Kids Favorite Teacher

Retail Promotions Fall 2013 by Rachel Colville, Emma Schuffer, Ellen Meeks, Kaylyn Milton, and Giana Ballard

Mr. Mister

Part 1-Product Research Introduction to Mr. Mister

Let your childs creativity soar to a new level! Say goodbye to finger prints on your windows, mirrors, and surfaces! Easy to use, Mr. Mister is an original fog marker that lets you draw on any glass or plastic surface. Create fog messages or drawings in a new creative way that is fun and mess free. The battery has a life of five to seven hours, making it a convenient toy for long car rides! You can also recharge Mr. Mister with a micro USB phone charger, adding no additional costs throughout Mr. Misters product life.

A superior feature of Mr. Mister that can be marketed is that it is a no mess mister, so windows will not end up covered with marker streaks. To differentiate Mr. Mister, we will also focus on the educational aspect of our product.

Strengths and Weaknesses

There are many strengths that Mr. Mister offers. One strength is that Mr. Mister is a toy that provides both a fun and educational value. Children are able to write in a new way, whether it is practicing spelling or solving math equations on a window. Mr. Mister allows kids a fun, creative way to draw or write! The product design of Mr. Mister provides a grip that fits every hand, even if you are right or left handed. Another strength is that the battery lasts five to seven hours giving the child a long lasting playtime. The product itself is also reusable. Mr. Mister is refillable by using water and is rechargeable with a Micro USB charger. One of the weaknesses of Mr. Mister is that the fog is colorless. As a result of the market being colorless, there is less room for creativity during playtime. Although, Mr. Mister is rechargeable, it is charged with a Micro USB charger. In todays society, consumers have a wide range of chargers that are most likely adaptable to their mobile phones. Consumers may need to buy a Micro USB charger specifically for Mr. Mister. This additional cost may detract the value of Mr. Mister, making it another weakness.

Competition
A potential competitor of Mr. Mister is Washable Window Markers by Crayola. Washable Window Markers, like Mr. Mister, can be used to write on any glass surface and are popular with children between the ages of four and twelve. Crayola Washable Window Markers and similar brands are sold online on Amazon.com and in brick and mortar stores such as Target and Walgreens.

Retail Selection
After conducting preliminary research, we created a list of eleven stores that would be viable candidates to sell our product. After looking into each one of the stores further and comparing and contrasting the stores to each other, we decided on three Minnesota based stores that we feel should carry Mr. Mister. The three stores are Creative Kidstuff, the Minnesota Childrens Museum, and Bibelot. Many details such as store hours, option to host toy events, and store awards were looked at in detail when making our decision. However, the most important aspects for us when choosing a retailer were store locations, current toy selection, and relationship to our target market. By being sold at Creative Kidstuff, the Minnesota Childrens Museum, and Bibelot, Mr. Mister is now available for purchase at locations in Downtown St. Paul, Rochester, Edina Galleria, Maple Grove, Uptown Minneapolis, St. Louis Park, MSP Airport, Wayzata, Grand Avenue St. Paul, Como Avenue St. Paul, Linden Hills Minneapolis, and Northeast Minneapolis. It is important to us to have a presence in the suburbs, as well as in Minneapolis and St. Paul. It is also important to us that our retailers be Minnesota based stores.

Current toy selection and store reputation were important aspects to consider when selecting retail locations. We felt as though specialty toy stores would fit our product better than larger retailers that have massive toy sections such as Toys R Us or Target. Mr. Mister is an innovative, educational, and fun new toy. Our retailers must place a focus on supplying their customers with the latest products and unique gifts. Because we want to emphasize the educational component of Mr. Mister, the MN Childrens Museum shop is a great place for our toy to be sold. Kids and adults alike can have hands on experience with how educational and fun our toy is. It is also extremely important to choose retailers that are connected with our target market. This means that they cater to, and also target young grandparents, who are the primary purchasers of Mr. Mister. Creative Kidstuff, MN Childrens Museum, and Bibelot all cater to our target market by selling products that they are interested in. They also provide services such as assistance from employees, parking, and communication through email and flyers. Because our retailers sell other products that our target market would be interested in, we are able to borrow customers from other toy brands besides our own.

Part 2-Target Audience Identification Users of Mr. Mister

The users of Mr. Mister are children between the ages of six and eight who value non-sporting activities. Kids ages six to eight are a dynamic demographic group, and in comparison to previous generations of kids, are savvier in their purchasing behaviors due to greater access to information and the influence of the Internet. For young children, parents are often involved in their free time because parents and grandparents are often purchasing the toys. Age and gender play a significant role in determining what type of toys children play with in their free time. For non-sporting activities, boys in the six to eight age range are interested in coin collecting, model building, and woodworking. Girls, on the other hand, say that their activities and hobbies include the arts (painting or drawing), baking/cooking, and musical instruments. There is a profound difference in activities between older girls and younger girls. Older girls more often undertake activities that require a greater degree of skill such as baking/cooking, musical instrument lessons, and needlework/sewing. Young children tend to enjoy social activities. To promote relationship building and bonding Mr. Mister will be promoted as an activity that friends can do together. Mr. Mister can also be promoted as a way for adults and children to interact, as parents and grandparents can draw with their children.

Target Audience of IMC Plan

Our market segment is the Grand-Boomer-Mas. This group targets women ages 50-67 that are the matriarchs of their family and think of others before themselves. The most important aspect of our narrowed target market is the enjoyment of giving gifts. Grand-Boomer-Mas net worth is relatively high compared to other consumer segments allowing them to be avid gift givers. In addition to their shopping habits, these women believe in the benefits of education and an active lifestyle. According to Baby Boomers Magazine, baby boomers have reached the age where they are inclined to spend less on stuff. They are interested in buying experiences (Burns, 2013). We selected this narrowed segment after conducting an online survey of 45 people. There were two versions of this survey, one with 12 open-ended questions and the other with eight close-ended questions. The questions in the surveys ranged from asking about the ages of grandchildren, personal values, reasons for selecting gifts and toys, and spending habits. The narrowed market segment of Grand-Boomer-Mas that we selected best represents the age within the Baby Boomer category that is likely to have grandchildren in the age group that Mr. Mister appeals to. By taking a smaller segment of the Boomer One market, we can understand in-depth habits of these women including media usage patterns, pricing concerns, and promotion strategies.

The most popular values among our respondents were health and family. Their aspirations for retirement largely revolve around their desire to spend more time with family and friends, and to have more time to devote to hobbies and interests. The life expectancy of this generation is higher than their parents and they are staying active longer. In our respondents free time, spending time outside and reading a book were the top two choices among our respondents. They are also interested in an array of leisure activities including listening to music, dining out, and concerts. Many also want to travel for leisure, focus on their health, and volunteer. It is evident that the traditional view of a restful and relaxing retirement has transformed into a more active retirement lifestyle. Personal Values of Grand-Boomer-Ma

 When buying toys, Grand-Boomer-Mas assess the product benefits to their own personal values. The most common response for their top-deciding factor in buying a toy was if it had an educational value to it. They preferred toys that can stimulate a range of senses. This could include toys that make noise, different textures to feel in their hands or mouth, or learning things such as hand-eye co-ordination, cause and effect, spatial awareness, and language. Another deciding factor was if they would get their moneys worth. Many of the Grand-Boomer-Ma that we interviewed took into consideration the amount of play a child will get from the toy, safeness of the toy, and if it was age appropriate for their grandchild. Consumer Concerns When Buying Toys

Part 3-IMC Plan Overall IMC Objectives

The basis of our overall integrated marketing communication plan stems from three marketing activities including a groupon advertisement (Appendix A), a special event, and a magazine advertisement (Appendix C). We feel as though these three promotional activities are best suited for the needs of Mr. Mister and the Grand-Boomer-Mas that we are trying to target. In addition, we feel that these promotional activities will get the attention of children that would be the eventual users of Mr. Mister. In order to create the groupon advertisement, we would use place an advertisement through Groupon.com. The coupons on groupon come in three categories and we would choose the lowest, with a discount of 45% off. With this discount level customers would pay $25.00 for a $45.00 Mr. Mister value. This deal includes two Mr. Mister toys. Through this advertisement we would make $12.50 in profit per groupon purchase.

 The next part of our IMC plan is based on promotional activities. To create these activities we would work with Creative Kidstuff, a local retailer, to allow children to test the Mr. Mister product. Creative Kidstuff uses the Kid Council 2.0 to test out new toys in the marketplace and by using this program we would be able to promote the toy at the same time. In addition to Creative Kidstuff, we would like to do a promotional event at the Childrens Museum of Minnesota. At this event we would explain to children the educational benefits of Mr. Mister, through playtime and a discussion with the toys designers. We would also make a donation to the Childrens Museum, so children that go to the museum can consistently be exposed to Mr. Mister. Not only will we promote through groupon and promotional activities, but also we believe a magazine advertisement would be very beneficial to our IMC plan. A magazine advertisement was created by Ellen Meeks as a part of our promotional plan with the use of images provided by the Mr. Mister team and created on photoshop. This advertisement would then be placed in local magazines like Mpls/ St. Paul Magazine, Maple Grove Magazine, Lake Minnetonka Magazine, St. Louis Park Magazine, and Edina Magazine.

Theme
With Mr. Mister, children can use creativity and imagination in the use of a pen. Its innovative design and use contribute to a childs learning while using the product. Our promotional slogan is Mr. Mister, Kids Favorite Teacher. Our main theme with our promotional campaign revolves around education. Children are open to create messages, practice spelling, play Tic Tac Toe, or draw different shapes. All of the options are stimulating and educational. Because we are marketing to baby-boomers, focusing on the educational value will be most beneficial and appealing to our target market. From our research, we found that educational value is a top priority to baby-boomers when deciding which toy to purchase.

Ad Example and Analysis

The Mr. Mister advertisement successfully portrays the brand image of the fog marker by using an image of a child drawing on a window, while still having fun. The advertisement shows how the means end chain is used by suggesting an educational value in the marker. The message of the advertisement is to show that the product is an easy to use, mess free, fun, and educational tool for children to draw with. This advertisement will show personal values such as excitement, happiness, personal accomplishment, safety, and education.

Activity Planning
Mr. Mister will hold several special events to promote itself. Creative Kidstuff is a specialty retailer that will be selling Mr. Mister. Creative Kidstuff will hold a Kids Council 2.0 event. Kids Council 2.0 calls kids ages six and up to test Mr. Mister. The kids will have an opportunity to play with Mr. Mister and will be put to the test with several challenges. Some of the challenges will include... 1. Create a Secret Message Children have to come up with a secret agent message. 2. Tic Tac Toe Competition Children will be paired up and have five rounds of Tic Tac Toe. 3. Blind Fold Drawing Children are given a word and have to draw it blind folded with Mr. Mister. 4. Pictionary Children are given a word or sentence and have to draw it with Mr. Mister until their partners guess what they are drawing. 5. Drawing Race Children are challenged by other teams to draw something seemingly impossible, e.g. a car drawn only with triangles or an angry potato. Time limits can also be set.

 At the end of the playtime, we will gather the Kids Council 2.0 to reflect how they like playing with Mr. Mister. This will give us insight to how we can further improve our product. Our end goal is to have the kids want to purchase Mr. Mister from experiencing the product benefits. All testers will be entered into a drawing to win a $25 Creative Kidstuff Gift Card for an incentive to take part in the council! It will be held at multiple locations at various times and different days. Special events and activities at Minnesota Childrens Museum offer ways to get little ones laughing and learning. From music classes to special guest Story Time readers, the Museums special events keep kids discovering new experiences with family fun activities year-round. Mr. Mister will hold an event where kids will discover the inner workings of Mr. Mister. The Minnesota Childrens Museum will focus on more the educational value that Mr. Mister provides. We will bring in the creators of Mr. Mister to explain the construction and idea behind the toy. In addition, the creators will discuss the concept of fog and how Mr. Mister creates fog. The children will then be able to get hands on with Mr. Mister. They will each get their own plastic surface and create their own fog markings. We will also donate several Mr. Mister markers to the Minnesota Childrens Museum for the Curiosity Center Program.

The Curiosity Center on the second floor allows children to explore unique and inventive activities expertly designed to promote innovation, imagination and out-of-the-box thinking. Children discover new ways to use old materials, create a mess or a work of art (sometimes both), or challenge the whole family to a collaborative create-a-thon. Mr. Mister will provide a way to think out-of-the-box in which you do not necessarily have to have a permanent marker to create art. We will place a sticker on the toys notifying the users that this toy is available for purchase in the Minnesota Childrens Museum gift shop. Our ultimate goal is for children to interact with the toy at the Museum, and want to purchase one to take home and play with.

Success of IMC Plan

Our promotional plan is going to be successful based on our research in our target market, toy store locations, and particular magazine advertisement and groupon coupon. The magazine ad we have made will be placed into local magazine ads such as Mpls/St. Paul magazine, Maple Grove magazine, St. Louis Park magazine, Edina Magazine, and Lake Minnetonka Magazine. These magazine ads will be successful because they are closely related to the stores in which Mr. Mister will be sold. Bibelot, Creative Kidstuff, and the Childrens museum all have locations in the Minneapolis/ St. Paul area and the suburbs. By implementing our ads in local magazines, viewers will recognize the local stores Mr. Mister will be carried.

 Our groupon ad will contribute to our success because it is under the Minneapolis/ St. Paul category. Users can narrow down the selection of coupons based on the city they are from. The ad states that there is a limited supply and shows the number of coupons already purchased. This will put pressure on the customer to purchase because there is only a limited supply. It also shows the customer is saving money because the original cost of one Mr. Mister is $45.00, but through the groupon ad customers will save $20.00 The locations Mr.Mister is sold in benefits the sale of our product. Creative Kidstuff, the Childrens Museum, and Bibelot all have toys that encourage creativity and educational value. The Childrens Museum is a place grandparents and parents take their children in order to learn, while having fun at the same time. We will be donating Mr. Misters to the curiosity center at the Childrens Museum. This will enable children to play with our product, while also getting the chance to purchase it after using it. Also, the stores we will be implementing Mr. Mister into will allow parents and children alike to have a hands-on experience with the toy. This is beneficial to our product because, like the Childrens Museum, once they use the product they will be more interested in purchasing. Lastly our target market will help the success of Mr. Mister. After our research, we found that boomers are family oriented, think of others first, and they have grandchildren that would use our toy.

The importance of family will help Mr. Mister because boomers would be purchasing it as a gift for grandchildren. Being family oriented is also important because they would be more likely to bring their grandchildren to places such as the science museum or toy stores.

References
Baby boomer lifestyle traits & trends. (2013). The Hartman Group. Retrieved from http://www. hartman-group.com/hartbeat/baby-boomer-life style-traits-trends Freeman, K. (2013). Marketing Boom: How to Attract the Baby Boomer Market. American Salesman, 58(9), 13-17. ODonnell, F. (2013, January). BabyBoomers Leisure Trends-US Report. Retrieved from http://academic.mintel.com.ezp2.lib.umn.edu/ display/637590/#atom0 Erwina, I. (2013, January). Activities of Kids and Teens- US Report. Retrieved from http://academic.mintel.com.ezp3.lib.umn.edu/ display/637813/ U.S. Census Bureau. (n.d.). Share of U.S. population by generation, by race/Hispanic origin, 2012. Generated September 22nd, 2013, from http://academic.mintel.com.ezp1. lib.umn.edu/display/650948/ U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2011). Region of residence: Average annual expenditures and characteristics. Retrieved from ftp://ftp.bls.gov/pub/ special.requests/ce/stan dard/2011/region.txt

Appendix A

Appendix B