Jen Derevensky | Source: Ren Beanie Public Relations / the Toy Book

Jen Derevensky, co-president at Ren Beanie Public Relations, talks about influencer marketing and social media in the Toy Book’s annual State of the Industry Q&A.

The Toy Book: How can toy companies best take advantage of influencer marketing

Jen Derevensky: Influencer marketing is one of the more popular strategies in the toy industry today. There are many advantages to working with influencers when done in the right way. By being highly focused and partnering with influencers whose niche aligns with your products, you can reach a relevant audience and increase the likelihood of conversion. Working with the right brand ambassadors that you can form long-lasting relationships with (rather than one-off campaigns) can also build credibility and trust for your brands over time.

Content featuring your products should be creative, be able to live organically within the influencer’s niche, and provide value to their followers so that they are more receptive to your message. One of the added benefits of successful content is the ability to use it across your own brand channels. Working out an agreement to co-create or repurpose content with your ambassadors can alleviate the challenge of continually trying to create fresh and engaging content for your own channels.

It also isn’t necessary to have a huge budget when working with influencers, which is another benefit. Especially when it comes to toys, there is a rich pool of micro-influencers to choose from with audiences that are more engaged and focused. We often recommend a strategy that relies heavily on earned content rounded out by a few paid partnerships. We’ve had many successful brand campaigns that relied solely on earned influencer content. 

Related: Ren Beanie PR Named Agency of Record for IT’SUGAR

TB: Some of the hottest toys in 2021 were based on toys going viral on social media. What other toy trends are you seeing for 2022? 

JD: One toy trend that continues to gain momentum is cause-related initiatives and products that give back. Several toy companies have successfully aligned their brands with philanthropic efforts, either as a percentage of proceeds supporting a charity or cause or as a sizable donation of toys to deserving children. One example I love is Just Play’s partnership for their WaterBabies dolls with the incredible nonprofit organization charity: water. Additionally, there has been an ongoing shift in prioritizing eco-friendly products and packaging, like Basic Fun!’s new I Care Bear. We hope that more toy companies will consider long-term sustainability as a necessary undertaking as they look to the future. We believe that will become a key purchase decision for many in the next generation of parents and toy shoppers.


This article was originally published in the February 2022 edition of the Toy Book. Click here to read the full issue!

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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