Brief Template: J340 Creative Brief
Rebranding campaign for Mattel “Hot Wheels” toys, online banner.
Communication Objective
“Hot Wheels” products are toys designated for kids in order to enhance their dexterity and ability of fixing cars, copying their fathers’ behaviors, which in the growing up phase are their role models. However, fathers become less interested in fixing cars nowadays and this situation directly impacts children who continue to imitate their parents, but just as their fathers, become indirectly less interested about fixing cars. The objective of this campaign is to make this old-school toy relevant again, so that kids to be attracted by Hot Wheels, considering it a cool, “must have” toy.
Target Audience
This campaign will target families with sons, aged 4 – 14, interested about finding recreational modes for interacting. While the targeted children are in the kindergarten or primary school education, their parents are working in various industries, and ideally dedicate their after work program for family activities. The children are energetic, playful, optimists, yet they are spending too much time on video games. The parents are also optimistic and fun, have good earnings, but need short time activities for interacting with their children.
What is the key insight?
Cars represent a social symbol of manhood, while toy cars stand for the manifestation of boyhood. Playing with toy cars from an early age contributes to shaping the expression of boyhood and developing into the manhood, by assimilating in time the features specific to masculinity. Hot Wheels is designed for developing the sense of masculinity in boys, by gradually developing their handymen skills and abilities to see and fix problems. Hot Wheels brings back the masculine character, teaching boys and fathers how to fix cars. A mainly, yet famous character should introduce the rebranded Hot Wheels – a James Bond figure, such as Daniel Craig.
What is the main message?
Hot Wheels. Ready, steady, awesome race!
What supports this?
The reasons to believe the above message reflect the pure nature of the Hot Wheels toys. As such, they are designed for enhancing the kids’ sense for playing with toy cars, which is another way to say that this product is developing a connection between toy cars and their target audience. Fascinated about media products (cartoons, comic books, video games, movies) that promote the awesomeness of driving cool cars, the targeted audience will transfer values such as speed, aerodynamic design or coolness to their own personalities. Like this, they will feel themselves awesome for playing with Hot Wheels toy cars. Moreover, beside the idea of simply driving, being on the move on four wheels and guiding the movement through the steering wheel, the cars are subconsciously associated with races. This is why the “Ready, steady” line is suited for the message of this campaign. Moreover, this line is already entrenched in the social consciousness of American people and it resonates with the idea of a race. Race is cool and the Hot Wheels toy cars are awesome. Therefore, where there is a race and Hot Wheels toy cars, there will be an awesome race.
What is the brand personality?
Although a classic name, Hot Wheels is permanently renewing, reshaping and redefining the coolness in cars. Hot Wheels is innovative, fresh, attractive, playful, competitive, fast, incorporating breakthrough technology.
Executional mandatories
Brand Logo
Tagline: Hot Wheels. Ready, steady, awesome race!
Website: www.hotwheels.com
Graphics: Include famous character, a James Bond figure
Chromatic: 4x4 colors
Size: 6,5/3,6 inches
Format: Landscape
Type: Pop-up.
What is the measure of success (KPIs)?
Through a post-campaign market analysis (campaign evaluation), there should be examined the following KPIs for establishing if the campaign was successful:
- Return on investment (ROI)
- Brand awareness
- Reestablishing the association between kids, cars, dynamism and coolness.
