Just exactly how important is the product name in an advertising and marketing campaign? It’s hard to tell, but based on one particular product it seems to be a significant influence on sales.
If you go to the Amazon “Toys and Games” category and check out the bestseller list, you will find that eight of the top ten slots are filled by Zhu Zhu Pets. These are basically motorized, robotic hamsters which use artificial intelligence combined with sensors to interact with each other, with the children who are playing with them and with their external stimuli.
In addition to the hamsters themselves, there is a range of different environments and toys which children can set up in a variety of arrangements for their electronic pets. It’s not hard to see why kids in the target age range - 4 to 10 years old- are going ape for these toys. They are cute, small and furry. They make endearing little noises. They interact with external stimuli and their hamster environments – tube, tracks and toys, can be taken apart, “redesigned” and then reconfigured in a variety of combinations.
From the point of view of the doting parents there are many plus points as well. They don’t need to be fed and watered, they don’t poop – so there’s no cage cleaning involved – and they don’t shuffle off to hamster heaven, leaving the parents to explain that Hammy has gone to a better place.
So it’s unsurprising that, despite being launched only at the back end of August, the Zhu Zhu Pets are a such big hit with both parents and children. They may even be this year’s top selling Xmas toy if sales keep going the way they are.
On the other hand, if you take a look at the UK version of Amazon and check out the bestseller list in the Toys and Games category, you won’t see the Zhu Zhu hamsters anywhere in the top hundred. Regardless, despite the fact that they are considerably cheaper to buy in the UK, the Zhu Zhu/Go Go pets don’t make a blip on the radar.
Cepia, the company who market the Zhu Zhu Pets in the USA, have done a great job of rebranding and promoting these toys. After a trial launch in Phoenix, these toys have been selling like hot cakes since their national release in August. Prices are starting to creep up as demand seems to be outstripping supply. In fact, as long as stock levels hold out, it really is hard to imagine what toy might displace these for the prized Xmas number one slot.
Tags: Children
