Ex | TMNT to establish a strong presence in toy segment: Viacom18's Dahiya

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles a classic global property created in 1984 by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird is internationally one of the most popular television shows in the kids genre. The successful comic book  series later became  a hit animated television show and has never failed to make waves since then. Now  with  Nickelodeon India partnering with Toy Triangle, Indian boys can  boost their action and adventure streak as the wildly popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise, a smashing success for Nickelodeon globally, is expected to hit the Indian shores this summer. The all time favourite reptilian brothers will be seen tackling bigger villains and tastier pizza than ever before on the treacherous streets of New York, with a new look and a new catchphrase.

The globally hit riveting TMNT range will mark Nickelodeon’s India foray into the action toys category dedicated to the adventure loving young boys of today. This refreshed line of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) toy products is once again created by Playmates, the original master licensee for the property. Starting early May Nickelodeon India will unveil the all new generation TMNT toy line, in association with India’s leading toy marketers and preferred distributors, Toy Triangle.

The existing classic boy’s toys have been given a modern twist. The new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figurines constitute the most articulated Turtles toys ever made; with each figure shown in an acute level of detail and complete with their own personalized Ninja weapon.  The line will also include an array of villains, vehicles, play-sets and role play, enabling fans to fully immerse themselves in the world of the famous brave brotherhood of four. The highlight of this range is the Secret Sewer Lair play-set, which is sure to become  the most preferred  toy this summer. This exciting new assortment of toys  priced between Rs. 699/- to Rs. 8999/-  is all set to encapsulate a whole new generation of fans in leading large format retail stores across India like Hamleys, Shoppers Stop, Hypercity, Reliance Timeout etc.

The launch will be supported by 360 degree marketing campaign across the nation. The unveiling will happen first at Hamleys all through the month of May with lots of engaging contests for kids. Fans will stand a chance to win  some  cool merchandise and a special meet  with the turtles themselves has been organised across 4 cities viz. Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai

Speaking about the launch of this new property, Sandeep Dahiya, SVP & Business Head – Consumer Products – Viacom18, says “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a unique franchise that not 

only appeals to today's kids but also resonates very strongly with their parents given its historic frenzy in the 80’s. We are more than confident of raking up that frenzy in India once again he said. Adding further he said, “Beginning with toys, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will soon force their way into other categories- stationery, back to school , publishing and apparel  amongst others.”

Syed Adil Qamar, Country Head, India - Toy Triangle says, “We are delighted to partner with Nickelodeon India, on such a huge property, which is already creating waves internationally. We have already received an overwhelming response from retail buyers who believe that TMNT will re-invigorate the toy aisle in the action genre.”

Sandeep Dahiya SVP & Business Head – Consumer Products – Viacom18, spoke to Adgully about this partnership which brings boys on the  Indian shores, for the first time ever, an exclusive toy range which will keep them occupied this  summer. He also spoke on their foray into  the toy segment and discussed various other topics such as marketing , promotional and distribution strategies with regard to the new product. Following are the excerpts of the conversation:

At the very onset Dahiya said, “This is the first time that we have a playhouse for boys. It is like role play that is typically seen in the mode in the girl’s segment. We have had a Dora kitchenette earlier but I think this one beats all.  Keeping the character and show  in mind  this is below the ground level. This is for the turtle Bennett, how they train themselves so you will see various trainings and that is above the ground  just above the home.”   He further informed that the four brothers  priced at Rs. 8999/-  are  one of the most expensive products in the kids category and will  also be  one of the most engaging one. Though complex in nature children will be able to decode it  in 5 or 10 minutes that is 1/3 rd of the time it takes for adults to set it up.

Sharing about their presence in the toys segment in India he said TMNT will establish for them a strong presence in the toy segment especially with boys action category. “We did not have presence in this category so far and I think that is going to fundamentally change with the launch of TMNT. In the boys segment I think toys are the key category,  It is a critical category and so far we have been absent in that . We have not had a dominating presence in that so far but that is going to change this year,” said Dahiya.

The TG  that they will be catering to will include  a 4 year old to a 44 year old. In his opinion it is the only show today which has a connect with  both  kids  typically from age group 4-14 and also for their  parents  since for  parents who grew up in the 80’s watching this show TMNT had  become a cult and a phenomena.

Being  a show of the 80’s which has been reworked upon and having  a  different format now is there a proper connect with which the current show is able to blend with audience internationally? To this he replied , “I think it does.  The show was launched in October last year in US ,Canada,  UK  and Australia and I think in all the four markets it has done exceptionally well and the way they have reworked the show in the newer episodes they have kept in mind the fact that times have changed, the animation has changed  and the technology has changed. So they have been able to do it   that much better given today’s times  keeping  the core essence  of the show same as before.”

With regard to the time band slotted for the  show on Nickelodeon he said they are yet  to finalise on that front but irrespective of that it is going to be one of the focus shows on both the platforms and therefore they will get their due importance.

Speaking about  other launches which have been  planned for TMNT going forward Dahiya shared to say , “In the boys action category,  toys are the most important category. They become the backbone for that franchise. Thereafter we plan to get into other categories So we begin with toys in the first week of May, thereafter followed by back to school,  stationery,  apparel and footwear. Also by publishing, by home entertainment and many others. By the end of this financial year we expect to have a strong presence in  about  8-12 categories within  this franchise itself.”

He further went on to elaborate on their plans for their  new new range of toys  that are being  launched in India  and the overall business strategy they will  strengthen their presence this financial year. To launch the toys in the first week of May they have already tied up exclusively with Hamleys . Informing further about this he said “For the first two weeks Hamleys is going to be the only store where the entire range is going to be available . Thereafter we get into other stores both large format as well as conventional and to create excitement there is enough activation plan in both above the line and below the line including strong retail activation. We are getting character costumes which will arrive in India some time during the end of this month. There are going to be other tie ups. As characters they love to gorge on pizzas so there are enough potential opportunities to do a lot of tie-ups in that category too.”

He also spoke about the  Indian market for toys how it has been  evolving  and how the industry is divided into the organized and unorganized sector.

“If you look at the Indian retail market per se 93% is unorganized. It is only 7% - 8% of Indian retail industry which is organized. But the good news is that the organized part is growing faster than the unorganized part. Even that 1% -2 % growth which can come every year is a huge jump. For licensing  it is great news because every year you are getting more avenues to sell from,” he said.

Where price range of the products are concerned he went on to say that it begins with Rs. 699/- and goes up to Rs 8999/- . “So it is a huge pricing and we are launching  a classic range as well for parents who grew up in the 80’s watching the old series and there is a new range for today’s kids.  What is good today is that if you look at the figurine, typically you get 8-10 points which can move in a body figurine and now there are 12-15 moving parts which means that much more detailing has been  done on the latest ones,” said Dahiya.

With regard to it being a premium category for the Indian market he avers that they intend  targeting both the masses , the top end and a  couple of levels below the top end  as well. “I don’t think of it as premium as such with the starting price at Rs. 699/- because if you look at the toy and the range, the kind of engagement or excitement it can create among the kids then the price is totally justified. Every toy which you see around has unique features which are action or engagement oriented,” he said.

Five years down the line they see themselves ten  times  the size of their business now with the penetration  and the valuation of their product put together. That he said will be their 5 year road map. But as of now they are focusing on making sure that this is their  biggest launch that has been seen and also making sure that it is the most exciting launch boys action category has seen over the last five years. As they move ahead and opportunities present themselves they intend taking a call accordingly.

Where  retail strategy is concerned today they are present in more than 100 cities in more than 3000 retail touch points both conventional as well as unconventional. “We are growing at the rate of 20-30% year on year so you can imagine where we would be five years from now when it comes to retail penetration,”  explained Dahiya.

Adding further he said, “From a distribution perspective we are going to keep a good balance between modern retail as well as conventional toy stores. We are beginning with an exclusive tie up with Hamleys for the first two weeks and then moving into other modern retail such as Landmark, Crossword, Shopper’s Stop etc. At the same time we would also then move into generic or what you call conventional toy stores.”

He also spoke about the challenges that can hamper growth targets. Where industry challenge is concerned counterfeit is one . It is persistent across any  brand , franchise or any character  and they have to deal with it. Choosing the right partner is another challenge. The other challenges could be faced in marketing ,  product, packaging , promotion and pricing . “The question would be ‘Is the product true to the brand per se’. When the child plays with the toy he should know that he is playing with the character. So being true to the character is always paramount . It should be available at the right price, available at the right point as well  so that is the typical challenge for any licensing opportunity,” says Dahiya.

The range of toys have always been imported and have not been manufactured in India till date. Playmates is the company which has  the global license to manufacture this range. The range has been brought into India by Toy Triangle that they have tied up with and they are the official distributors for TMNT toys in India . He also spoke about Lego, another toy company which makes sets  of toys in the same  franchise and that too is expected to enter India within three to  six months from now.

Concluding a most interesting conversation Sandeep Dahiya concluded on a confident note to say that they are looking at conventional as well as unconventional and smaller markets too  for their products, since according to him “ Kids are the same in all markets. They have the same aspirations and the toys have the same  play values whether the kid is from Bombay , Nagpur or Bhatinda. Beginning with the metros we would over  the next couple of months spread out among the top 20 to 30 cities of India.”