Mega Brands may be losing shelf space at Walmart in the US, but in Canada the brand is launching the largest marketing campaign in its history. The toy company is heading out with street teams across the country this summer to introduce the next generation of battling tops, Battle Strikers, pegged as the ultimate kid-controlled spinning top battling system. (The Strikers are revved up through the ‘launcher’ before being released, and a magnetized finger controller guides gameplay.)
Massive TV campaigns will run throughout the summer, and during the key back-to-school season and fall holiday period. Mega Brands is also launching a PR, viral and web banner campaign in conjunction with the Turbo Tour. Targeting national and local broadcast, print and online media, the PR campaign will pitch to community events reporters in respective tour cities to promote local stops and set up interviews with brand ambassadors. It is also part of the ambassadors’ mandate to try and garner as much press as they can.
An extensive web banner campaign will launch at the beginning of July on top kids’ sites, driving to the Battle Strikers microsite, creating awareness about the Turbo Tour and featuring the product line. A Battle Strikers page has already been set up on Facebook and other viral and social media tools to spread the word.
From July 1 to Aug. 20, five tour vans loaded with brand ambassadors will travel to key areas throughout the US and Canada to give kids a feel for the experience, targeting key hubs where the target demo – boys 6 to 12 – hang, like fairs, arcades, amusement parks and sporting events. In Canada, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Windsor street teams will hold tournaments to determine the ultimate champion in each location. Winners get a collectible Striker and poster, plus a unique web code that allows them to create their own customized winner’s page on Battlestrikers.com.
The ambassadors will also hand out promotional items and swag including stickers, tattoos, posters and web-coded dog tags that unlock a special striker on the Battle Strikers microsite (up by June 8).
The microsite also features an online community to immerse kids further in the brand. Tour venues and dates will be prominently featured along with customizable profile pages, and an interactive game featuring customization and collectibles.
‘The Turbo Tour campaign is incremental to our traditional marketing initiatives,’ Carine Sroujian, marketing manager at Montreal-based Mega Brands, tells MiC. ‘The added value that this experiential campaign delivers is that brand ambassadors will be able to talk to our target market one-on-one about Battle Strikers, and immerse them in the brand experience. It is more than passing out samples from a decorated stand; it is about engaging consumers and enhancing brand equity in a way that no other medium can.’
