The All-Americans

There are a number of brands in the toy industry and beyond that may be called distinctly American. If you are traveling abroad and see one of the American icons, it tends to make you feel a little warm and fuzzy inside—perhaps a bit homesick.

McDonald's is a great example. You might be traveling through Eastern Europe in a country where English is spoken sparsely; then happen upon this red-haired, white-faced, yellow jumpsuit-wearing clown, and somehow you feel closer to home.

That is what American branding is about. Highly identifiable American brands such as McDonald's Coca-Cola and John Deere, among others, contribute something extra to the product's perceived value.

For nearly 10 years there was an exclusive toy agreement between McDonald's and Walt Disney—two premier marketers. During this time both companies saw winning properties in 101 Dalmatians, Finding Nemo and Lilo & Stitch, among others. But along with the winners have been some stinkers. The two are parting ways next year and last month McDonald's signed a two-year nonexclusive deal to promote DreamWorks Animation SKG films beginning with the release of Shrek 3 in 2007. The deal is non-exclusive, giving both parties other business options.

Before that, McDonald's is planning Happy Meals coinciding with the holiday release of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe, Chicken Little, and next summer's Pixar release, Cars. One current core concentration is the company's McKids line of toys.

“It's a testament that as a company we are not just a place to eat,” Amy Moynihan, director, global marketing, McDonald's, tells Playthings. “Kids are a huge part of our business. In McKids we create a brand experience for them.”

Moynihan says McDonald's has made a commitment to keeping or getting kids active. “We've worked with Hasbro and Mattel … on products … and the emphasis is to have kids be active. There are a lot of benefits to kids being active and, frankly, it's just the right thing to do. We feel we should take a leadership role in this area.”

Among the toy licensees are Spin Master, Creative Designs, Hasbro, Mattel and Patch Products. Other categories in the McKids effort include clothing, footwear, accessories, audio, video and interactive books.

Moynihan says retailers should look at McDonald's as a “powerful trademark itself. As a retailer I would look at us as an evergreen. Unlike an entertainment property, where the retailer takes a risk at it being successful at the box office or not, we will be there, rest assured.”

DreamWorks will also create original animation for the food chain's TV commercials and support other McDonald's marketing campaigns. Of most importance is that McDonald's will be able to work with other studios and programmers as it desires. But be assured the Mickey D's marketing machine is going to be revved up with DreamWorks releases that should translate into a desire for product.

The John Deere name is synonymous with quality American construction and durability since its 1837 incarnation. Remember its marketing mantra: “How long does a John Deere last ... How long does a John Deere last?” and we never get an answer. That worked well with farm equipment and gravitated to die-cast and other assorted toy store items. But the company recently made a big leap.

Look no further than Bold Games, Minneapolis, Minn., a unit of Destineer Publishing, and Gabriel Entertainment to thrust the brand name into the video game arena with John Deere American Farmer, a simulation PC CD-ROM game. The game has players create, build and manage a working farm. The game is the first computer game licensed by Deere & Company.

“The John Deere name has like 96 or 98 percent brand recognition,” says Paul Kinde, CEO of Bold Games. “Primarily, it's all about building on a familiar name. [The game] is based around building a farm. The more successful the farm, the bigger the farm gets, the more equipment you're going to need.”

Kinde says that while the game is a hit in the more rural, farm-oriented areas, it has gained widespread popularity as well. “I think just looking at the packaging you know it's an exciting game. We have a pretty broad distribution.”

Kinde says the typical retailer puts John Deere American Farmer in with the rest of the video game offerings and sees no reason to do otherwise. If you know the brand's green signature, you'll recognize the game.

There are also numerous die-cast vehicles sporting the familiar John Deere green and name.

You betcha Coca-Cola is “it.” Coca-Cola is ubiquitous as both a brand and a license. How many times have you heard some one order a “Coke,” regardless if restaurant only carries Pepsi.

Among the countless places the Coca-Cola marks can be found is LGB trains. It offers more than 15 different model train cars ranging from a Coca-Cola rail truck to a classic caboose.