Artistic Toy - Webinars

Q1: Do you have a "canned" format to present - question asking - to build a program for a specific customer?

A1: Currently, we do not have a canned presentation; however, we are making templates and can work with you to prepare a presentation for a customer.

Q2. How do I overcome the "childlike" perception of plush toys?

A2: Informing your customer about the power of Character Marketing and the dominating impact of Plush Toy Characters over all other lines of promotional products should help them overcome the “childlike” perception. See below to name a few:

Have applications in Every Kind of Company

Create a relationship with their Customer

Can demonstrate traits that distinguish your brand

Increase your recall rate with customers

Q3. Should we develop a character/plush toy for self promo?

A3: Yes. I think working with Artistic Toy to determine what toys or characters could be used quickly and easily for business develop applications would provide for your own success stories as well as give you experience with our products and services.

Q4. Was the "character" developed first or was it introduced first as a stuffed toy?

A4: Was there a chicken before there was an egg? I think there are situations where the character was developed first and then the stuffed toy followed and I think there were situations were the stuffed toy was used and then developed into a brand character.

Q5. What industries would be a good niche market for character toys?

A5: Plush toy characters have applications in every kind of Company, but if you wanted to find a niche, I would look for companies that have over $10 million in annual revenue but no one has really heard about them. These Companies have a good business model and are looking for creative platforms to increase growth and brand recognition.

Q6. Do you feel it is imperative that we as distributors develop our own mascot for our own companies?

A6. Utilizing a plush toy character into your marketing plan would provide you many benefits, but without understanding your business model or objectives, I can’t recommend its necessity. The plush character is only as important as the defined objectives it was designed to accomplish.

Q7. How do you create programs with product flexibility?

A7. Creating a character toy program with flexibility is very possible. Once a main character is established, you can add or remove accessories (imprinted t-shirt, hat, baseball, football, glasses, etc.) to fit into the time of year or market you are targeting.

Q8. I have a client looking for a mascot where do I start?

A8: Call Me Today!!! There are several things to consider and evaluate in terms of where your customer is in their purchasing decision as well as reviewing the standard production requirements. With a 5 minute phone call to Artistic Toy (484-788-0888) we should be able to get you started with some of the right questions to ask your customer.

Q9. Do you have statistics regarding the facts/ideas on this page (M&M Page)?

A9: You can find more information/statistics on the use of characters from Mascot Makeover: How the Pillsbury Doughboy Explains Consumer Behavior by Carlye Adler – Fortune Small Business – October 2005 and interviews with Tom Wilson, Founder and President of Character Matters.

The slide captures some main points from these two articles in 5 summary points.

What Can Toy Characters Bring to Your Marketing Program?

Characters can be used in EVERY kind of Company

Characters DISTINGISH New Brands

Characters INVIGORATE Old Brands

Characters CONNECT with their Market

Characters have a High RECALL Rate

Q10. I am working with a cancer center. How would you incorporate a character into their HOPE program?

A10. There are many types of cancers and each one has its own foundation. Developing a HOPE Character or Bear for an awareness campaign or fundraiser would be a great way to incorporate a plush toy character.

Q11. I have a chiropractor who is exhibiting at 3 tradeshows in May & June. Do you have a toy character you could recommend?

A11: Yes. How about a Lobster Back? You could propose developing a fun Chiropractor Lobster Character. A Lobster back is slang for arrogant British People who feel they are better than others and everyone knows that Lobsters are invertebrates. So now your Chiropractor can give away our 6” red lobsters with imprinted bandanas telling the story about their lobster friend’s great health. The character association is a lobster that can’t stop boasting about how much better his Life is because he’s never had back troubles.

Q12. With this case study I have found that state run agencies bid out their projects...how do we prevent this from happening?

A12: You are referring to the Case Study for the State of California. Through partnership with the distributor, a letter was provided to the State explaining the copyright for the items they purchased was owned by the Distributor and Artistic Toy and therefore could not be sourced through other suppliers or distributors without our written agreement.

Q13. How many people were at the tradeshow -- 132 given away, but how many people were there?

A13: The Interactive Toy was given away at the American Solutions for Business Winter Conference. The conference attendance was roughly 430 employees. The show was 6 hours long and only 1 person was working the booth. Average time spent with any one visitor was less than 3 minutes. At times there was a line of people 6 deep to register their toy.

Q14. What Plush Toy could be used as a dangler on a wine bottle in the wine store - have you ever done a product suitable to promote wine brands?

A 14: We have produced plush toy bottle toppers. Please search “bottle topper” on our website to see images.

Q15. What is your minimum on custom designs?

A15: The general rule of thumb is 1,000 pc minimum for 8” size toy. However, based on the complexity and size of the toy, the minimum could be higher or lower.

Q16. What is the lead time for toy development?

A16: The development of one of kind prototype begins with the submission of a purchase order and photos/illustrations of your character. It takes our U.S. designer roughly 24 hours to complete the design and send you images.

Q17. These are all large orders...what about the small retailers, auto dealerships, and high schools?

A17: The majority of the case studies are large to illustrate the potential for $50,000 applications. All of the applications work on a smaller scale; however, you would want to start with a less customized character and work with a toy from our stock inventory and imprint the message.

Q18. How do you determine what toy identifies with the particular business you might be trying to develop?

A18: I call this “going deeper”. Go deeper into the brand, the product, the event, the location, the natural association, and the opposite associations to find a connection that is fun, makes sense, or is easy to remember. Once these associations are on the surface and you have experience with our product range and custom possibilities it is easy to recommend a stuffed plush toy solution.

Q19. If we give you a customer logo, are you able to "plan" a possible "toy" solution?

A19: Yes. We can use a logo and the name of the character to search our database for other similar toys we have done in the past to give you pictures of possible solutions to present your customer. You can search for these solutions directly from our website as well. We also have the ability to make a custom prototype from your logo.

Q20. What is the answer to "is this toy safe for my child"?

A20: All plush stuffed toys are designed and manufactured to be safe for children of ALL ages. Independent testing can be ordered to assure compliance. The testing is not required or standard procedure because testing adds additional cost for customer and also adds 2 to 4 weeks for delivery of finished products.

Q21. So, I take it you find the customer's 'pain' and attach an Application(s) to it..?

A21: Yes. In order to provide a solution to a customer you must first identify there pain. If they have a pain, they have a need. The pains identified in the webinar can be mapped to solutions that involve stuffed plush toy characters through the applications that will deliver solutions for your customer’s pain. Without qualifying the intensity of your customer’s pain or identifying the overall business objective of the customer, it will be difficult to get customer’s agreement to your stuffed plush toy character marketing solution.

Q22. We do programs but do not have a clue how to start one of these?

A22: Since you sell programs you most likely sit down with your customer at least annually to evaluate the success of the program. They may tell you what’s working, what’s not working, what they are looking to do next year. At that point, you can be ready to present them some new ideas and the benefits of Character Marketing and some suggestions.

Q22. What is the lead time for a custom toy?

A22: Typical lead time is 90 days from final approval of China Pre-production sample. This may be longer or shorter depending on time of year, complexity of product, and quantity of order.

Q23. Have you done RSL testing on your plush products?

A23: The Rising Step Load (RSL™) is not a recognized testing for plush toy products because the amount of plastic parts used in construction is limited and the nature of product use is not the same as sporting goods equipment. The testing for plush toys include:

1. Mechanical Safety Testing

1.1 Bite: 16 CFR 1500.52

1.2 Impact: 16 CFR 1500.51 / ASTM F963-07, Sec. 8.7

1.3 Torque/Tension: 16 CFR 1500.53 / ASTM F963-07, Sec. 8.8 and 8.9

1.4 Small Parts: 16 CFR 1501 / ASTM F963-07 Sec. 4.6

1.5 Sharp Points: 16 CFR 1500.48 / ASTM F963-07, Sec. 4.9

1.6 Sharp Edges: 16 CFR 1500.49 / ASTM F963-07, Sec. 4.7

Seam Strength: ASTM F963-07, Sec. 8.9.1

Labeling Specification for Plush Toys

Flammability Evaluation: 16 CFR 1500.44 / ASTM F963-07

AOAC Stuffing Contamination: Chapter 16, 945.75 of AOAC, 15th Edition

Q24: I would like some alternative ideas to customize toys in a less expensive way... Usually, the prices are little more expensive than other promotional items. Also, by the time you add the decoration it makes it hard to sell.

A24: There is no easy way to reduce the cost for customization of the toy. It is important to emphasize the value of the toy to the customer and the return on objective the toy will accomplish that other products will not. If the customer believes the toy will help them accomplish a specific objective, they will pay the more than other products that cannot do the same.

Q25: Do you manufacture in the US as well as overseas?

A25: 99% of our manufacturing is done overseas. We make one of a kind prototypes for mass production in the United States. On occasion, customers have asked us to make them several US toys for immediate use, but these toys can be very costly.

Q26: Aside from retail, which markets have traditionally ordered larger quantities of plush?

A26: This is a difficult question to answer. We see orders spread very evenly across many industries. Three top industries that we see a lot of frequency out of are Casinos, Healthcare Organizations, and Pharmaceutical Companies.

Q27: How can I package your product with direct mailing campaigns?

A27: We are developing something called Business in Box and our Character Program that will facilitate the use of our products into direct mail campaigns and improve immediate response rates. Please email us if you would like more information on this when it becomes available.

Q28: How do you overcome the idea that the people receiving the plush will just remove the t-shirt or other imprinted item?

A28: You cannot control what the recipient of the toy will do with the toy or any promotional product once it is in their hands. We can stitch in an additional tag into the toy with your contact information on it, however, they can still cut the tag off. You will find most people enjoy the product with the imprinted logo and do nothing to change its original presentation.

Q29: In today’s economy, customers are looking for items that are useful and can be used over and over again. Also, fun items which I know this can be. How do we explain the value of a stuffed animal to them? Or is it just a fun item?

A29: We have a line of products that we call useful items. They include things like Pillows, Door Stoppers, Bottle Toppers, Golfhead Covers, Seat Belt Covers, Stethoscope Holders, Key Chains, Cell Phone Holders, Screen Cleaners, and hanging ornaments. The value of the stuff plush toy products reside in the defined objective the customer wants the promotion and products to accomplish. If you can help the customer make the connection between the stuffed toy character and the specific applications that will help them achieve the expected results, then the toy becomes more than a fun item.

Q30: When do I use a Stock Toy versus a Custom Toy Character?

A30: Custom Toys are best used when your customer has the budget and the time. Stock toys are best used when a customer needs something quickly, or they don’t want to spend a lot of money or the resources to manage inventory.

Q31: What is your quality control process?

A31: Safety and Quality Control are very important to us, especially in light of all the toy recalls from China last year. We have a team of independent inspectors on the ground in China carefully explaining the details of our orders while your order is on the production line, as well as, independently inspect them when they come off the production line. In the US, we have something called “Inspected By Helen”. Helen has been with the Company for 15 years and she has quality standards for each team member to make sure that every bear is perfect before going out the door. You may have heard of Inspector 23, well we have Helen.