Scott Goldberg, Managing Director and Executive Vice President at Carve Communications, discusses the big strategies in marketing for this year and how even older products can become hot again in this extended edition of The Toy Book’s 2023 State of the Industry Q&A roundtable. Want more insight from the all-stars of the toy industry? Click here to explore this year’s lineup!
The Toy Book: What will be some of the top marketing strategies to watch in 2023?
Scott Goldberg: The toy industry is no stranger to influencer marketing, and while things really picked up steam in 2022, this year will be no different as the creator space continues to grow every single day with new personalities, faces, and voices to know. These trends are fueled by social platforms rolling out new features that further support branded partnerships and results-driven campaigns, making the consumer experience more enjoyable, and at the same time, more cost-effective for companies.
In 2023, we will see brands experimenting even more with their branded strategies in the form of partnering with various creators outside their usual realm, or using cross-platform approaches (also known as omnichannel) to showcase their products in the most authentic way possible. People know they are being marketed to — it’s now about creating and identifying the most impactful content for brands to use that truly resonates with audiences.
At the same time — and I mentioned this last year — experiential is coming back. The value of a consumer touching, feeling, and experiencing a product in person is significantly more meaningful and valuable than a commercial on TV, a banner ad on the computer/laptop/mobile, or even a video on Instagram or TikTok.
Additionally, I expect to see affiliate marketing continue to grow and evolve the way we do media relations. As more publishers seek the commission kickback from affiliate links, we’re likely to see more of a merging among the e-commerce/sales and editorial teams within different media outlets, which will continue to impact the way publicists interact with reporters, who from the outlet they interact with, and how we structure our pitches.
TB: What were some big wins for Carve in 2022?
SG: When our clients win, we win.
One of our biggest accomplishments this past year was partnering with Learning Resources on a dedicated Corporate Social Responsibility program during the most critical time of year for toy sales, Q4 Holiday. The Learning Resources’ Buy-One-Give-One campaign not only resulted in millions of media and TV impressions with coverage on Buzzfeed, here in The Toy Book, and [with other outlets], but it also became part of a larger integrated program that was fully baked with every ingredient needed to launch a successful campaign: a charitable cause, organic media placements, TV spokesperson interviews lined up in top markets nationwide, strategic digital marketing efforts, and truly engaging influencer content.
2022 was the year of “TikTok made me buy it,” and Educational Insights definitely developed a program to capitalize on the trend. More specifically, Educational Insights’ Kanoodle game went viral on TikTok over the summer and continued to be a fan favorite and huge seller for the remainder of the year. It taught us that products do not always need to be new to be exciting, they just need to be positioned in such a way that is uniquely different from anything else out there on the market.
We also launched a brand new line of e-Bikes for kids. Through a combination of marketing efforts from ad-words and SEO to two national TV segments within one week of one another, Droyd has positioned itself as true innovators in the motorized rideables category. As they say, better late than never, we launched the line in October and are proud to report days before Christmas, the products were sold out!
TB: How has marketing for educational and tech-based toys evolved over the past few years?
SG: Over the last few years, the industry has evolved and there are so many more marketing channels and paths we can take these days to reach both kids and their parents. While 10 years ago it was mommy bloggers, we’ve seen these direct-to-consumer communication methods evolve to YouTubers, Instagram influencers, and now, TikTok content creators and Amazon Live Hauls. Tack on shopping methods through the latter channels that take the social content beyond a cute piece of content to actually being able to drive an instant purchase on a platform like TikTok. In today’s world where generations are becoming keener and keener to instantaneous gratification, this creates a huge opportunity for us in the marketing field.
For educational and tech-based toys specifically, one thing that’s remained true and continued to become more important, in the line of my comment above, is that it’s really the only category to keep older kids interested in play rather than tuned into video games and digital app games. This extends the audience for these toy companies and creates additional opportunities to grow product lines and drive the sales pipeline.
TB: How has the influencer marketing space changed in the past year, and what should toymakers be aware of?
SG: Customers are looking for transparency and social responsibility, especially from influencers and creators. The space has moved on from using vague hashtags and superficially impressive numbers, to instead prioritizing authentic-looking content and partnerships. That being said, toymakers should become increasingly aware of what customers are saying on social media and use that feedback to their advantage. Let creativity be as creators are leading the way for every trend seen online today, and partnering with new faces can offer brands deeper insight into what their target audiences enjoy watching and doing.
The overall influencer marketing landscape has definitely shifted in terms of marketers’ focus. While the initial wave of influencer relations focused on creators with massive follower counts who could draw more eyeballs, we’ve seen this focus shift to an end-goal of finding partners who can drive real results, especially over the last year. So rather than macro-influencers only, many brands now prioritize micro-influencers and those with smaller followings who have demonstrated strong engagement on their content.
Beyond this, brands are also now establishing longer-term partnerships with the influencers who perform most strongly for them. It’s less about finding the dream partner for a one-off product push and more about finding those who represent the larger brand across the board and have proven that their content reaches the target audience and resonates.
As previously mentioned, taking a 360-degree, omnichannel approach is the way of the future — toymakers will need to maintain a test-and-learn mentality to discover what really works and pivot accordingly.
TB: How does Toy Fair moving from February to September impact your business, and what’s your take on the trade show shift?
SG: Carve Communications has been able to adapt and be successful in years past when it comes to engaging the right media and influencers at the right time.
While from a sentimental perspective, February Toy Fair will always be in our hearts, no one here is going to miss the weather of New York City in February. That said, while there is a required shift in timelines as it relates to prototype needs versus mass-produced readily available products, what is never going to change is the need for toys around the world. Nothing can replace in-person events and trade shows as that is truly where long-lasting relationships are built. As Carve has grown and opened an NYC-based office in 2022, we have upped our game and the frequency in which we meet with media in person, and Toy Fair in September will be one more opportunity to do just that.
TB: What are your overall predictions for the state of the toy industry and its trends this year?
SG: While TikTok will continue to grow exponentially in the next few months in terms of creator accounts and how we get to interact on the app, we are predicting viral toy trends popping up where adults get to join in on the fun, too! Kanoodle leads the “Eldertainment” trend with its brain-boosting puzzles. We also expect to see a rise in technology toys involving artificial intelligence.
A version of this Q&A was originally published in the 2023 edition of The BIG Toy Book. Click here to read the full issue! Want to receive The Toy Book in print? Click here for subscription options!
