Feedback on what you like/don't like - I need to know WHY!!
Langley - i'm correcting and updating this as I can as it happens. I cant pm you again. This is going to be bit of a mess as a type and post on the fly. Bear with me!
Hasbro is hoping to hit the mark with its next high-profile launch — a new brand of Nerf toys aimed specifically at girls.
The line, is called Nerf Rebelle, will feature projectiles that have the same power as the top items in the brand’s Nerf Elite line — but come wrapped in a prettier package and designed to encourage the collaborative play Hasbro has found girls prefer.
Princesses can own the first Rebelle product — called the Heartbreaker bow — this fall.
Rebelle immediately brings to mind Lego Friends, a new line of female-driven products that helped to increase Lego's profits by 36% last year — even as critics accused the toy company of promoting gender stereotypes. May I remind them to look at the male toy oven set?
I asked John Frascotti, Global Chief Marketing Officer of Hasbro if the aim is to increase outreach to females in the popular Nerf range aimed predominantly at boys, he told me
"Hasbro isn’t worried that Rebelle pigeonholes girls or reinforces the ideology of separate spheres."
What girls wanted, he says was Nerf toys that boast both high performance and a design made especially for them.
“Just to be clear, we could have taken some of our Nerf blasters and just made them pink and put them in pink packages — but that’s not what we did,”
Frascotti explained. Trying to encourage girls to buy existing Nerf toys or easing up the gendered overtones of those products was never really on the table:
“This is an entirely ground-up effort.”
Thanks to all that research, Rebelle differs from other Nerf lines in several key ways. The Heartbreaker bow comes with collectable darts bearing different colors and designs; there’s a Rebelle app that allows girls to play collaboratively and encourages teamwork; the bow’s size and ergonomics have been tweaked so that girls as young as 6 can activate it easily.
The product’s main philosophy, though, is in line with that of the Nerf toys that came before it.
“Nothing is really addressing this big opportunity for girls to be active and play,”
Frascotti said.
“Parents are concerned about the amount of time kids are spending in sedentary activities, in front of a screen of some sort.”
By contrast you can see how Rebelle promotes exercise and socialization in a way that will hopefully appeal to girls who have no interest in sports as well as budding athletes.
But what about that name, “Heartbreaker” — which seems to inject an element of romance that wouldn’t be there if the bow were designed for boys, or even made to be gender neutral?
“I think sometimes maybe adults are more concerned with these things than girls are,” Frascotti said. “I think the girls we tested it with just thought it was a cool name and they loved playing the role of a power princess standing shoulder to shoulder with a white knight.”
Fans actively helping create next gen - thank you all bloggers for spreading the word of brand love
Franchises will be empowered to create RESPECTABLE and QUALITY fans expect from Hasbro blasters. Franchises will do Nerf accessories and handle demand with Hasbro guidance and support.
Parts brokerage. Specific stock. scope, etc you don't have to buy a whole blaster for just that stock
Franchises help reducing operation cost - note 10% work force cut at Hasbro
Asia > EU > US. Asia is a massive emerging market, more spending power as time goes on. This is something that will be pushed in a big way. Sounded like Asia MAY have monopoly of hot products and future exclusives (they make more babies, more kids, growing GDP - they want Nerf more!).
US market is slowing - in negative growth: sales -0.3%. Electronics are not an excuse (Tablets, etc)
There will be a Renewal drive, regen love for Nerf in US. Dart Tag in hands of fans/TRU. (Note: Nerf has a very special place for Hasbro in the US, and they have plans to revamp this, and do a resurge of marketing/exclusives).
Source of updates
Exclusive New York Toy Fair pics of new blasters, and finally my NDA eases up a bit:
Some good friends are giving us the heads up from New York Toy Fair 2013, so stay tuned for some hot pics!
Hit fresh as I get the pics and prepare to hit you with some info on the blasters themselves from my own hands on experience!
"Nerf N-Strike Mega Blazin' Bow
Who’s ready for MEGA NERF action? Send MEGA sized foam arrows soaring across the sky with the NERF N-STRIKE MEGA BLAZIN’ BOW toy. The BLAZIN’ BOW toy features an authentic compound bow design that you simply pull back, aim, and release to fire the MEGA foam arrows. The MEGA BLAZIN’ BOW toy can hit targets from up to an impressive 40 feet away, and comes complete with integrated storage for additional foam MEGA arrows. Includes three MEGA foam arrows. Available at most major toy retailers nationwide and HasbroToyShop.com. Price will be around £19.99gbp"
"Nerf Vortex Revonix360 Blaster
Amp up freestyle foam blasting performance with the NERF VORTEX REVONIX360 blaster which achieves the farthest VORTEX distance yet, up to 70 feet! This disc blaster features new, awesome deco and has a revolving drum that rotates each time you fire the blaster. Plus, the SLAM FIRE Handle gives you total control over your rate of fire – blast a single shot or hold the trigger down and slide the handle repeatedly to unleash an unstoppable stream of discs. Includes 30 multi-colour XLR discs. Available at most major toy retailers nationwide and HasbroToyShop.com. Price will be around £39.99gbp. This new sub-category blaster fires TWO discs at once"
It would appear that many of the blasters I played with are missing from the New York Toy Fair - i'm hoping contacts there can do a thorough job of checking Nerf stand out.
The Nerf N-Strike Mega Blazin' Bow is really a work of genius. It's so light-weight and balanced that accuracy is king even when running. You are able to time dead-on shots and a perfect addition to any Nerfers loadout - even for HvsZ players. There is so much room for potential modding.
Source of updates
Edited by MyLastDart, 10 February 2013 - 08:06 AM.
