Special Feature
Family focused Michelle Lilley, head of marketing UK for Little Tikes, told Toy World how she believes this year will unfold for the Outdoor Toys category, and what the company’s ranges offer retailers and consumers. Coming into 2021, what kind of position does Little Tikes find itself in? We’re in a strong position as we continue to expand our portfolio and sub-brand offering, launching new products and categories. Little Tikes is No.1 for outdoor and sports, and our core line continues to go from strength to strength. We are increasing marketing investment for 2021 – this will be our biggest investment yet in my seven years at MGA - and we’re directing a large proportion of this to our core outdoor and ride-on categories throughout spring.
The lockdowns, though far from ideal, did prove a boon for the Outdoor category. Do you think we will see this trend continue, or have consumers hit saturation point due to last year’s spending splurge? We believe it will be another strong year for outdoor toys, with families continuing to make the most of their homes and gardens. We’ve already seen above-season demand for our core classic lines this year to date, and we’re looking forward to another busy spring and summer. The UK’s No.1 and No.2 two water tables, the Fountain Factory and Magic Flower Water Table, remain a key focus for us. We’re expecting our other staple outdoor items, such as slides, playhouses and sandpits, to grow further as well as the ride-on sector, which is popular for gifting and a yearround best-seller. As they did at Christmas, we’re predicting consumers will buy early for spring/ summer due to the logistical and freight challenges the UK is experiencing. We’re ensuing our UK and European hubs are ready to support consumer demand. We’re also currently working on an outdoor campaign for early summer.
What major developments are we going to see from Little Tikes this year?
The true-to-life Growing Garden range sees the brand move into new materials, while our new dino-inspired T-Rex Truck offers a new feature-rich premium ride-on experience. We’re re-launching Inflatables too, and continuing to invest in content, our website and social platforms. Little Tikes has an engaged audience which is always excited to hear from us. As an established brand with over 50 years of play experience, our aim is to continue to innovate across all categories.
What’s driving this innovation? Innovation is in our DNA. We’re constantly looking at ways to extend our brand in ways that inspire and engage young minds. Our consumers drive innovation by ensuring we develop toys that suit their needs and are in line with market trends; for example, the launch of Growing Garden targets consumers spending more time in the garden as a family. This year will see also see the launch of two new slides - one for wet and dry use, plus our very first light up slide – for parties at home.
How is Little Tikes supporting its new launches for this year, both in terms of marketing and in how it works with retail partners across all channels? We have multiple category-driving campaigns that will ensure we reach consumers both in-store and online, and we’re investing in additional product assets including enhanced video, online and in-store POS. Our consumer catalogue offering is also relaunching, which will only add to the customer purchase experience. The relationship we have with our retail partners remains strong. We’re aligning all our marketing strategies and will be driving our TV and digital advertising directly to retail support. Gifting and influencer activity will play a large part in the support of our new launches; we are shifting our strategy to encourage influencers and retailers alike to host competitions on their channels.
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We continue to focus on growing our online reviews. Our 20,000+ reviews support the way many consumers are researching their purchases right now. Our Tikes Tester campaign, which launched in January, will also see us generate further reviews to support our retail partners in 2021.
How has Little Tikes found the trade fair season, given its obvious differences this year? We’ve never been so busy with retail previews, thanks to our expanded Little Tikes category presence and increased product line. We’ve adapted to previewing on screen rather than face-to-face, and retail feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.
How do you think 2021 will be, overall, for the Little Tikes business? We’re preparing for a record year, and to reflect this have appointed a new senior digital brand manager to further support our digital presence. Our digital-first strategy enabled us to tackle the challenges of 2020, and ensured we kept parents and gift givers engaged. This year will see further investment into social, with Instagram a primary focus alongside enhancement on Pinterest. As mentioned earlier, we’re re-releasing our mini catalogue to allow consumers to see our full product line in the comfort of their own homes, and we’ll be creating content that brings families together. We also have a greater focus on giving back, through new initiatives including charity donations and bumper giveaways to our fans. Instagram and Facebook are huge focuses, as always. Little Tikes is proud to be the largest UK brand Facebook page for the pre-school toys category; on average, each UK mum with a child under five has seen our content 12 times throughout 2020, which reiterates to us the importance of continuing to entertain, inspire and innovate in the digital marketing space.
