{"id":11119,"date":"2016-10-17T06:51:30","date_gmt":"2016-10-17T10:51:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/catherine-balsam-schwaber-talks-transformation-of-kids-business\/"},"modified":"2016-10-17T07:21:07","modified_gmt":"2016-10-17T11:21:07","slug":"catherine-balsam-schwaber-talks-transformation-of-kids-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/catherine-balsam-schwaber-talks-transformation-of-kids-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Catherine Balsam-Schwaber Talks Transformation of Kids\u2019 Business"},"content":{"rendered":"

CANNES: Catherine Balsam-Schwaber, chief content officer at Mattel, weighed in on key shifts in the children\u2019s media business at MIPJunior before being interviewed on stage by Kristin Brzoznowski, the executive editor of World Screen<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Kids are \u201ctransforming the business that we\u2019re in from a \u2018push\u2019 business into something that is entirely consumer-centric,\u201d Balsam-Schwaber said. \u201cKids are the primary reason that people everywhere have become consumed with creating their own content. Most significantly, when we think about what kids are doing, they\u2019re turning media from less of a medium that is defined by form [into] one that is defined by platform. They\u2019re the ones driving us into this new age of connected platforms for telling stories.\u201d<\/p>\n

Balsam-Schwaber talked about the widespread usage among kids 3 to 12 of smart devices. \u201cOne-third of kids under the age of 12 are making their own video content. Imagine what that is going to be five years from now.\u201d<\/p>\n

She went on to note that kids between the ages of 8 and 18 spend almost half of their waking hours engaging with screens. \u201cThey don\u2019t see as much of a difference between brands and content,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is why anything or anyone, particularly brands, competing for kids share of mind\u00a0have to treat them as participants and not just as viewers. We have to change the way we think about connecting with kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is good news for the content business Balsam-Schwaber noted, and for the toy business, both of which are growing. \u201cThe incomes of the parents most likely to buy toys is also growing around the world.\u201d Balsam-Schwaber added that parents are \u201cembracing digital content as more valuable tools in the play phase of children.\u201d<\/p>\n

She continued, \u201cKids are growing up in this increasingly blurred line between content and toy, in particular. Kids expect toys to have content and kids expect content to have toys.\u201d<\/p>\n

Right now, she said, \u201cis a pivotal moment for one of the most influential businesses ever, which is our collective business and connecting with children in new ways. At Mattel, it\u2019s a moment that has inspired a whole new way of thinking about our business and thinking about the vital role of story in child development today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mattel sees \u201ccontent as a critical component of how we inspire wonder for children. Wonder is a deeper and more meaningful brand connection that is initiated and enabled by story. So whether producing an animated half-hour or a fashion doll, we know that inspiring wonder is what makes today\u2019s kids form lasting connections with brands and with products. These are the kinds of relationships they carry with them into the future. For any brand to thrive in content-intensive world, they\u2019re going to needs these kinds of relationships to drive viewership or product sales or both.\u201d<\/p>\n

In this \u201cwonder-driven content revolution,\u201d Mattel is trying to \u201creinvent the way we create and build brands. The biggest shift at Mattel since we invented the toy business 57 years ago, we\u2019re changing the mindset of the entire way that the business runs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mattel saw television as a critical part of its strategy early on in its history. \u201cThey knew it was a way to tell stories about brands that static ads and display billboards could never do.\u201d Mattel was one of the first national advertisers on U.S. television.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was not till recently that Mattel realized that what were doing as a marketing tactic in the content business really was becoming the foundation of the way kids see brands. Content is where brands and story meet. Content is where kids meet brands for the first time. They become inspired to wonder.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mattel is less and less of a \u201ctoy-centric company and more and more of a story-centric company. Toy is the thing that enables the kid to play out our brand stories but also tell stories of their own through the content they\u2019re making. Moms are increasingly open to the notion that story can come from anywhere. One of the shifts we see happening is that today\u2019s moms are actually more enthusiastic about digital content than they are about TV.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inspiring wonder is a business strategy, Balsam-Schwaber went on to say. \u201cWonder is what kids are looking for in brand experiences today. Wonder is one of the things that parents are seeking for their children. They know it fosters aspirations and skills and creativity that encourages them to flourish and be more fulfilled in their future life.\u201d<\/p>\n

This philosophy is so important to Mattel that the company has \u201cbuilt a new capability within our company. It\u2019s essentially a ‘wonder studio’ to create these wonder-based relationships between the brands and kids. We call it Mattel Creations.\u201d<\/p>\n

New initiatives at Mattel include a partnership with Lady Gaga to reimagine the Monster High brand with a Zombie Gaga doll. The company is also trying to think more globally about the content it creates. \u201cSo we\u2019re taking stories that have been successful in one region and then porting them in expressions that are culturally relevant around the rest of the globe.\u201d<\/p>\n

An example is the work around Battle Claw, created specifically for China. \u201cIn the future we\u2019re bringing Battle Claw to the U.S. and other markets.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mattel is also using AI technology to extend the experience of the Hot Wheels toy.<\/p>\n

The company is also working on a reality series \u201cthat brings the magic of toy-making to life.\u201d The Toybox<\/em> is set to air on ABC next year. \u201cWe have plans to roll out the show and the format around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Following her keynote, Balsam-Schwaber was interviewed by World Screen<\/em>\u2019s Kristin Brzoznowski, beginning with a discussion about content extensions to the Barbie brand. \u201cBarbie continues to resonate in new ways with girls around the world. For us, the time was right to help redefine Barbie. That\u2019s been going on for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n

The content includes Barbie Life in the Dreamhouse<\/em> and Barbie Dreamtopia<\/em>. Mattel Creations is also behind the series WellieWishers <\/em>on Amazon. \u201cIt\u2019s a reimagining of the stories we\u2019ve been telling about American Girl.\u201d WellieWishers<\/em> features a multicultural cast of girls coming together having adventures.<\/p>\n

Balsam-Schwaber went on to say the company is looking for new IP opportunities. \u201cThe first thing for us, whether it\u2019s product or content, is that it needs to be rich with story, it needs to have the possibility to inspire wonder in children and have global appeal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brzoznowski then asked Balsam-Schwaber about opportunities she sees in content space. \u201cIt\u2019s the continued intersection between the content and the product,\u201d she said, adding that she\u2019s looking forward to seeing someone reinvent the choose-your-own adventure ideas.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CANNES: Catherine Balsam-Schwaber, chief content officer at Mattel, weighed in on key shifts in the children\u2019s media business at MIPJunior before being interviewed on stage by Kristin Brzoznowski, the executive editor of World Screen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":290,"featured_media":11120,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[1006,271],"class_list":["post-11119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-top-stories","tag-catherine-balsam-schwaber","tag-mattel","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\nCatherine Balsam-Schwaber Talks Transformation of Kids\u2019 Business - TVKIDS<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/catherine-balsam-schwaber-talks-transformation-of-kids-business\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Catherine Balsam-Schwaber Talks Transformation of Kids\u2019 Business - TVKIDS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"CANNES: Catherine Balsam-Schwaber, chief content officer at Mattel, weighed in on key shifts in the children\u2019s media business at MIPJunior before being interviewed on stage by Kristin Brzoznowski, the executive editor of World Screen.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/catherine-balsam-schwaber-talks-transformation-of-kids-business\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"TVKIDS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-10-17T10:51:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2016-10-17T11:21:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2015\/09\/Balsam-Schwaber-mattel-1016.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mansha Daswani\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Mansha Daswani\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/catherine-balsam-schwaber-talks-transformation-of-kids-business\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/catherine-balsam-schwaber-talks-transformation-of-kids-business\/\",\"name\":\"Catherine Balsam-Schwaber Talks Transformation of Kids\u2019 Business - TVKIDS\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2016-10-17T10:51:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-10-17T11:21:07+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/#\/schema\/person\/83da304c8bad8bfdb3edd7eb47cfe5ad\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/catherine-balsam-schwaber-talks-transformation-of-kids-business\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/catherine-balsam-schwaber-talks-transformation-of-kids-business\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/catherine-balsam-schwaber-talks-transformation-of-kids-business\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Catherine Balsam-Schwaber Talks Transformation of Kids\u2019 Business\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/\",\"name\":\"TVKIDS\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvkids\/#\/schema\/person\/83da304c8bad8bfdb3edd7eb47cfe5ad\",\"name\":\"Mansha Daswani\",\"description\":\"Mansha Daswani is the editor-in-chief and associate publisher of World Screen. 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