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Advertising/PR   URGENT - Need Help Fast!  
 
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Lean Sales & Marketing
Posted By: gstromberg* on 6/10/2005 1:36 AM (CST) 500 Points
How can I help my son who has been furloghed from the airlines market a toy product called Toobee "the Amazing Flying Can" www.toobee.com with almost no investment?

What would be the most effective and effecient tools and way for him to do this?

Posted by: thinkmor Accepted Answer
6/10/2005 7:57 AM (CST)
Hi Gstromberg

Just checked out the website.

There is nothing on the site apart from the picture and some sales text.

What research did you do on the viability on this product?

Yes, it may look interesting but where is the info about why this product was developed (is this original? patent?), brand story, differentiators etc What else can you do with Toobee other than throw it?

Why it is better than a frisbee and any other flying toy? Price point?

Have you thought about licensing or co-branding/packaging with another toy?

I assume you have exhausted the toy retailers/retailer and negotiations for distributing through a chain store? Distribution is the key to your success.

You may get sales from a novelty factor (and they won't last for long if it does succeed with pirates closely following trends behind) but what do you have in terms of product development? Are there any other designs for this Toobee for different segments of your target audience?

Have you offered any Free trials with segments of your target audience to get first hand feedback from customers?

In conjunction with trialling your product, you need a 'BIG" idea to promote to your target audience and we've already touched upon the importance of distribution.

Why not get listed on Blog portals and offer a free trial locally, regionally. With this type of product you have to get people using it to convert them. Telling people how good this product is will not convince people - ref. Post-it trials before they took off. Products like these normally take off virally but need consistent marketing support e.g. rubber word bracelets

Where are you currently selling this product? Have you got any customers you can use as referrals/bloggers to use on your site and a blog site for Toobee?

You need create awareness of this product first with your target audience and build on it. Your cheapest channels will be the internet, word of mouth and doing trials at key locations that your target audience frequent and use.

If you are thinking of developing a real brand then it will take time, significant planning and investment - not to mention hard work!

Your feedback is appreciated.

Zahid Adil
 
Posted by: NuCoPro Accepted Answer
6/10/2005 8:47 AM (CST)
$7.95 + shipping & handling for a plastic ring? There's nothing on your site that indicates what makes this "special." Just looking at it I'm thinking what if I bought a can of cake icing at the supermarket and cut out the bottom? It says it is a "flying can" so why do I need to spend all that money to get one that has Toobee printed on it?

I was very involved with Frisbee earlier in my life, as my best friend was an exhibiting champion and I was his "sparring" partner. There are lots of tricks "throwing and catching" that can be done with a Frisbee. I don't see any indication that you do anything with a Toobee, other than see how far you can throw it.
 
Posted by: michael Accepted Answer
6/10/2005 9:21 AM (CST)
Greg,

Is he furloughed and looking for a product to sell (like this one) or is he furloughed and has developed this product that needs to be sold?

Either way, we can help.

Michael
 
Posted by: jeffe* Accepted Answer
6/10/2005 9:35 AM (CST)
Greg - I am the marketing manager for a general variety wholesale distributor to mom and pop 5 & 10 stores across the US. You may know them best as Ben Franklin stores, etc... Our stores are always looking for something new and exciting in order to beat the big box stores of the world. I would like to learn more about this proudct to see if it might be something our toy buyer may consider. If so, I think we could help you move your product. Feel free to contact me personally at jeffe@rustwholesale.com. if you are interested.
 
Posted by: rob Accepted Answer
6/10/2005 1:18 PM (CST)
First he should work out a marketing strategy, including who he thinks would be the key demographic for this product and how best to reach them. How he markets it will certainly depend on who he's trying to sell it to and where he wants them to be able to find it most easily (on the web, brick&mortar).

Possibly you could work with a toy distributor, or a toy company that may have more marketing muscle and a ready made distribution network for your product. But that all depends on your having the patent on it and their being interested in it.

In any case, you first must identify who you want to sell it to and then you'd can get a better idea of how to reach that market.

Feel free to contact me either through e-mail, or use the Post-A-Project section of the web site if you'd like more specific advise and help with strategy.

 
Posted by: Mushfique Manzoor Accepted Answer
6/11/2005 7:45 AM (CST)
hi greg

just visited you site. like Zahid said, theres nothing there except some sales talks. i have the same question all the experts have asked regarding this TooBee.

anyway, some ways to help your son will be to answer the following questions...

1. identify the target market in terms of age group, socio-economic class, purchasing power etc.
2. What is the product special? like Zahid said, how will you counter Piracy of TB?
3. Whats the difference from FreesBee, which your site mentions that its the next big thing after that?? how, no information whatsoever on that in your site.
4. how is the price differing from Freesbees, is it higher of lower and why would a consumer buy it rather any other toy or freesbee in particular.
5. how will you distribute the products. Jeffe has proposed to carry your brand. apart from those type of stores where will the product be available?
6. how are you going to communicate to the consumers? what will be the communication vehicle, how will you promote it?

some ideas on promoting the brand are...
1. sponsor and organize a neighborhood based kids sport event, and promote TooBees (assuming kids are target consumers).
2. give some giveaways as sampling in kindergarten school sports events.

hope this helps.

cheers!!
 
Posted by: mgoodman Accepted Answer
6/11/2005 9:02 PM (CST)
I too visited the site and can't figure out what the big idea is. You really need to come up with a unique selling proposition, positioning statement, or value proposition so that people understand the BENEFIT, not just the description (flying can).

Without that benefit-oriented positioning statement, I'm afraid this is just another idea -- maybe even a good one -- that will go down as a footnote in history because the company was underfunded and not well marketed.

If you (and/or your son) wants to take a shot at the premium/give-away market, the item might be attractive to a fast food chain to give away as a premium item (free with a meal purchase). You'd have to sell it to them for less than $0.50 to get their attention, but that could put the concept on the map.

Of course, even to present the idea to a major fast food chain you'd have to do some preparation and look like you're "real." They don't like doing business with garage-based shoestring operations, no matter how good the idea is.

Don't mean to throw cold water on the idea, but the website doesn't make me salivate -- and there isn't anywhere else to get the information. Looks like this one needs some more work -- mostly in marketing strategy and planning -- maybe product too.
 
Posted by: telemoxie Accepted Answer
6/13/2005 7:14 AM (CST)
Honestly, if it were my son, I'd look at some other options to make money. One approach is to find something he does well, which others don't like to do. For example, I do high end business to business telemarketing - most professional folks don't have the time or desire to do this, and so I always have plenty of work.
 
Posted by: Papadoc (Steve)* Accepted Answer
6/15/2005 1:49 PM (CST)
I'd have to agree with the above, but would point out that "marketing" without money is called "selling".

Without cash, I think you've done remarkably well to get a quote from USA Today. However, assuming that is a legit quote, it's a million dollar miracle if you can get the word out that the newspaper recognized it. The only reason that I stated it that way is the volume of spam that I and most people get who claim their products were talked about on Oprah, NBC News, and USA Today. That might create a few doubts for some folks so you might want to consider scanning the article and posting it.

The question I'd have is how long has this been around and why hasn't it done anything? The trademark office lists the name Toobee as being registered in 1978. That's a long time in the hopper.
 
Posted by: carrie77 Moderator Response
6/24/2005 8:36 AM (CST)
Hello all. I am closing this question since there has been no activity in over a week. We do this to reward the contributions of participants in a timely manner + to give increased visibility to the newer questions.

Thanks for participating!
Carrie (Production Editor)
 


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