Cover Story - Kathryn Ludlam discusses

Dare to Dream with Character Options!

TNP speaks with Kathryn Ludlam, brand manager at Character Options, to fi nd out more about why the company is so excited about the Dream Seekers fashion dolls, which launched this spring…

Kathryn, for those who aren’t familiar with Dream Seekers, can you tell us a little about the brand?

Dream Seekers are the magical friends who fl ew into the dolls aisle this spring to share their dreams and inspire children to follow theirs. These beautifully crafted, poseable fashion dolls will listen to children’s dreams and help them to fi nd the courage to make them come true by sharing their own dreams and revealing their unique personalities! Found on every Dream Seeker’s wrist is their unique ‘Dream Mark’, which represents the doll’s personality and the dream that they seek!

With sublimation printing, glitter wings and removable fashions, the Dream Seekers always put their best fashion foot forward! Each Dream Seekers Doll features gorgeous long hair, which is deep rooted and accessorised with pretty hair ribbons. Children can display their Dream Seekers in their pink crescent moon packaging, posing their long arms and legs. Inside each moon pack, there’s a special star for kids to write down and hide their dreams. Dream Seekers will keep a child’s dreams safe and wish for them to come true.

So what characters are currently in the range?

Dream Seekers launched with three dolls to discover - Bella, Hope and Luna. From her hair to her outfi t, all the way through to her wings, Hope shines bright in magic rainbow colours. Then there’s Luna, who’s ready to hit the spotlight with her platinum hair, fl uffy wings and all-white styling. And fi nally, there’s Bella, who looks sweeter than candy, with her bubble gum pink hair, polka dot skirt and candy cane striped socks! Children can collect them all and create an enchanting bedroom display with their new best friends.

Kathryn Ludlam

What attracted Character Options to Dream Seekers and what has the reaction been like from retailers?

At Character Options, we’re always on the lookout for brands that have the potential to really shake up a toy category and that’s what fi rst caught our attention with Dream Seekers. Far from being just another fashion doll brand, Dream Seekers has a unique selling point - an extra play pattern - that sets them apart from every other doll on the market.

Dream Seekers combine the nostalgic appeal of ragdoll styling, with modern fashion and a fantasy fairy world. Children can play with and pose their dolls, style their hair, and play dress up. With their unique personalities and individual dreams that are conveyed through their Dream Mark and styling,

children will be able to build an imaginary play world with Dream Seekers that feels authentic. Then, come bedtime, children can place their dolls in their Dream Seekers to watch over them and wish for their dreams to come true. The dolls become not just a display piece, but also a night-time companion to help children feel safe.

Following the strong investment from retail partners, what support has Character Options put behind the launch of the Dream Seekers brand?

Dream Seekers was launched with a stunning dedicated spot in February, with further TV campaigns planned throughout Easter, the summer months and Q4 to support the new releases. The brand also benefi ts from full PR and digital support including infl uencer and social activity, as well as kids press and pre-roll. We will also be driving demand for Dream Seekers with special in-store activity. Our in-store promotions have always been wellreceived by families and we can’t wait to resume them now that bricks-andmortar stores are reopening their doors!

We know that Dream Seekers is a brand that retailers have really invested in, and initial sales are looking really strong, so now we’re looking ahead to the reopening of all retail as we continue to roll out our marketing and PR plans. We’re confi dent that this support will help make Dream Seekers a go-to brand in the fashion dolls aisle.

What kind of digital activity is Character Options running for Dream Seekers?

Our digital plan is comprehensive! We kicked off our activity at the beginning of March which, in just one month, reached one million-plus unique accounts with just a handful of posts. This activity is ongoing and continues to connect with kids and their parents across the UK.

As part of the Dream Seekers infl uencer activity, we’ve been working with celebrity infl uencer Helen Flanagan and her two young daughters. She’s been promoting the collection to her Instagram followers, with a series of posts and stories. We’ve also been working with a number of high-profi le, UK-based infl uencers to ensure lots of lovely coverage for Dream Seekers, across all key social platforms, including Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. This content saw infl uencers from both child-led and mum and daughter channels introduce the characters in the collection and show off their unique personalities and the play pattern. We’ve also been creating lots of coverage across Character Options’ social media channels and online reviews via parental outreach.

Your infl uencers were some of the fi rst to play with the Dream Seeker Dolls - what was their reaction to the collection?

The reaction has been fantastic! Kids have loved showing off their new Dream Seeker friends - their different looks have been a real talking point, with special touches like Luna’s feathery wings and Hope’s rainbow-coloured hair especially popular! We’ve seen so many delightful images shared of children immersed in imaginative play, posing their Dream Seeker Dolls, styling their hair, and dressing them up. And mums too have really bought into the new collection, with many endorsements to bring out the link between Dream Seekers and how they can help to nurture a child’s dreams.

And tell us about your plans for print activity.

While we know that mums and their children are spending more time than ever online, we also know that kids press can be an extremely effective way to introduce children to a new brand. That’s why we’ll also be working with Kennedy Publishing to create a series of activity pages for Dream Seekers in Pink Magazine. This beautiful series of pages will focus on the characters, offering the core market a beautiful introduction to the range.

We’ll also be running a number of competitions and advertorials for Dream Seekers across a wide spread of magazines to further engage with the target audience and increase brand recognition.

What can buyers and retailers look forward to later in the year?

Waiting to take the spotlight this autumn is Light Up Stella! Her removable rainbow gown complements her lovely long locks - children will be in awe of the beautiful spectrum of pastel colours woven through her hair! But what really makes Stella the star of the show is her ability to let her inner light shine! Stella’s wings light-up and change colour, with each colour representing the quality that she’s inspiring! Also included is a set of twist-in hair stars so you can create a fashionable hair look for Stella that is truly out of this world!

Also new to the core dolls range will be Zara, with her long, lilac hair, glittery wings, and butterfl y-embellished outfi t!

The new inclusion of a hair comb and clips will also add to the hair play element for the four core Dream Seeker characters, as well as a new colourful packaging theme that offers a dreamy new look, continuing to enhance the stand-out shelf appeal that is intrinsic to the Dream Seekers brand.

How will you be ramping up the activity to support the collection in the second half?

Building on the momentum in spring, our marketing and PR efforts will be centred around increasing awareness of the new characters, with both price points receiving their own TV spot in the run-up to Christmas, plenty of preroll and infl uencer activity, plus a comprehensive digital campaign. We will also look to secure space in Christmas gift guides and achieve TV coverage for Dream Seekers ahead of the key festive selling period.

Character Options 0161 633 9800 | sales@charactergroup.plc.uk www.character-online.com