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Needless to say there are huge differences between what toys are liked best by girls and between the different ages – even within the relatively tightly defined 7-10 age band. Getting the advertising for those toys correctly targeted for both the buyer and recipient of such gifts can make a huge difference to getting it right on the, fast-approaching, big day.
That part of Youth TGI which examines the behaviour and preferences of 7-10s has, on average, 250 kids at each SEPERATE age and within each gender and can therefore provide a very sensitive measure of the changing fashion in toy preferences across sex, age and over time.
A toy like Barbie, for instance, has seen its ‘like best’ rating halve across the past five years even amongst its core audience of 7-10 girls. Neither Sindy or Ken have taken up the slack and even Harry potter toys seem to have lost much of their appeal since their 2004 peak. For these girls however the likes of Animal Hospital and Polly Pocket have retained most, if not all, of their appeal. However the popularity rating achieved by any toy changes rapidly with age. The aforementioned Barbie is three times more likely to get a ‘like best’ vote amongst seven year old girls than it is amongst those that are three years older. On the other hand, Winnie the Pooh (the appeal of which may well be linked to reading the books), has an appeal that seems to rise amongst 10 year olds by comparison with those who are younger.
Amongst boys of the same age group there is even stronger evidence of the impact of film releases on the rating of tie-in-toys. Spiderman doubled in his appeal between 2003 and 2005/6 but had dropped back by the time Youth TGI assessed him in 2007. After recording a rise in popularity in 2003/4 Star Wars toys fell back in popularity in 2005 and then rose again, perhaps to unprecedented levels, in 2006. In fact those levels have been maintained in 2007 – but at nowhere near the heights or the consistency of the runaway leader in the boy’s popularity stakes, Lego. The old favourite remains just that with a pretty consistent 40%+ of 7-10 boys putting the toy at the top of their popularity rankings. Perhaps part of the secret of its lasting appeal is the fact that it holds its top position for each year across the age group while many of its rivals for the toy budget have a more obvious age bias. Having an element of ‘collectability’ to a toy’s selling proposition is of course an aid to ongoing popularity. A toy such as Lego, especially with its educational appeal to gift-givers, can be expanded over time and its appeal extended through the age group.
Obviously the targeting of toy advertising to givers and receivers can be a complicated exercise particularly if the two parties do not live together. There are, according to main TGI, around 6.7 million parents of 6-11 year olds in Britain and a further 7 million grandparents with grandchildren of the same age. Seeking to target them together will also complicate the issue in terms of media selection, if not the creative treatment as well.
No wonder the letter to Santa is such a godsend to the flummoxed present buyer. Author Richard Bedwell
Publication BRAD
Date 01/12/2007
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