Special Feature - Nerfball

Nerf - blasting into new categories

As Nerf announces its first official sport, Nerfball, Adam Kleinman, SVP & GM Global Brands - Nerf & Sports Action at Hasbro, chats to Toy World about the brand’s success and how it spans much more than just toys.

What kind of year has the Nerf brand had and what is its current standing in the marketplace?

Nerf has remained an unrivalled category leader in action-based performance toys for more than five decades. Nerf is the No.1 blaster property, with 59.8% value share in YTD Aug22*. Nerf market share reached 59.5% in Aug 22, which is up +2.8pt vs Jun 22 and +0.3% vs Jul 22*.

This past year, the Nerf brand unveiled and celebrated extensive expansions across key categories including digital entertainment, digital gaming, broadcast entertainment, location-based experiences, licensed partners, sports and product innovation.

After 50 plus years in the toy industry, the brand continues to innovate, evolve and transform. In 2022, Nerf has doubled down on its commitment to fuel active play, breathing new life into our Nerf or Nothin’ mantra with a disruptive, multi-year campaign reminding consumers of Nerf’s position as a leading pop culture, cross-generational, active play lifestyle brand.

This year, we partnered with the award-winning Martin Agency to shift the narrative on the brand, amplifying its core purpose: to get kids and families up and active with a light-hearted message that invites one and all to Unleash the Play in You. In June, we officially unveiled Murph, the Nerf brand’s first ever official mascot, which went viral on the internet, with celebrities, influencers, high-profile brands and press expressing their thoughts on the new mascot. Late night TV hosts James Corden, Seth Meyers and Stephen Colbert even talked about Murph on their shows. Introducing a mascot for the brand is a huge deal that I think really showcases its pop culture relevancy and leadership in the marketplace.

What do you think is behind Nerf’s ongoing popularity with consumers?

Nerf’s longevity and brand loyalty is driven by the constant new product innovations and experiences it has to offer, plus the ability to keep fans engaged and excited. Last year, Nerf became the first Hasbroowned brand to join digital platform TikTok, which has continued to enhance the direct connection and engagement between brand and fans, to meet them where they are.

How does Nerfball extend the Nerf play pattern into new areas?

Nerf has been synonymous with sport since its introduction in 1969, with the original Nerf ball and shortly after, the Nerfoop. Fast forward to 2022 and Nerf has reignited Nerf Sports through new product and new franchise partnerships with industry leaders, including Franklin Sports which delivers premium quality Nerf branded sporting equipment to athletes and sports fans.

Now with Nerfball, the brand has truly joined the world of sports by providing a live entertainment and sporting event experience that Nerf has never offered before. This will be the first time that fans can play the official sport of Nerf. The sport greatly extends the brand’s play pattern into active, competitive play territory. Nerfball not only brings in amazing competitive play opportunities but will allow us to expand into other media as well, engaging consumers on a deeper level. Ultimately, Nerfball showcases Hasbro’s strong brand-building capabilities in blasting the brand into all-new categories.

How do you see Nerfball growing and evolving – what’s the ultimate goal with the sport itself?

With Nerfball, the goal is to create a sense of community for active, competitive play for fans and introduce an entirely new way for consumers to experience Nerf.

Is there more from Nerf to look forward to?

We have lots of exciting products, collaborations and experiences coming to the UK and Europe in 2023, which we are super excited to unveil to fans in the coming months.

What opportunities does Nerf offer retailers from a commercial perspective?

Nerf is far more than just a toy brand. Nerf is a lifestyle, and that is a huge selling point for retailers. Nerf can be seen across all consumer touchpoints, including products like apparel, along with digital gaming and location-based-entertainment experiences. Earlier this year, we launched a Nerf X Quiksilver apparel collection. We also have the first Nerf Action Xperience opening in Manchester in early 2023, with more to come in the UK and Europe. Our mascot, Murph, is bringing the brand to life even further. Nerf has so much meaning behind the brand that retailers will want to join in on.

How will you support the Nerf brand in 2023 in terms of marketing?

The Nerf brand will deliver a multichannel campaign across all four quarters which will involve both adult and kid focused creative. There will also be a significant focus on celebrating Nerf Summer in early June as well as celebrating all innovation for autumn through our Nerf Fest campaign.

*The NPD Group, UK POS Retail Tracking Service, Blaster/Shooters & Acc subclass