Bargain-rate Buzz

The TV advertising and licensing industries have a virtual monopoly on access to the mass market toy shelf. Take a look at any major toy department and you will immediately see that the vast majority of products on display either bear powerful licenses or have a great deal of television behind them. Both cost great amounts of money, so what is a small or even mid-sized company to do if it wants to enter the mass market and does not have access to capital? What if it simply can't afford television advertising or hot licenses?

There are alternative ways to go to market, ways that may take a bit longer but are ultimately more affordable. One of those routes is the toy awards industry— a great way to generate buzz about a product for a surprisingly reasonable amount of money.

The toy awards industry is comprised of nearly a dozen entities that measure the play value of toys and issue appropriate awards or seals of approval. Winning means that a toy manufacturer, usually for a cost, gets to attach its award sticker on the front of its package and take advantage of the impact such a win has on the award giver's considerable following or on open-to-suggestion consumers looking for something to help them decide between unfamiliar products. Win an award, create buzz, generate sales in the specialty markets and you may be able to overcome the lack of television and licensing and entice a mass market retailer—or any retailer, for that matter—to place your product on its shelf.

I wanted to know more about the prize industry so I spoke with Lisa Orman. She runs one of the toy industry's top public relations agencies, KidStuff Public Relations, and she is a big believer in awards. In fact, her clients tend to be big winners.

Orman says that the various awards programs, though different in how they assess products, all share the commonality that poorly made or designed products don't win awards. Only well-made toys do.

Therefore, if you win an award, it means something to the specialty retail market and to a coterie of parents who, in the thousands, follow the various awards and follow their lead in what they purchase.

There are a number of awards programs to pick from and each offers something unique. Here is how Orman, who has entered clients in many award programs over the last 14 years, describes them:

• Dr. Toy is the oldest of the awards programs and, Stevanne Auerbach, a.k.a. “Dr. Toy,” is deservedly famous for the passion she brings to the process. [Editor's note: Dr. Toy is on hiatus in 2008.]
• The 28-year-old Parents' Choice Foundation, a not-for-profit group, is the second oldest of the awards programs. It is oriented towards educational products. A children's product receives an award when it is determined that children can easily understand, on their own, how to play with the toy or game.
• Toy Tips is a magazine run by Marianne Szymanski, and its program is the only one that charges no fees of any kind. Szymanski grades products on several parameters and features the entries in her magazine, along with a report card and her detailed reviews of the products.
• The Toy Man charges nothing to submit products to his review process. His is not really an “award” program, but, once submitted, some products are bestowed with The Toy Man Seal of Approval. At press time, the Toy Man's reports were the only toy review program that included references to country of origin. Products can be honored with “The Toy Man Award of Excellence” and the “Editor's Choice Award.” He charges a small optional fee for his digital license and provides the lengthiest and most in-depth reviews.
• iParenting's program is unique in that, if you don't win, you can read reviewers' comments to find out why. This allows you to learn from the process and come back with a better product. It also allow submitters to ask custom questions of the reviewers that do not impact their score, so it's like a mini focus group.
• Oppenheim Toy Portfolio is influential in that its editors are regularly called upon to serve as guest toy experts on The Today Show. Oppenheim has published a book annually for 15 years about its winners. Being an Oppenheim “Platinum” winner usually means that you will get national exposure for your toy.
• The 17-year-old National Parenting Center says it has 100,000 visitors to its website, and it recognizes toys as well as a range of other products, from juvenile gear to parenting resources.
• NAPPA (National Parenting Publications Awards) issues “Gold” and “Honors” awards. Its “Gold” recipients are published in many of the regional parenting magazines across the country.

Other awards worth mentioning, each with their own niche, are Creative Child magazine's “Toy of the Year,” the “Amazing Toy Awards” from Babyzone.com and the “Mr. Dad Seal of Approval.” There are also many specialized contests aimed at gifted or special needs children, teachers and others.

So, what does it cost to enter the awards process? Orman says that if you enter every award contest for all cycles of the year, it should cost you no more than $3,000. That's far cheaper than running a single print ad. If you win, however, there are usually further costs. You will have to pay anywhere from $100 to $1000 for the award stickers or a digital license that allows you to print the awards directly on your packaging.

Orman thinks the awards processes for these programs are rigorous and valuable. She is proud that a large number of her clients win these awards. Her only criticism is that the costs for seals or licenses are not always transparent, resulting in winners not knowing to factor those costs into their budgets.

Even so, the price of this marketing approach is highly affordable for most companies and is a rare value in the toy industry. Take a hard look at the awards industry. It may help you level the playing field ... at least a little.