A artical from T-Hunted Site

You know who is to blame on declining sales of Hot Wheels? ..... Mother!

Mattel sells $ 1 billion in its division of toy cars (Hot Wheels, Matchbox and Tyco) per year worldwide, and its largest consumer market is the United States, followed by Brazil, which is the second largest global market Mattel.

30% of sales in the U.S. there are made for collectors, and 70% are madefor parents who buy the cars for their children ( In Brazil the ratio is 20% and 80%). And there is the big problem: mothers are the largest purchasers of toys for the children, and they are buying less and Hot Wheels miniatures in general.

In a recent study, Mattel wanted to hear the views of mothers on buying strollers for their children, and found that they do not understand the reasons to buy miniatures since prefer to buy dolls and toys of characters with a feature more educational ( building blocks, games, etc.). They find no sense in giving strollers for their children, since they will hit against each other and spoil them. They also do not know how to play with carts with their children.

Thus, sales fell 1% in the U.S. at the end of last year, and has three years that the division of toys for boys not growing. Sales in Brazil, on the other hand has grown. Andnow it tends to change all the company's marketing strategy, which willrun TV ads to different mothers, and create different posters at the point of sale to help them understand more this toy. The site of Hot Wheels should also undergo changes to show tips, tricks and interact more with their mothers.


The very tendency to divide the line into five basic categories (Showroom, City, Stunt, Racing and Imagination) aims to facilitate the lives of mothers in the choice of models. And the thumbnail creation more colorful and "fantastic" is a strategy that has always worked to draw the attention of children, and should continue for many years, since the main market is the child. The elimination of moving parts and small parts at baseline that may compromise the safety of children is happening a few years ago, and is even a trend that aims to reduce the costs of production.


And you? What do you think of all this?