The company is also handling consumer activations for the new line at the BabyTime Show in Toronto next month.
