The Secret Buzz: TMX Elmo
Fisher-Price wanted to keep it a secret. Why? What is it? They wouldn't say. Welcome to the T.M.X. Elmo marketing campaign. And guess what? It worked.
The latest adaptation of the hit toy is becoming the toughest find this holiday season, thanks in large part to its unorthodox release and months of marketing buzz. Fischer-Price veiled the toy in secrecy. The secret began two years prior to the ten year anniversary of Elmo’s initial release when the company required its development team to sign confidentiality agreements. It didn’t even allow its sales force to preview the toy, and retailers were required to buy the product without seeing it. Elmo escaped the bag on September 18th on “Good Morning America.” It sold out of stores that same day.
“If you limit the amount of information, it creates perceived benefit of exclusivity,” AGSM Professor of Marketing Elliot Maltz said. “And if you first create the additional benefit of an exclusive product, then how happy people are about it becomes key.”
How can a small-to-mid sized company create the same kind of feeding frenzy?
“They could use the strategy of creating buzz,” Maltz said.
When it comes to secrecy and creating buzz, the book Buzzmarketing recommends connecting with consumers by giving them a reason to talk about your brand.
The T.M.X. Elmo campaign gave consumers and the media an intriguing story to tell. The secrecy of the product sparked peoples’ curiosity and created conversations around the water cooler, dinner table and you could even read about it in the Wall Street Journal.
To replicate Elmo’s success, organizations could consider withholding information on a desired new product or service rather than bombarding people with details about new attributes. By limiting information, people want to become part of an exclusive circle and the secret becomes the center of the conversation. And, if an organization limits supply, people become even more interested in wanting to be part of the exclusive circle of people who have access to the limited products or services.
This method of marketing does not work for all. Sometimes product shortages or perceived manipulation can create a negative response. Lucky for Elmo, the shortage has only fueled the fire. The local Salem Toys “R” Us, along with many other stores, further feeds the fire with its two per customer limit.
That's right. Fischer-Price knows its target market is die-hard collectors.
“[Collectors] have no emotional attachment because it's not for their kid,” Donna, a supervisor at Toys’R’Us, said. It knows die-hard collectors and not disappointed children will walk away empty handed from its marketing campaign. “We've had no incidents. Everyone's been understanding.”
And Elmo's been laughing all the way to the bank. No incidents and no bad publicity combined with exclusivity and big buzz paid out big time for Fischer-Price. Could a similar marketing tactic work for you?