Parents have no qualms about watching the show with their children because of it wholesome appeal and the best licensed products also capture the essence of the show.

On that, MV Sports has great experience with licensed ranges. What makes Peppa a good fit for your category?
The demographic for PEPPA PIG fits perfectly with the core pre-school wheeled toy user and purchaser… For example, a first trike, bike or scooter bought by a parent for their pre-schooler. The show has a very outdoorsy feel with muddy puddles and such. Ride on products feature a lot in the TV series and makes little ones curious about the fun and enjoyment involved with learning to scoot, skate or cycle.

“The distinctive 2D style graphics are perfectly suited for large areas such as plaques, footplates and chainguards.”

In terms of your design-thinking, what makes Peppa an exciting IP to create product for?
It’s great to work on because of the distinctive 2D style graphics which are perfectly suited for large areas such as plaques, footplates and chainguards. We always try to encapsulate some of the humour and personality of the characters. For us, it’s the signature pink and blue ‘splat’ logo has become iconic which are instantly recognisable.

Let’s dive into the range. Can you talk us through a few stand-out products?
This year we are launching a PEPPA PIG Squishle; a scooter with a soft squishable storage pouch mounted on the handlebar. It’s great for stashing those little trinkets and stuff that kids collect outside or want to take with them such as hair bobbles and sweets. The pouches are washable and have a waterproof lining which helps when they get left outside in the rain.

Another highlight is our new PEPPA PIG Bumpercar. It evokes all the fun of the fair, where kids can ride and spin to their hearts content.

Great picks. And your My First Lights and Sounds Ride On injects a great deal of storytelling into a ride-on in quite a novel way – with the rotating characters. How do you approach innovating in a sector like this, where things like scooters and ride-ons have certain ‘must haves’ design-wise?
We try to capture the essence of the character on the product where possible. Apart from the products just mentioned, we add little extras such as lights in the wheels or baskets on the bikes to add value. We also have a ride on car which is a replica of the iconic Pig family car from the TV series!

Sold! Phil, I have one last question. What fuels the creativity of your design team? What helps them have ideas?
Sometimes the characters lead the design process, and other times it’s driven by the category’s latest trends or technology.

Great. Thanks again Phil.

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You have been heavily involved in the licensing market for many years. What are some of the key changes to hit the licensing space since you’ve been a part of it?
There’s been many changes. Firstly, the proliferation of new and available properties – only very few of which succeed. Secondly, the way consumers ­– kids in particular – are viewing content. It’s no longer a case of just sitting in front of the TV. Thirdly, the consolidation of licensors into fewer major powerhouses.

You focus on wheeled toys. What are the main design challenges and opportunities in your category when using licensed brands?
We are focusing more and more on the outdoor market in general – not just wheels – and yes, there are challenges when it comes to design and incorporating a brand’s DNA. Over the years we have focused on added value propositions such as on-board toys, plush, figurines, electronics, lights and so on. We endeavour to be the innovators in the category.

In the current difficult economic climate, it’s often a challenge to convince customers that parents and kids still buy into additional bespoke features – as opposed to cheapest. That said, time and time again we have proved that by capturing the essence of a property, consumers do buy into ‘the magic’.

More recently we have been pursuing a segmentation strategy whereby we develop different propositions for different retail channels. However, I would say that overall, our level of design and decoration is above and beyond, even on our entry level product.

When judging a new brand, do you have set criteria for assessing it? What makes a good licence for you?
Our category isn’t necessarily a ‘wave one’ licensing opportunity, which sometimes gives us some breathing space to monitor its progress. Many of our buyers are closely connected to master toy so very quickly we can get a sense of perspective and whether a license is working or building.

Beyond that, we look at the consumer demographic and whether it’s appropriate to our core category. We have to be quite selective because not all customers will support all our licenses and online selections have become more restrictive in recent years. Notwithstanding the aforementioned criteria, we also need to see medium to long term potential via retail engagement, content growth and cross category licensee support.

Given the increased popularity in cycling, has your sector benefitted from this?
Absolutely! I always find it fascinating that wheeled products are lumped in with the seasonal Spring/Summer buying cycle and as such some customers back away from AW shelf space. Our sales are most definitely a year-round proposition with not one, but two spikes – one in summer and one at Christmas.

Furthermore, our pack sizes are deceptively small… Most people think that scooters and bikes live in massive boxes but they are, in fact, much smaller that some toy playsets. And if a license lands, then the volume and sales velocity can be higher than most other licensed categories.

What have been some of the recent product innovations in your category in recent times?
There are too many to mention here but we have included on-board blasters and darts onto all our Nerf products, sequinned stems and glitter footplates for Barbie and a triple award-winning web slinging battery operated ride on for Spider-Man.

Great stuff! Now, what makes a good licensing style guide do you think?
One that isn’t totally apparel and soft lines focused! We need a style guide with good content, based on the longer-term core property rather than seasonal trends.

Before we let you go, thinking over your career, can you highlight the top three products you have developed?
That’s a good question! There have been many highlights over the years but three spring to mind…

I remember my boss at Waddingtons – since sold to Hasbro – coming in one afternoon saying that there was a hot new license called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He needed a board game on his desk the following day! The PD department produced the goods and both the game, and the license sold like the clappers.

During my time at Mattel, we had a successful action toy range called Street Sharks and I helped the agency with the licensing programme, presenting to all my licensee peers at Planet Hollywood. Terrifying!

More recently at MV we won the Licensing Award for Best Toy Range for our innovative Ben 10 line, which was a fantastic experience given the competition in toys.

Great picks! Thanks again Phil.

The post “By capturing the essence of a brand, consumers do buy into the magic”: MV Sports MD Phil Ratcliffe on design, innovation and industry evolutions appeared first on Brands Untapped.