Fisher-Price Increases Digital Spending 50%, Targets Millennial Moms

Fisher-Price has its sights set on millennial moms this holiday season. The Mattel-owned toy brand, which targets infants up to age five years old, says moms born between 1982 and 1994 have become an important target. And because they're more social and more digitally savvy, Fisher-Price has reworked its holiday plans, increasing its digital media spend by 50%. "We know we need to reach her in this digital space. And we also know this is the time of year millennial moms are doing a ton of research," said Lisa McKnight, Mattel's senior VP-marketing for North America. "They want to make informed decisions when they make their purchases." Ms. McKnight declined to share specific spending figures, but according to Kantar Media, the brand spends about $60 million on measured media annually during the fourth quarter. The online "Share the Joy" campaign includes three digital videos set to reworked, popular holiday songs. Consumers are offered a $5 coupon just for visiting the landing page. But they're given an additional $5 incentive to share the videos with friends -- a ploy meant to appeal to millennials who Fisher-Price says are more likely to rely on third party recommendations than their older counterparts. Ms. McKnight added that having an overarching campaign across Fisher-Price's toys, which include Laugh & Learn, Little People and Imaginext, is a new approach, as is the more approachable tone of the videos. The videos were produced by Weber Shandwick. "We tended, in the past, to be more corporate," Ms. McKnight said. "We're making a concerted effort to be more playful and fun and to 'speak mom' in our tone and messaging." The online campaign will be supported by traditional TV ads. The company also plans to increase its investment in point of sale materials, a move meant to combat "spearfishing." Ms. McKnight said the company is seeing more and more selective purchasing, a major challenge headed into this holiday season. "Consumers are researching items and going in for that item and not necessarily expanding the basket with additional impulse items," Ms. McKnight explained. "It's something we're working to change. And we have a lot of strategies against it. …We're working closely with our retail partners to develop seamless omnichannel programs, so you have the same experience when you're shopping online as you do when you can touch and feel a product at retail."

Fisher-Price Increases Digital Spending 50%, Targets Millennial Moms

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