Financial Post Business Published:"Tuesday, October 2, 2007 Toys these days are complicated affairs. Take Bakugan Battle Brawlers, a PokГ©mon-style collectible card game created by Spin Master Ltd. of Toronto.
Launched last year, it has spawned global licensing deals, an animated series and laid the groundwork for a new video game. Here's how a toy becomes a multimedia brand. Conceptualization: In the fall of 2004, Ronnen Harary, CEO of Toronto-based Spin Master, is presented with a sketch of a marble that, when rolled over a magnetic playing card, transforms into an action figure.
Harary loves the idea. Within weeks, Spin Master creates a prototype incorporating a card-battling game, which is all the rage among six- to 11-year-old boys. They call it Bakugan (Japanese for "exploding sphere").
With collectability, gameplay and on-screen appeal, Harary and his team realize that the concept can be built into a multi-platform brand. They begin developing characters, worlds, storylines and strategies. Multimedia Partnerships: A development deal with Japan's Sega Corp.
, a major toy company and video-game maker, is established in early 2005, but Spin Master needs partners in the entertainment industry if it wants to delve into television animation. By mid-2006, the company signs a deal with two Japanese producers, TMS Entertainment and Japan Vistec, which will manage Bakugan's television presence in Asia, while Canadian animator Nelvana, producer of such titles as Babar and Franklin, will handle the rest of the world. Animated Series: By early 2006, card-battling fans have begun to look for the next craze.
With the hype behind PokГ©mon dying down, Bakugan's creators see an opportunity to capture the market. The cartoon, launched in Japan this past March and in Canada this summer, is the perfect advertisement for the toy - offering instructions and gameplay strategies in each episode. View Larger Image Bakugan Email to a friend Printer friendly Font: * * * * Online Presence: Bakugan's website is launched in July 2007.
The Web address - plastered on packaging for all Bakugan toys, cards and games - leads fans to a central resource, offering episode recaps, character write-ups and mini games. Besides serving as a promotional tool, the site also allows Spin Master to collect feedback from fans, who write in about particular characters or strategies they prefer. Plans for a massively multi-player online game are in the works.
Ground-level Marketing: In the summer, Spin Master continues to build brand awareness with its Bakugan Battle Tour - a promotional campaign that visits camps and amusement parks in Montreal and Toronto. By Labour Day weekend, more than 100,000 toys are given away. Backed by a co-ordinated marketing push, Bakugan toys fly off the shelves.
Spin Master is now working with Sega on a Bakugan video-game to be released next year.
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