Clifford unearths opportunity with expanded product offerings - Retailing & Entertainment Licensing Update - Clifford the Big Red Dog - Brief Article

DSN Retailing Today, Feb 11, 2002 by Molly Prior

Since debuting on the small screen in September 2000, Clifford the Big Red Dog has bounded into the hearts of a fourth generation of fans. Scholastic breathed new life into the classic storybook character by relaunching the pup as an animated series. "Television was a whole new world for Clifford," said Leslye Schaeffer, senior vp of marketing and consumer products for Scholastic Entertainment. "The thought was to let it seed with the kids before rolling out the merchandise," she added.

The animated series found fertile ground on PBS KIDS and has since J grown into a top-rated show, ranking, No. 1 with children ages 2 to 5 years old. With a TV fan base in place, Clifford merchandise launched in JCPenney stores one year ago. JCPenney carried the soft lines display past its exclusive three-month window through Christmas 2001, and supported it with costumed appearances of Big Red and giveaways.

Target followed with a summer-long soft lines program, featuring products such as pajamas and backpacks developed specifically for their stores.

Clifford's literary roots landed him the job of dedicated "spokesdog" at Barnes & Noble bookstores during January and February Clifford will also make costumed cameos at Borders stores throughout January and February.

As for the best home for the loveable canine, "Clifford is a universally loved character," said Schaeffer. "The product can live in multiple channels as long as the product is unique to that channel." She added mid-tier is proving to be a great fit, but not at the exclusion of mass or even-end stores.

Wal-Mart and Kmart both saw brisk sales and sellthrough rates of 98% for the first video "Here Comes Clifford," released by Artisan in January 2001. Music Land and Best Buy's sell-through rates hovered around 90%. Artisan reported it has shipped more than 1.5 million units to retail, with a sell-through of 1.2 million since last February.

Clifford also has found his way onto the exclusive shelves of specialty retailer FAO Schwarz, as well. FAO's assortment ranges in price from an $11 Clifford book to a $198 high-quality Vonnel plush rocker.

Promotional partnerships with General Mills' KIX cereal, Keebler and Brach's Confections has made Clifford a familiar face in grocery aisles this past year. KIX changed its packaging four times during the yearlong partnership, each time featuring a special Clifford offer or message. "Having exposure on all those boxes is really fantastic," said Schaeffer.

One of Clifford's newest licensees, Brach's, will create fruit-shaped snacks of Clifford and his friends. Scholastic facilitates cross-promotional efforts between its partners and licensees to keep the brand fresh to consumers and at retail, said Schaeffer.

After a Clifford-centric year, Scholastic is encouraging its list of 60 licensees to develop product around the star's sidekicks, T-Bone and Emily Elizabeth. At Toy Fair, master toy licensee Toy Island will introduce new products, including electronic, plush and inflatable toys. More than 15 licensees, including Treadmasters and Hasbro, will showcase new Clifford merchandise, as well. Artisan will expand its home video line with new VHS and DVD titles in 2002.

Scholastic and PBS will kick off the second season of the animated series with a one-hour Valentine's Day special.

To children, Clifford's appeal is simple. Kids identify with Clifford--he's big, clumsy, different, he makes mistakes, but in the end he's really well intended," said Schaeffer. Retailers can expect to land on all fours with the 40-year book property. Needless to say, four generations of fans have the potential to generate big sales for years to come.