Just exactly how important is the product name in an advertising and marketing campaign? It’s hard to tell, but based on one popular 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’ll 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 kids who are playing with them and with their environment.
In addition to the hamsters themselves, there is a range of different environments and toys which kids can set up in a variety of arrangements for their electronic pets. It’s easy to see why kids in the target age bracket - 4 to 10 years old- are going crazy for these toys. They’re adorable, small and furry. They make adorable little noises. They interact with external stimuli and their hamster environments – tracks, tube and toys, can be pulled apart, “redesigned” and then reassembled in a variety of combinations.
From the perspective of the doting parents there are many plus points as well. They don’t need to be fed and watered, they don’t poop – so there’s no cage cleaning involved – and they don’t shuffle off to hamster heaven, leaving the parents to explain that Fluffy 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 big hit with both parents and kids. They might even be this year’s ideal selling Xmas toy if sales keep going the way they’re.
On the other hand, if you visit the UK version of Amazon and check out the bestseller list in the Toys and Games category, you won’t see the Zhu Zhu hamsters anywhere in the top hundred. Regardless, despite the fact that they are quite a bit 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 the USA, have done a great job of rebranding and promoting these toys. After a trial launch in Phoenix, these toys have been selling like hot cakes since their national launch in August. Prices are beginning to increase as demand seems to be outstripping supply. In fact, as long as stocks hold out, it really is hard to see what toy might displace these for the prized Xmas number 1 slot.
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