It’s not for nothing I have a Build-A-Bear on my Pink Marketing blog
I don’t deny that my bear is adorable and snuggly, but for me she is also a symbol of something much greater that just fuzzy bear love. Let me give you a little Build-A-Bear history so that you can understand: Build-A-Bear started out with some fairly ugly clothes that were homemade and didn’t coordinate (I have some of the original outfits) and marketed correctly has become a phenomenon that I don’t see fizzling out. Pure genius. No doubt BABW is making a mint - marketing to children is highly lucrative. And I hope you don’t think I am the devil, but that’s what this post is about.
Once they were workers, now they are consumers
Prior to the 19th century, children were workers and in fact there are still places in the world where they still are. But when laws passed to make this illegal, children began their transformation from workers to consumers.
In 1929 Herbert Hoover sponsored a report entitled The Home and the Child. Here are some of the findings of the report that were instrumental in this transformation:
- the child “is often an alien in his home when it comes to any consideration of his special needs in the furnishings and equipment of the home. He belongs nowhere. He must accommodate himself to an adult environment… Often this results in retarding his physical, mental, and social development.” (White House, 1931)
- parents should buy their children “furniture and eating equipment”, “toys, velocipedes, sawhorses, wagons, and wheelbarrows, slides and places to keep pets”, as a child grows “older and becomes more social he wants games and toys that he can share with his friends”, buy them “things and let them pick them out by themselves”(White House, 1931)
And now, we find that children rival adults as economic consumer powers. Today, if you have the know how to tap into what kids want and the drive to market it properly, you may be on your way to riches beyond compare.
Interactivity, Accessories and Innovation
Build-A-Bear gives kids almost everything they are looking for:
- Children love being able to participate, create, transform. Build-A-Bear gives them an interactive experience. Kids like doing things. Most adults would rather be handed the bear (it takes about 1-2 hours to go through the process of getting a bear).
- Children are a big fan of secondary commodities. Whereas adults have a tendency to dislike things that we must buy to go with the primary goods, children almost prefer this to the main items. Kids love add-ons.
- Children also love when the product is constantly changing, limited editions, new items. Again, adults are less receptive to change.
Children are attracted to commodities and products for different reasons, and also by different ways than adults. And in order to market to children, business must always keep this in mind.
This was Part 1 of Children as Consumers, later I will apply this to marketing to children online.
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Posted: August 4th, 2007.
Comments: 21
Comments
Comment from
Time: August 4, 2007, 2:24 am
WOW … You are right on this. You have just stole my idea … :-(
Just kidding.
That is what I am going to target as well. Children … In the north America, children have the most buying power. Especially the younger one. They are growing and growing. They have to buy “back-to-school” stuff every years. It’s like a fashion …
Oops! Just tell you my next million dollars idea … I am so attracted to your pink color … so I can’t lie .. ;-)
Can’t wait for your part 2.
Comment from Danielle
Time: August 4, 2007, 2:34 am
Well I am not looking to market to children… I just thought there may be people that are. It is a really good idea - and North American children do have a lot of buying power (I know this because I was once a spoiled brat North American child).
Comment from
Time: August 4, 2007, 6:03 am
Excellent post although im a little confused as to who invented the build-a-bear. Im not american so maybe im missing something out here?
Comment from
Time: August 4, 2007, 8:06 am
I love Build-a-bear. The entire concept - allowing children to make their own teddy bear - it’s genius. It’s so much more than going to the toy store. What I do find strange is the ability to staff an entire chain of stores with overly perky, happy people. They must offer a really good benefits package.
Comment from Danielle
Time: August 4, 2007, 10:40 am
<p>The BuildABear was “invented” by Maxine Clark in 1997. Maxine had a professional history that gave her a great deal of experience with identifying marketing trends.</p>
@Angela - I love Build-A-Bear! And you are so right about the perky people! Especially the person who helps make the bear… imagine having to say the oath over and over again!
Comment from
Time: August 4, 2007, 10:46 am
This after she tells me selling Gummy stuff to kids could be difficult ;)
Kids have that all important feature which ultimately makes a parent whip out their credit and buy stuff. It’s called the “whine” feature. When used effectively a child can receive whatever they want :) I know this because I in fact was once a child myself ;P
Comment from Danielle
Time: August 4, 2007, 10:57 am
@Mike - I never said that about Gummy! But yeah, the whine feature is a very effective tool. I always found “being cute” and saying cute things worked. Some of my favourites as a kid: “Can I have this chocolate bar, I need it for a recipe.” or “Mommy, Can we buy Daddy this My Little Pony? Then me and Daddy can play ponies together.” (the pony was as good as mine)
Comment from
Time: August 4, 2007, 11:05 am
Hehe…well you said they don’t have credit cards, but technically they do if they whine enough ;P
If I couldn’t get whining and nagging to work for me when I was little I would resort to pouting and sulking around the house. That was always a pretty reliable backup plan :D
Comment from Danielle
Time: August 4, 2007, 11:13 am
Ah Pouting and Sulking! Parents get mad at first… but always give in in the end! :)
Comment from
Time: August 4, 2007, 12:44 pm
Cool article.
AND I learned a new word. :) (Velocipede)
Yay for Google!
Comment from Danielle
Time: August 4, 2007, 1:04 pm
Yeah I laughed when I read that word! I thought to myself: “My parents never bought me a velocipede!?”
Comment from
Time: August 4, 2007, 4:46 pm
Other impressive post by you. I just realized about too much things when I read “the child “is often an alien in his home…”
Comment from
Time: August 4, 2007, 7:51 pm
And it’s not just kids — some kids stay kids even when they become adults (like yours truly, or so I’d like to believe hehe). I LOVE all toys and cartoons that are marketed towards children, including BAB. I want one of my own!!!
Comment from
Time: August 5, 2007, 6:10 am
I remember going to BABW way too much back in the day having to get bears for various girls. I’m SOO glad I don’t have to do that anymore. You get ANY kind of clothing or accessory and I swear your bear cost $50 freakin’ dollars!
Comment from Danielle
Time: August 5, 2007, 6:00 pm
My bear cost $70 CDN… With this I got the bear, a leather jacket, a white tank top, a jean skirt, sneakers and cotton bear undies. I spent 3 hours in the store picking out the outfit and getting the bear made. It was so much fun!
Pingback from Pink Internet Marketing » Marketing to Kids Online: You can’t steal candy from the baby
Time: August 6, 2007, 2:08 am
[…] recently discussed how children became consumers and what could be learned from the Build-A-Bear phenomenon, and as promised I am going to apply this marketing to children online. Over the next week I will […]
Comment from
Time: August 6, 2007, 10:08 am
3 Hours to build Danni Bear??, wow, Well, it looks it was useful `cause your girly bear it`s famous today and it`s pretty cute ;) Take more pictures of the bear please :D
Comment from Danielle
Time: August 6, 2007, 10:26 am
Yes 3 hours!!! I just could not decide which outfit to get - I wanted her to look like me but a bear and it was hard to find something at Build-A-Bear that I would wear.
Pingback from Pink Internet Marketing » Marketing to Children: Interactivity
Time: August 7, 2007, 10:17 pm
[…] the Build-A-Bear Workshop model of success, the first key point I would like to discuss when marketing to children online is […]
Pingback from Pink Internet Marketing » Marketing to Children Online: Accessories
Time: August 11, 2007, 12:23 am
[…] I have been putting together some ideas about marketing to children online using my somewhat funny Build-A-Bear model of marketing success, quite appropriately. I looked first at some of the regulations, quite appropriate, with regards to […]
Pingback from Pink Internet Marketing » Marketing to Children Online: Innovation
Time: August 13, 2007, 10:30 pm
[…] I have been putting together some ideas about marketing to children online using my somewhat funny Build-A-Bear model of marketing success, quite appropriately. I looked first at some of the regulations, quite appropriate, with regards to […]
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