What has been tapped to be one of the hottest toys this Christmas season are Zhu Zhu Pets. They are small, inexpensive, electronic animal pets, that can move around and make noises. The toy debuted in select cities in the market this past spring.
So how did this small toy climb the ladder to sales success so quickly? After all, the toys do not have a television show to give it a jump start. And the company didn't spend lots of money directly on advertising to the masses. No, the company who puts out Zhu Zhu Pets went straight to who they thought would be a powerful force in getting the toy moving: mommy bloggers.
The company held 250 "hamster parties" to get moms and kids interested in the toy. They did this by sending out the pets to hand-picked mommy bloggers across the country. The mommy bloggers then held hamster parties, where they each invited 10 children, and they spent the time playing with the new toy. No doubt that the moms also likely blogged about the pets and parties.
When it comes to whether or not partnering with the bloggers has been successful, the company stated in a Time article: "The approval of the bloggers was a huge legitimizer, believe me."
This is another case that demonstrates the power that these mommy bloggers have. This year there is a good chance they are the driving force behind what is being predicted to be "...the biggest toy craze since Tickle Me Elmo was on shelves in 1996."
But again it makes one wonder if what they are doing is ethical and if they are simply being blindly used by corporations. In this case, for a $10 pet toy.
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