The company is building a franchise ecosystem that includes entertainment partnerships, from Disney’s Princess and Frozen to Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters to Paramount’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Mattel is also creating more live experiences, such as the UNO Social Clubs and the Hot Wheels Legends Tour.
Stanichi advised other marketers looking to build fandom to “not think about campaigns in isolation or just throughout seasonal moments,” a shift that he called a “game changer.”
Most marketers become too focused on capturing metrics and underinvest in building ongoing engagement with fans, he added. First, marketers should focus on authenticity.
“It’s about building always-on relationships with fans and rebalancing your funnel between demand creation and demand capture,” he said.
