How Intertoys built a stronger image with the efforts of Ouders van Nu and Reclamefolder.nl

From building blocks to building a strong brand: Intertoys can do both. The cross-media campaign focused on 'tell' and 'sell' resulted in improved brand perception and higher brand consideration for the well-known toy chain. Intertoys told their story through branded content on Ouders van Nu and brought their range to the attention of Reclamefolder.nl: this cross-media combination was more than successful. Curious why Intertoys chose this strategy? And how can you also achieve this result? Then read on!

'Everyone playing'

Playing is the foundation for a healthy and happy life and therefore the building block for a better future and world. That is why Intertoys encourages everyone, young and old, to play. Intertoys wants to help young parents find the right match with toys. However, the brand stands for more than toys. People can receive specialist advice that suits the age and developmental needs of their child. That is why Intertoys wants to position itself as the toy expert in toys for a happier, healthier life and a better future. Intertoys' goal in the 2023 campaign was therefore to promote this expertise among young parents and to also draw attention to the toy range. Go play!

In the collaboration with DPG Media, Intertoys has chosen to pursue a cross-media strategy to achieve both goals. With the efforts of Ouders van Nu and Reclamefolder.nl, Intertoys combines the best of both worlds.

Tell

Ouders van Nu is the authority for young parents and wants to make the lives of this target group easier with the help of recognizable stories, great products, reliable information and expert advice. They reach expectant and young parents with their website, books, newsletters, a forum and pregnancy and baby magazines. Intertoys integrated both their products and their brand message on this platform in a natural way. This gave Intertoys the opportunity to position itself as the toy expert among young parents in the Netherlands throughout the year. The focus was on online branded content supplemented with partner mailings to the Ouders van Nu database. Parents van Nu could also check their child's play type via an online quiz to make a better toy match. Finally, the gift finder offered a solution for children's birthdays and the call for the funniest wishes around Sinterklaas ensured recognition and a smile on the face.

Sell

In addition to loading the expertise, there was one more challenge for Intertoys: drawing attention to the toy range. Moving from inspiration to conversion was the next step in the funnel. That is why we chose to use Reclamefolder.nl to go into more detail about the product range with the help of attractive discounts. With a target group consisting mainly of women (67%), of which 38% have children living at home, this platform is an excellent match with Intertoys' target group. The strategy on Reclamefolder.nl consisted of an always-on campaign using 33 brochures throughout the year. These had a term of eighteen days. We also made a difference with the additional use of eighteen premium positions, with Intertoys in the top position in the app for a week. We have combined this with the loading screen banner that every Reclamefolder.nl app user sees three seconds before the app loads.

High exposure customer base

To better understand the impact of the campaign, we carried out a cross-media effect measurement in collaboration with our Research & Insights department and with research agency DVJ Insights. In this analysis we compared the brand perception of Intertoys among the target group exposed to the campaign with the target group that was not exposed to the campaign. Of the total customer base of Ouders van Nu and the users of Reclamefolder.nl, no less than 87% ultimately came into contact with the campaign in 2023. Of these, 48% have seen the expressions on both platforms, 21% have only been involved with the content on Ouders van Nu and 31% have only noticed the offers on Reclamefolder.nl.

Less yellow, more positivity

When you say Intertoys, you say toys and yellow. And this immediately emerged from this research when we asked both target groups what they thought about the brand. The positive sentiment of associations is significantly higher among the exposed target group (70% compared to 60%). The associations mentioned 'shop', 'range' and 'expensive' are the most common in both groups, in addition to 'toys'. What is striking is that the association 'yellow' was mentioned relatively less often among the exposed target group. This may be because this well-known brand color has deliberately not been loaded in the branded content expressions on Ouders van Nu. The reason for this was that we created the content in the look and feel of Ouders van Nu. Overall we see a significant movement in Intertoys' expert role. By placing a strong emphasis on the advisory role, price even becomes less important for the exposed group.

A more reliable image

The campaign has had a positive effect on Intertoys' already strong image. The brand has three important image statements that were also tested in the research: Intertoys is a specialist in the field of toys, Intertoys is recognizable and Intertoys is reliable. We mainly see a positive difference around the reliability statement: the exposed target group rates the well-known toy brand as more reliable (76%) than the unexposed target group (68%).

Higher brand consideration and NPS

If we focus on the brand funnel, the group of exposed consumers scores significantly higher on almost all points. Spontaneous brand awareness was 8% higher after seeing the expressions. In addition, positive attitudes towards the brand are 10% higher and brand consideration has increased by as much as 11%. The NPS (Net Promoter Score) increased the most after exposure to the campaign, with a difference of 12%. However, seeing both expressions ultimately led to the best effect, partly due to the large overlap in target groups on both platforms. A successful campaign for Intertoys, in which the expert role has been proven, the range has been brought to attention and brand perception has also been improved. With a dominant branded content approach in combination with targeted performance, Intertoys chose the right strategy to build a powerful brand and a successful future.