Jazwares’ musical brand, First Act, is ready to rock this new year with new products, a new anthem, and new content!
For the past 20 years, First Act has gone through many transformations, but with the recent transition to remote learning for most kids, it seemed time for another — This time with an anthem to sing along to.
The anthem draws from First Act’s mantra — “Play it, Discover it, Be it” — and shows kids rocking out with fully functional First Act instruments. For the video, First Act partnered with Movers and Shakers, a creative agency that connected the brand with young talent who demonstrate the fun and flexibility of the instruments.
The video shows kids of various ages playing with the instruments, which First Act’s head of marketing, Kelly Deen, says demonstrates a key aspect of the brand: Offering instruments for every stage of development. This ranges from toddlers who are just learning they can create their own music to pre-professional young musicians who need a fully tunable guitar to foster their skills.
“We have these offerings for these instruments that have varying levels of professionalism and affordability, so that parents can feel fine about getting their child an inexpensive ukelele to play around with,” Deen says. “And hey, if it takes off, then we’ve got some amazing, entry-level acoustic guitars that are very pre-professional and are fully tunable and just what every other musician would use.”
Also, Deen notes, First Act instruments are an accessible way to incorporate music education back into kids’ routines, even when learning remotely. Kids may be missing a music class that First Act can supplement with their instruments. The instruments also offer benefits for kids who are spending more and more time indoors.
“For parents, it’s something away from the screen. It’s allowing [kids] to do something that has a motor skill, that inspires creativity, and is founded in learning — learning to play music, learning to read music.”
First Act plans to continue this push for content and products that foster at-home learning into the new year. This involves updating the First Act website and incorporating more and more tutorials into the brand. “Tutorials are more important now than ever, so we feel that if we’re selling instruments that we have a responsibility also to create content that makes it easier for kids to learn,” Deen says.
First Act also plans to partner with the teacher-parent communication company, ClassTag, which provides products — in this case, instruments — to teachers to aid remote learning initiatives.
Kids and parents alike can look forward to new First Act products set to launch this year, including branded instruments featuring Blippi, America’s Got Talent, and Little Tikes. Deen says it is also First Act’s mission to stay current with music trends.
“Everybody loves ukuleles and guitars, but we want to also be creating instruments and looking for inspiration from what kids go through today to inspire additional products and things we could be doing to bring music into their lives,” she says. This involves creating more diverse instruments that venture into different genres, such as a beatbox for mixing.
When thinking about the brand’s new marketing approach, Deen emphasizes how First Act goes deeper, saying, “These aren’t just ads. They’re not just campaigns. We really hope that we are working to help inspire kids to discover music and we want to be there to provide the right educational tools and instruments that make music accessible to every kid. There’s an instrument for everyone.”
