GUEST COLUMNIST
Bethan Garton, commercial director at The Point.1888, on how understanding the different audiences within the preschool market has been key for Moonbug’s success in licensing. Right: Bethan Garton, commercial director, The Point.1888.
KNOWING YOUR AUDIENCE
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ou’d have to have been hiding under a rock for the last few months to have not heard about how Moonbug Entertainment has taken over the world of licensing. With the planet’s biggest kids’ entertainment brands on its books – Morphle, CoComelon, Blippi, Little Baby Bum and more. It has a huge fanbase to work with, but, as we all know, there’s not space for every brand on the retail floor. So how do you ensure every property sees success? The trick is customer segmentation. Even though each of Moonbug’s brands is for preschool, by drilling down into this audience even further you get to see the subtle differences and huge opportunities that lie within. For example, Little Baby Bum targets the youngest end of preschool, starting at 0-6 months old. With a mix of recognisable nursery rhymes and music at its core, it appeals heavily to this demographic. The likes of Morphle and Blippi attract the older preschoolers aged between three and five. In Morphle, the introduction of bandits for a good vs bad element means it really suits an older preschooler. The other key audience of course are parents/carers as they make the buying decisions and ultimately decide what content their kids watch. We all know this group despises
annoying content and they want good quality educational products for their children. CONTINUOUS INVESTMENT But how do you get this insight? It’s a clever combination of experience, brand immersion and data. The beauty of an organisation the size of Moonbug is that it
we’re particularly strong in the preschool industry with experience working on In the Night Garden, Teletubbies, Noddy, Fisher Price, The Gruffalo and Crayola. We also have an ex-toy buyer in the team. This combined experience and knowledge has been invaluable. But we cannot forget the importance of brand immersion. We ensure our entire team watches preschool content every week, even if they don’t have kids. Yes, we’re getting paid to watch TV! Of course, it does help if you have your own preschooler at home. Seeing the way they interact and what they get from the properties is brilliant learning. And how has this understanding of the different audiences within the preschool market been applied to help Moonbug? It helps set a clear strategy and identifies the products that will best reflect each property’s values in a creative and engaging way. This has enabled us to make products available across the retail spectrum and across a wide range of categories. It is a privilege to work with Moonbug and there is a lot more news to come.
“ There’s not space for
every brand on the retail floor. So how do you ensure every property sees success? ” has a wealth of information and insight that can be invaluable when developing products and activities. Not only that, but it continuously invests in its properties, adding new episodes and content on a weekly basis. This means kids can access their portfolio of brands wherever and however they want, keeping popularity and loyalty high while at the same time, producing even more data for us to use. A brand’s insight can only take a brand licensing programme so far. You also need a team of experts on board who know the space inside and out. At The Point.1888,
Below: CoComelon has made a big impact in the preschool licensing space.
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