The Blockbuster Toy!: How to Invent the Next Big Thing

Del Vecchio, Gene

Sep 2003 · Pelican Publishing

About this ebook

By conducting an in-depth review of the great toys from ancient times to the present, youth- marketing expert Gene Del Vecchio reveals the six core qualities that help toys achieve blockbuster status:

the toy's unique satisfaction of children�s emotional needsthe toy's acceptance among parents and unique fulfillment of their needsthe toy's perfect alignment with significant historical events or social trendsthe toy's ability to reinvent itselfthe toy's employment of inspiring, playful marketing and, sometimes, the toy�s serendipitous rendezvous with powerful, random events

The Blockbuster Toy! How to Invent the Next BIG Thing also sheds light on the definition of what it means to be a toy in today�s world. From traditional toys, to foods, to multi-player on-line games, to the importance of story and Hollywood studio alliances, Del Vecchio casts a broad net and explains, in ways that marketers can learn from and interested readers will find amazingly insightful, how playthings become pop culture.

Readers will learn here the essence of a blockbuster toy and the various recent approaches used by Crayola, Disney, and other companies in choosing theirproducts. Six chapters discuss blockbuster marketing strategies, all designed tohelp toy-industry professionals ignite te smiles that can make their careers.

About the author

Author Gene Del Vecchio is the president of his own consulting firm in Valencia, California. He is the former senior partner, director of planning research in the Los Angeles office of Ogilvy Mather Worldwide, the world's sixth-largest agency network. While there, he developed products targeted toward children for companies including Baskin-Robbins, Disney, Good Humor-Breyers, Hershey, Kraft Foods, and Mattel.