Consumer Voting for TOTY Awards Reaches Record Number

TOTY2017Consumer votes for the 2017 Toy of the Year Awards (TOTY) reached more than 85,000 votes, a new record surpassing the 51,000 votes cast by the public last year, according to the Toy Industry Association (TIA). Voting was open from Nov. 21, 2016 through Jan. 15, 2017.

The public was encouraged to vote across 14 categories at ToyAwards.org, and also offered a chance to win prize packages. The consumer vote is used to help determine the winners.

To help promote TOTY voting, online influencers, such as Paul & Shannon’s Toy Reviews and The Mommy and Gracie Show, created content that showcased TOTY nominees and encouraged fans to vote on the website. The influencer campaign garnered nearly 7 million online and social media impressions.

In addition, TIA trend specialists promoted the TOTY finalists in several televised holiday/post-holiday toy segments in cities nationwide, including San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. TIA also distributed a TOTY video package that garnered 6 million impressions in key markets such as San Diego, Tampa, and Atlanta.

Winners will be announced at the TOTY Awards ceremony on Feb. 17 at The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City. The winners in each category will be determined from weighted votes cast by consumers, retailers (mass and specialty), media, and TIA members. The “People’s Choice” award winner will be based solely on consumer votes, and the overall “Toy of the Year” award will be decided by retailers, consumers, media, and TIA members.

About the author

Maddie Michalik

Maddie Michalik

Maddie Michalik was the Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book from 2020-2022. She was also a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider.

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