Mattel subsidiary Fisher-Price has launched an integrated marketing program to reach Latino parents of preschoolers in Houston, Los Angeles and Chicago. The campaign features TV and radio that leverages Fisher-Price’s “Play. Laugh. Grow” tagline as well as various strategic print partnerships.
“Our research tells us that while Latino families quickly acclimate to life in the U.S., they have a strong desire to retain their language and preserve their heritage,” said Chuck Scothon, senior VP-marketing and brand development at Fisher-Price, in a statement. “As a result, our marketing strategies need to be attuned to connecting with their culture and society.”
Two TV and one radio spot will each be broadcast in the three markets, featuring the company’s Peek-A-Blocks toys and Little People play sets. Each ad strikes an emotional chord with mothers by depicting the developmental benefits of Fisher-Price toys, while underscoring the close bond Latina mothers have with their children. The company’s tagline has been translated into Spanish and the same music used in general-market advertising has been re-arranged with a Latin flair by award-winning composer Gustavo Farias.
The brand will also reach over one million parents through targeted doctors’ offices via Accent Health in Español, an Hispanic TV network produced by CNN. The network will air the Hispanic TV campaign several times per day in December and January.
Fisher-Price is also the sole sponsor of American Baby Group’s new Spanish-language publication Jugando a Crecer (Playing to Grow), which is being distributed this fall to over one million parents of newborns and infants through OB/GYN offices and hospital birthing units with high Hispanic birth rates. Fisher-Price also distributes the publication at Hispanic festivals where the company sponsors its play area.
The campaign also includes a grassroots festival program that launched this summer in Chicago and heads to Los Angeles next month. A 60′ x 60′ area features five different play stations for children from six months to six years Enclosed by larger-than-life photography of Latino children and moms playing with Fisher-Price toys, the space also features a special photo area, co-sponsored by Polaroid.
For the first time in its history, Fisher-Price will buy neighborhood billboard space with captivating, lifestyle imagery of moms and little ones playing together, with the headline message: “Juega con Ellos. Rie con Ellos. Crece con ellos.” or “Play with Them. Laugh with Them. Grow with Them.”
A Web campaign has been launched through a partnership with Telemundo and Univision. TodoBebe.com from Telemundo and TuBebe.com from Univision will carry banner ads, play tips and a sweepstakes to win free toys, in order to drive consumers to the Spanish-language version of Fisher-Price.com. Consumers will be able to download a free copy of Jugando a Crecer, share parenting advice and find the destinations in which the Fisher-Price play area will be located.
Fisher-Price will continue the campaign throughout 2005, with additional enhancements. Market Vision, San Antonio, handles.
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