Just exactly how important is the product name in an advertising and marketing campaign? It’s difficult to tell, but based on one particular product it seems to be a major influence on sales.
If you go to the Amazon “Toys and Games” category and check out the bestseller list, you will find that eight of the top ten positions are occupied by Zhu Zhu Pets. These are basically motorized, robotic hamsters which use artificial intelligence combined with sensors to interact with each other, with the children who are playing with them and with their external stimuli.
In addition to the hamsters themselves, there is a selection of different environments and toys which children can set up in a variety of arrangements for their electronic pets. It’s easy to see why kids in the target age range – 4 to 10 years old- are going crazy for these toys. They are small, cute and furry. They make cute little noises. They interact with external stimuli and their hamster environments – tube, tracks and toys, can be pulled apart, “redesigned” and then reassembled in a variety of combinations.
From the perspective of the doting parents there are plenty of plus points as well. They don’t need to be fed and watered, they don’t poop – so there’s no cage cleaning required – and they don’t shuffle off to hamster heaven, leaving the parents to explain that Hammy has gone to a better place.
So it’s unsurprising that, although they launched only at the back end of August, the Zhu Zhu Pets are a such huge success with both parents and children. They might even be this year’s best selling Christmas toy if sales continue as they are.
On the other hand, if you take a look at the UK version of Amazon and check out the bestseller list in the Toys and Games category, you won’t notice the Zhu Zhu hamsters anywhere in the top hundred. Whatever, despite the fact that they are very much cheaper to buy in the UK, the Zhu Zhu/Go Go pets don’t register on the radar.
Cepia, the company who market the Zhu Zhu Pets in America, have done a fantastic job of rebranding and promoting these toys. After a trial launch in Phoenix, these toys have been flying off the shelves since their nationwide launch in August. Prices are beginning to creep up as demand seems to be outstripping supply. In fact, as long as stock levels hold out, it really is difficult to imagine what toy might displace these for the coveted Christmas number one slot.