The Beauty of Toys

Dear Readers,

There's a pile of toys sitting in my living room. A couple of Fancy Nancys, an Elmo, a Tumbles, a cow and a moose (they're a couple) and some night vision goggles. They're not mine. Well, they're mine but I don't really play with them. Other than the Elmo and the Tumbles on rare occasion.

These toys came my way via various PR and brand managers who sent them upon request. Most of these toys appeared with me on a TV or web show. Some, like cow and moose, just found their way to me somehow.

The amazing thing about all this is that a year ago, I didn't know much about toys. Now, I have become an official toy expert. Not only am I a contributing editor for Toy Wishes Magazine, but I often appear on TV or online talking about the hottest toys for nieces and nephews of all ages. And I feel confident I know my stuff. Or at least I try.

Of course, there's that incredible Gifts section on SavvyAuntie.com that lists the best toys we've seen this year. Yes, it's nearing 2009 and we're already scouting for the best of the new year. And by we I mean me. Because I'm still a one-woman show. (Although after the new year, I am welcoming @savvychrista and @savvydebi as part-time interns and they are going to be a tremendous help!)

My point about my becoming a toy expert in less than a year is that if you set your mind out to do something, to be something, and if you work hard enough, you might just be able to achieve it.

I learned that when I began working at L'Oreal in 2002. The beauty industry is pretty incestuous. When I thought about getting into the industry just a few years before I landed the job at L'Oreal, a woman who had been in the industry forever told me that if you weren't 'born' into the beauty industry, it was almost impossible to get in. Beauty execs move from one company to another, or are lifers at their first. Rarely do people enter the industry after entry-level.

But I got in at a senior level.... and knew little about cosmetics other than my own passion for them. But I learned. I studied. I inquired. I went to makeup counters and watched. I read research data. I scanned the internet for cosmetics news. I dove right in. And became a beauty expert.

The toy industry reminds me a little of the beauty industry. There are a few independent brands with some winning products, but mostly there are just a few larger companies that own a significant number of toy brands - just like in the beauty industry. And just like the beauty industry, it's tough to get into the toy industry if you weren't born into it.

Both industries thrive on innovation - but true innovation is rare and fleeting. A truly innovative product has never been done before, and it often takes either a small, nimble company, or a rich mega-company, to produce and launch it. And as technology gets easier to replicate, an innovative product doesn't own a category for too long before a copy-cat comes along to steal part if its thunder.

Finally, technologies are often replicated between brands of a larger company. Just like you'll find similar technologies in mascaras across mass and prestige makeup brands, you'll notice similar technologies sweep across toy brands. For example, this year it was hard to find a toy that wasn't motorized in one way or another.

Elmo Live! by Fisher Price is the latest incarnation of our ticklish furry friend, and is really life-like. Or toddler monster-like. While a few steps above the original Tickle-Me Elmo, Elmo Live! is still a motorized plush.

Playskool, a division of Hasbro, and a wonderful Savvy Auntie sponsor, launched Kota the Triceratops, the motorized dino that little kids just love. And Playskool's Tumbles, Biscuit and Butterscotch were also favorites of kids for whom the basic plush is no longer the only option. And Tonka, another brand associated with Hasbro, has a real winner with the Tonka Bounce Back Racer which sold out quickly.

Non-tech toys also made it big this year. Bakugan, a trading card/marbles/action figure game based on the anime series of the same name, caused quite a stir among school-aged boys. And the hackysack-like Myachi, took ten years to become and over-night success.

Alex Toys, a leading crafts brand, launched it's Alex Jr baby plush baby products and I instantly fell in love with the gorgeous colors and designs. Somewhere between pastels and prime colors, the toys are really a delight to look at.

Of course, there are smaller, independant companies that I see a lot of promise for as well. Tedde - the 'un-mass' produced teddy bear company, really has an opportunity to reach an audience that is looking for a different toy to give a unique child.

Finally, companies are making great strides in developing toys specifically for Special Needs kids, or realizing that their traditional products are developmental for those kids as well.

I am eager to see what 2009 will bring for toy innovation and how the economy will shape the industry. What will be this year's Webkindz, Guitar Hero or Wii Fit? Will technology play an even greater role, or will consumers lean toward basic toys as the economy brings them back to basics at home?

I'll be attending the Toy Fair in New York in February and will have a better idea then. I'll share all the new innovations with you as I learn about them myself, here and at SavvyAuntie.com. Plus, this year I'm launching a still hush-hush way of telling you about all the latest, hottest gifts for kids. It's coming soon and I can't wait for the reveal!

In the meantime, I have Elmo and Tumbles to keep me company. And yes - having great toys does make me a very cool Savvy Auntie. Just ask my nephew and nieces. They're coming to play this week.



XOXO,
Auntie Melanie

PS Please join our Facebook Fan Page! There's more there!

Somebody's Knockin' on the Door...

Dear Readers,

The 2006 US Census Bureau Fertility Report, which studies the fertility rates of women ages 15-44, was published earlier this week. This is a big deal, because up until now, we've been working off of data from 2004.

The new 2006 data states that even fewer women are having children than in 2004. In fact, the big highlight of the report is shocking: "20 percent of women 40 to 44 were childless in 2006, twice as high as the level 30 years earlier." Wow.

The data from a similar study done in 2004 stated that 44.6% of women did not have kids. This 2006 study reports that 45.1% did not have children, up 0.5% over those two years.

Neither reports include data on women 'post' fertility who are less likely to ever have children - women 45 and over.

I don't want you to think that I am celebrating childlessness. Childlessness is often not a choice for most women (Although it is for some and for those women, it's the right choice). Personally, I would love to have children. I just haven't met the right guy to have them with me yet. (He's coming, I just know he is, but he's taking his sweet time!)

All I am saying is that the data is the data. The facts are the facts. Fewer women are having children. By choice. Not by choice. Some are childless. Some are childfree. Some are waiting. Some are undecided. Some are trying. Some are too young. Some feel too old. Some are too old. Some are gay and therefore I assume less likely to have their own kids. Whatever the case, in the end, 45.1% of women 15-44, don't have kids.

Here's the "women without children" data, broken down by age range:

15 to 19 years 93.3%
20 to 24 years 68.6%
25 to 29 years 45.6%
30 to 34 years 26.2%
35 to 39 years 18.9%
40 to 44 years 20.4%

Remove the teens from the equation, and 36% of women 20 - 44 don't have kids. Again, this data does not include women 45+. And I am reluctant to exclude the teens because teens have huge spending clout and are very likely to indulge their little nieces and nephews, their little cousins, and their friends' kids - and certainly themselves! And they are looking for ways to connect with the children in their lives, just like older women are. Just because they are less likely to have kids, doesn't mean they are less likely to be loving Savvy Aunties to a child in their life.

But back to the good people at the US Census who have helped us discover we're not alone....
In 2006, the Census Bureau knocked on doors and asked women up to the age of 44 if they have children. 45.1% responded no.

In 2008, I responded with SavvyAuntie.com to give this segment, which I have dubbed PANKs (Professional Aunts, No Kids), a community of our own. And our partners - like Hasbro, FAO Schwarz, Sephora and Ford have responded. And many, many more are knocking on my door. They are trying hard to tell you that they hear you. They see you. They understand that you are not only relevant, you are the unsung family hero.

Finally, Auntie, somebody's ringing the bell!

Do me a favor, open the door, and let 'im in?

XOXO,

Auntie Melanie


PS - Thanks to Sir Paul McCartney and his song, Let 'im in.

I'm Learning

Dear Readers,

I have learned a lot over the last few weeks since the launch of SavvyAuntie.com.

I've learned that I'm pretty good at PR. Because of my connections in social media, I was able to create a lot of buzz around Savvy Auntie before and during launch. And when stories are published online, reporters read them, and are interested in publishing their own stories, and it goes on like that. Sometimes, huge stories just appear. Take this one from the San Francisco Chronicle on Friday. The article is about websites designed for women, and includes SavvyAuntie.com as an example. While the story is not only about my site, the value of associating my brand with brands like Glam.com and Yahoo's Shine is huge. For those of you not in PR, it's called Share of Voice. It was important to be included in this article, and we were. I am very proud.

But back to the power of social media. If you are new to my blog, you may not know that I am active on the social media platform, Twitter.com. (Follow me at Twitter.com/SavvyAuntie). Through my connections there, and through real-life social media meet ups, I've had a lot of friends who blog or host podcasts, interview me. It's been thrilling, quite frankly. And an honor. Every media outlet, no matter how big or how small, gets the same amount of attention from me. It makes scheduling my days a little challenging, but I am so happy to participate in any way I can. So thanks to all of you for your support and your invitations!

I've also learned that advertisers really "get" the idea of the Savvy Auntie segment - the so-called PANKs (Professional Aunts No Kids). Well, I should say that certainly the media buyers at various large digital agencies get it as it's often the media buyers who find me. One media buyer is a PANK herself and when she discovered SavvyAuntie.com in TrendCentral.com, she connected with me. I have to acknowledge how incredibly nice all the media buyers I have spoken with are. They completely understand that the site is just a few weeks old and let me run ideas by them informally so that I can help them and they can help me close the deal. (By the way, we've closed some deals. I want to say a special thank you to Hasbro for being forward thinking and buying into advertising on the site so quickly. The first group of ad partners we get on Savvy Auntie will always be special to me.)

Next, I've learned that I need to create more viral content, and syndicated content. Well to be fair to myself, I knew this months ago, but can put only so much on my plate at a time. I have already met with some video producers and have meetings coming up with other video companies and WOM (word of mouth) companies. I'm not sure I have the capital now to move forward, but I am getting the ball rolling, and that's what's important.

Speaking of capital, I've also learned that I need help. I honestly did not expect the site to get as big as it has as quickly as it has, and I need help managing all the responsibility. I am beginning to look into raising funds from venture capital firms and angel investors. I am also looking for a really talented, passionate and smart COO to have in place for when I do have the funds to begin to hire a team. (For those of you who don't know, I am running SavvyAuntie.com essentially on my own with Dave over at Quarksoft - my technology team and with the help of my advisory board and many people who act like they are on my advisory board.)

I've learned a lot more than I have written about here, but this is a good taste of what's been buzzing in my head just 5 weeks in from launch.

I guess when I stop learning it's time to quite. Good thing I don't see any chance of that happening!

XOXO,
Auntie Melanie