Kids Marketing Report articles from October 2000

Kids Marketing Report archives from October 2000

First licensee signs up for Roald Dahl merchandise.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Roald Dahl is the latest author to lend his literary creations to the world of licensing. Following the appointment of creative consultancy The Nest earlier this year, whose brief was to explore the potential of the Roald Dahl brand, the...

Online magazine by pupils for pupils relaunches with new look site.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Teen web site Pupiline.net has been relaunched with a new look and content. Design agency Design Bridge has created the new look and logo. The online magazine is written and produced by young people for the 11-17 age group, under the...

BOOTS ON THE SPOT.(Boots acquired Clearasil)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Boots has acquired Procter & Gamble's leading spot care brand Clearasil as part of its plans to establish its presence in both the US and Japanese markets. Boots opened four retail stores in Japan last year and plans to open outlets in...

MAN U APPOINTMENT.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Manchester United has appointed its first ad agency -- Cheetham Bell -- to create a global advertising campaign. The world's richest football club recently announced a 25% fall in annual profits to [pound]l6.8m, due to higher wages and the...

VODAFONE GOES GLOBAL...AND SO DOES ERICSSON.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Vodafone has appointed its first global ad agency -- McCann Erickson World Group -- and is looking for a global media agency. The appointment will not affect local ad agencies...

LOGISTIX WINS ST IVEL.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... St Ivel has appointed Logistix Kids Worldwide, the UK's leading kids' marketing consultancy, to work across its children's chilled pot desserts range. Logistix will offer advice on marketing strategy and new product development.

[pound]2M LAUNCH FOR STAR.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... BBC Worldwide's new celebrity title Star, targeting 14-16 year old girls, has been launched with a [pound]2m TV and radio ad campaign through Claydon Heeley Jones.

XBOX MAG FROM FUTURE.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... The official magazine for Microsoft's new games console Xbox will be published by The Future Network.

PLAYING WITH KINGSMILL.(Allied Bakeries Ltd. to create playground with Groundwork, an environmental charity)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Allied Bakeries has joined forces with environmental charity Groundwork to create a children's play area near its largest bakery in Carters Green. It is ploughing [pound]55,000 into the scheme under its Kingsmill banner.

Fisher-Price children's clothes to be sold in the US.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Mattel is launching a range of children's clothing in the US based on its toy brand FisherPrice. The range of 75 items, targeted at babies and pre-school children, includes shoes, babygrows, pyjamas, jumpers, jackets and overalls, and...

Fox Kids Europe signs deal for original online games content.(GAmegate.com and Kalisto Entertainment S.A.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Fox Kids Europe has signed a deal with Gamegate.com to cooperate in the creation of online games for children aged 6-12 years old. Under the terms of the agreement, Gamegate.com will produce 15 original and exclusive online games over the...

Encyclopedia for students accessible via the TV.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... The Hutchinson Educational Encyclopedia, the first encyclopedia to make its content directly relevant to the National Curriculum, is now available via television -- on ntl's interactive education service, the Knowledge Channel. Material...

Mattel and Hasbro battle it out in action figures war.(Mattel Inc. and Hasbro Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Mattel is taking on Hasbro's Action Man with a new action figure based on ITV's children's cartoon Max Steel. The world's largest toy company believes the super-human secret agent offers youngsters a more contemporary role model than his more...

K'NEX launches clever construction toys that learn from the Internet.(Hasbro Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Following the launch of an interactive version of Barney the Dinosaur that can be programmed by downloading software from the Internet, Hasbro has extended its K'NEX range with a similar proposition. Cyber K'NEX, which was unveiled at...

DDB WINS HASBRO ADS.(Burkitt DDB and Hasbro Inc. deal)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Hasbro has consolidated its pan-European creative account into the DDB network. Burkitt DDB adds Playskool, Play'dph, Spirograph and Get Set (previously handled by TBWA) to the list of Hasbro brands it already handles, which includes Action...

CELEBRITY BIG BROTHER.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Channel 4 is considering producing a celebrity version of Big Brother.

AMV WINS SCIENCE TASK.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Abbott Mead Vickers. BBDO has been awarded the [pound]1.5m 2001 Year of Science project. The project from the Central Office of Information aims to show kids that science can be fun and relevant to everyday life.

ECO-SCHEME IN SCHOOLS.(Tidy Britain Group and C21 launch Eco-Schools program)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Tidy Britain Group has joined forces with design and communications consultants C21 to launch Eco-Schools, a project aimed at promoting environmental awareness in schools.

NEW NAME IS NCH.(NCH Action for Children renamed)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... NCH Action for Children, the childcare charity, has shortened its name to NCH and introduced a new logo after research revealed low awareness. It is currently looking for corporate partners to help launch the rebranding exercise.

GAP FILLS AD DEFICIT.(Gap Inc. looking for ad agency)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... US fashion chain Gap, famed for creating its ad in-house, is looking to appoint an ad agency for the first time -- albeit temporarily. The announcement follows the departure of marketing chief Jim Nevins. It is thought the agency will provide...

WIMPY GETS FACELIFT.(Wimpy fast food chain refurbishment by Ignition Marketing Group)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... The UK's oldest fast food chain, Wimpy, is to be given a facelift with a new logo, new interiors for its 300 UK outlets, and new uniforms for staff. A new menu will include speciality teas and coffees. Created by Ignition Marketing, the new...

MOBILE FOR MAN U.(Vodafone Group PLC introduces manUmobile service for Manchester United football club)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Vodafone has launched a mobile portal for Manchester United called manUmobile. The service, which will be available via the Internet or WAP-enabled phones, offers news and information about the team.

EDUCATION PORTAL.(Starkids and Moonfish develop site)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Starkids, a new educational portal for UK parents, has appointed Moonfish to develop content and design for the site -- due to launch next spring. Starkids is a subsidiary of children's book and magazine publisher Egmont Holdings.

FOX KIDS ONLINE.(Fox Kids Europe develops site for Romania)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Fox Kids Europe has launched a web site in Romania. The site, which complements the existing Fox Kids' TV service in the country, is tailored to suit the requirements of Romanian users with a focus on education and entertainment. Fox Kids' UK...

GAMEPLAY TESTS 3G.(Gameplay.com)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Gameplay.com has signed a deal with BT's wholly-owned subsidiary, Manx Telecom, to provide wireless games content during the development of Manx' 3G mobile telecommunication network. The network, due for completion in May 2001, aims to be the...

LOVE HEARTS ONLINE.(Swizzels Matlow products online ordering available)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Swizzels Matlow has launched an e-commerce site for its Love Hearts, Parma Violets and Drumsticks brand. Six presentation packs come with a variety of messages. www.forgetflowers.com

BROADBAND CARTOONS.(Cartoon Network's interactive broadband site)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Cartoon Network has become the UK's first TV channel to launch a fully interactive broadband site. Designed in-house, the site includes streamed cartoons together with multimedia games and interactive cartoons where viewers choose what...

Shopping portal for toys.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... beeb.com, BBC Worldwide's commercial shopping portal, is launching a 'shopping for toys' web site on 1 November 2000. Toys at beeb.com is divided into sections for online shoppers looking for the most popular toys in five age categories,...

Kids surfing habits are growing up.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Latest results from MMXI Europe suggest that kids aged 2-14 are becoming more sophisticated in their use of the Internet and the sites they choose to visit. The latest figures for September 2000 show that 23% of users from this age...

Peter Rabbit goes multi-lingual with new web site.(developed by Kable New Media (UK) and Frederick Warne and Co.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... A multi-lingual version of the official Peter Rabbit web site has been developed by Kable New Media (UK) in association with Frederick Warne & Co, a division of Penguin Books, publisher of the famous Beatrix Potter stories. The site,...

Licensing show quadruples in size.(Brand Licensing London)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Second time around Brand Licensing London has the feel of a serious trade show Advanstar Communications, organiser of the New York International Licensing Show, certainly seems to have made its mark on Brand Licensing London since...

Toy show gets parental approval.(Total Fun exhibition improved by non-commercial policy)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... The fact toys weren't on sale at the latest consumer toy show helped its success Total Fun, billed as 'the all-day family playday', made its debut on 27 October at Earls Court 2 in London. The three-day event, organised by the British...

Robotic dogs and electronic dolls in top ten toy list for Christmas 2000.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Latest predictions for popular Christmas presents see interactive toys doing well The British Association of Toy Retailers (BATR) lent its support to Total Fun, announcing its top 10 toys for Christmas on the first day of the event....

Educating kids through chocolate.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Day and Comic Relief join forces to produce fairly-traded chocolate bar for children Comic Relief has long been an advocate of fair trade. It has been backing TWIN, a UK-based organisation that supports coffee and cocoa producers in...

Growth in kids using text messaging reveals potential of viral marketing.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Research shows children use their mobiles to exchange information with their friends The summer 2000 wave of Mediacom TMB's School Children's Attitude Monitor (SCAM) survey has revealed the continuing trend of increased Internet access...

US youth dream about being smart.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... American kids claim to be less materialistic yet they're still influenced by ads American children aged 8-17 continue to say that TV commercials and other types of advertising influence their purchasing decisions, according to the 2000...

Global food brands must recognise similarities in kids the world over.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Bryan Urbick thinks children across the globe are more similar than they are different International food and beverage companies have international brands -- or brands that cross regional and cultural borders. What is surprising, though,...

BILL & BEN IN COLOUR.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Bill & Ben will be returning to TV screens in 2001. The new 26 x 10-minute series will be developed using stop frame colour animation by Cosgrove Hall. BBC will be developing a licensing programme based on the new series for late next year.

NEW FEMALE PROPERTY.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Meiklejohn Graphics Licensing has announced a new design property aimed at the female market. Appealing to all ages, Wishoos will be launched with a range of merchandise to appear in-store around Valentine's Day 2001.

LICENSING IVOR.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Licensing by Design is developing a licensing program me for classic TV series, Ivor the Engine. The series is being repeated on Nickelodeon and Channel 4. Licensing by Design has signed Lightweight Designs to produce greetings cards, and is...

LICENCES GO INTERACTIVE.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... A number of new computer games using various character licences have recently launched. For teenagers, THQ has published a game based on TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer for Nintendo Gameboy Color. Also for Nintendo Gameboy, for the younger...

BEANO ONLINE.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... CPL says its new web site, www.beanotown.com, has had over 1,800,000 hits per month since it launched in July. CPL reports that whilst many these have been long-term fans, the web site has introduced new fans to Beano.

HERBAL PROPERTY.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... The Copyrights Group has been appointed to represent classic television programme, The Herbs. The company will be looking to develop an extensive licensing programme to go in-store late 2001. More information to follow.

The story of The Lampies.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Ken Kemp reports an a real live licensing case study One of the big new events in the life of my company Character Marketing Solutions is our recent appointment to manage the licensing programme for new children's cartoon series The...

Kids forsake most foods in favour of chips -- but luckily not forever.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Anna Scott doesn't believe fast food is robbing children of their cultural heritage Have you ever been press ganged into entering a McDonald's store? No, me neither, I've only ever visited at my own freewill. Nevertheless, the theory...

Brands need to keep their promises if they're to win the loyalty of US kids.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Michael Rovner draws on research from the US to examine how kids and adults differ In a world of fast-changing technology and ever expanding brand choices, marketers are increasingly turning their attention to young consumers. A...

Do kids have any loyally to branded IV slots?(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Channel 4 takes the view that its Sunday morning output is best promoted as a brand - T4 As television channels proliferate, can children's viewing be expected to follow the same sort of patterns as has been the case in the past....

VODAFONE GOES GLOBAL...AND SO DOES ERICSSON.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... ... meanwhile Ericsson has launched its first global ad campaign in 14 of its worldwide markets. The [pound]36m campaign was created by Publicis, appointed to the account last November.