LM met Stefano Vitali, Retail Franchise Manager, Consumer Products, Hasbro Italy to discover the success of NERF, awarded at the latest BLTF Awards
At the latest BLTF Awards, announced last May 5th, the project developed for NERF by Easy Shoes, Shoes & Shoes and Scarpamondo, was awarded as BEST KIDS LICENSING PROJECT FOR BOYS, for the closeness between the theme of the brand and the stylistic characteristic of the product and for having transposed the element of the game in an original and loyal way on a consumer good such as footwear.
How did the project come about?
The project was born within the synergic approach among the different divisions of Hasbro, aimed at reaching the many fans of our brands by offering the richest range of products and conveying a coherent message through them. Brands are at the heart of this strategic plan and they reach consumers through countless touch points that Hasbro is able to activate.
Specifically, Nerf is the first player in the Italian blaster and shooter market and is the first top of mind brand for children in its category. The property is constantly growing and in 2019 it recorded a double-digit trend compared to the previous year. Nerf is a peculiar brand as it is not based on a character but on a real distinctive style that makes dynamism and challenge its founding elements.
The watchword of the fans is It’s Nerf or nothin’ !
The first Italian footwear collection is part of this ecosystem and it has been designed for a dynamic and passionate fan of the brand and the innovative toy line.
On what elements of playability based?
As said, Nerf is a dynamic and challenging brand. Its young (and adult) fans love to bring these values in everything they do and love to be always ready for new challenges.
The Easy Shoes line of footwear allows the blaster darts to be included in the shoes by means of a special feature and this allows fans to be always “loaded” and stylized!
With this in mind, a fantastic promotional operation has also been carried out for the launch of the new Christmas blaster, the Nerf Trilogy. Consumer who bought a pair of shoes from the Nerf collection at Scarpe & Scarpe and Scarpamondo stores, received a scratch card to find out immediately if he had won a Nerf Trilogy blaster or a pack of Nerf darts to “load” his blasters and shoes!
Consumer could then see for himself the brand new blaster in the stores as it was on display in the display islands or in the dedicated shop windows. In other words, an all-round Nerf experience!
What results have you achieved?
Thanks to the excellent work done by our licensees, Easy Shoes team, and the equally excellent commitment of our retail partner, Scarpe & Scarpe and Scarpamondo, we were able to fully launch the brand’s very first footwear collection on the market with important achievements, glad to share them with our other subsidiaries.
In the second half of 2020 Hasbro will launch great news on all the toy lines, which will be added to an already rich portfolio: from the most iconic Nerf line, Elite, to Ultra, a very powerful new line that, thanks to the exclusive darts, can cover long distances never seen before (up to 36m).
In order to support the launch of these important new products, a great marketing plan is planned, with strong investments, TV and digital activations and the involvement of well-known influencers in a special project, to give wide resonance to the brand and the new blasters.
The launches of the licensed products, including the new Easy Shoes collection, will be part of this plan.
We are confident that the success of Nerf will continue to grow thanks to the quality of the products developed so far and the strength of the brand and marketing campaigns that we will continue to implement.
It’s Nerf or nothin’ !
