Wendy Smolen

Hape International

admin — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 17:10:31 +0000

The Challenge:

Hape is a company known for making educational wooden toys. However, although their products are well received and beautifully made, their innovative techniques and gender-and-culture-neutral designs are barely recognized. In order to differentiate themselves in the competitive toy market, their commitments to children, learning, and environmental responsibility had to be highlighted. Furthermore, their three distinct lines of toys needed to be incorporated under one corporate brand.

The Solution:

Rethinking Play became the mantra for this company that already recycles, reduces and reuses. A new mission statement that clearly defined Hape’s goals was released in a corporate brochure, press material, and brand catalogs, sending the message B2B. Beginning with the largest toy line (Educo), all of the packaging copy was rewritten, getting the same message into the hands of the consumers. Copy templates were created so that all future material would be consistent. An Eco-toys brochure further enhanced the ecology aspect of Hape. The long-term plan is to revamp each line to create a unified look and language.

Sandbox Summit

admin — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 14:44:29 +0000

The Challenge:

Play is how kids learn. But with the influx of technology into every aspect of kids’ lives, the ways and means of play have changed. Digital natives log on before they can walk and blog before they can write. How are all these bells, whistles and chips changing the way they process information? Are they still learning to think critically; or can they merely ace standardized tests? How can we make sure that the next generation of players becomes active innovators rather than passive consumers of media?

The Solution:

Sandbox Summit is an innovative idea forum designed to address how modern technology affects the ways kids play, learn, and connect. Through high-energy panels, innovative demonstrations, original research, and thought-provoking workshops with toy industry and media leaders, analysts, educators, and rock stars, each Summit strategically intermingles disciplines and viewpoints. Our goal is to never talk to a room full of nodding heads. In this way, every Sandbox Summit stimulates the means (and the movers and shakers) that encourage kids to become creative, critical thinkers in the 21st century.

No Whine with Dinner

admin — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 19:19:36 +0000

The Challenge:

The Meal Makeover Moms, two tech-savvy chefs and dieticians, tapped into their social network of moms to discover that the biggest obstacle for getting kids to eat well-balanced meals was picky eaters. The goal of their cookbook was to help parents break out of the chicken-fingers and macaroni rut by providing healthy, tasty, easy-to-make recipes that parents and kids would love.

The Solution:

No Whine With Dinner (2011, M3 Press), taps into the parent-approved, kid-tested format that appeals to the Meal Makeover Moms’ community. Writing in their own personable voices, they were able to add life as well as spice to their recipes. They embrace their large online network by including real tester feedback and/or an insider tip on each page. Charming pictures of kid testers throughout the book and links to more online photos and well-known food bloggers further establish them as tied-in to their readers. Two-color printing on heavy stock and a 4-color cover with an 8-page insert create a rich presentation while still keeping the price affordable.

Amazon Toy Reviews

admin — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 16:15:15 +0000

The Challenge:

Present ideas about new toys on Amazon.com.

The Solution:

By tying into seasons, specials, or unique products, I was able to position new toys in ways that would appeal to parents’ sense of fun and desire to click and buy.

Out of the Sandbox

admin — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 15:59:34 +0000

The Challenge:

Present timely topics that appeal to a vast community of transmedia developers and consumers.

The Solution:

Playing off the experts in the Sandbox Summit network, as well as products and ideas that I encounter on a daily basis, I publish a bi-monthly blog for KidScreen.com.

Playing Together

admin — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 01:30:54 +0000

The Challenge:

Parents are having kids later, and spaced farther apart; blended families, step families, and extended families often mean kids with a wide range of ages live and play under the same roof. How can a busy parent spend quality time with each child?

The Solution:

Playing Together, 101 Terrific Games and Activities That Children Ages 3-9 Can Do Together (Simon & Schuster, 1995) honed in on the new family demographics. This resource for parents with multiple kids and a limited amount of time, helps them plan do-able crafts, cooking, and games by breaking each activity into three age-appropriate levels. The book was later published in China.

Estée Lauder

admin — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 01:30:38 +0000

The Challenge:

As more working women entered their thirties, they had more money to spend on themselves. Skincare was an uncharted category. What could convince these women to try products from a brand that they grew up seeing their mothers use?

The Solution:

By capitalizing on the elegance of the Estee Lauder name, but showing it with a new younger face, the company introduced a modern system of skincare based on scientific evidence of performance. It caught the imagination and attention of a new generation of users—women entering their thirties and forties who were suddenly worried about aging. Night Repair was the cornerstone of the line. It continues to be one of their top sellers.

Alexandra de Markoff

admin — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 01:30:23 +0000

The Challenge:

Alexandra de Markoff was a classic and expensive brand of cosmetics, known for its remarkable foundations which dated back to the time of klieg lights and no retouching. Even though its products were effective, it was rapidly losing market share to more modern brands of makeup that appealed to a status-conscious customer.

The Solution:

In the fickle world of fashion, cosmetics need to project as well as perfect an image. Therefore, updating the line with just new products was not enough. A complete relaunch focused on style as well as performance. The result was a finely-edited line of problem-specific products, elegant packaging, informative point-of-purchase collateral, and a targeted PR campaign.

Cooking With Kids

admin — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 01:29:31 +0000

The Challenge:

Create a special-interest holiday publication for Nick Jr. Family Magazine readers, but give it a life that would make it last long after Santa’s come and gone.

The Solution:

Since cooking and holidays so often go hand-in-hand, a holiday cookbook for parents and kids made sense. To give it longevity, we created a year-long holiday guide with kid-friendly recipes for Valentine’s Day through Christmas. To insure continued use, it included a year’s worth of original birthday cakes themed to each month. As an added value for parents and kids, there were simple games and activities to amuse kids while the food was cooking.

The Makeover Moms

admin — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 01:29:20 +0000

The Challenge:

Nick Jr. Family Magazine readers wanted to give their kids healthy foods, but didn’t want to spend a lot of time (or money) fussing.

The Solution:

Janice Bissex and Liz Weiss, The Meal Makeover Moms, offered ten realistic ways to up the nutrition of basic dishes, without upping the bother. Presenting it in an easy-to-see format emphasized how simple it would be to make these small changes.