Kids News Monitor TV

Selling to Kids, March 31, 1999

TV Smells Like. . .

To promote the upcoming new season and five new episodes of Cow and Chicken, The Cartoon Network introduces Smelly Telly.

The ploy involves the use of a free Smelly Telly Rub & Sniff Card. The Cartoon Network printed 1.75 million of them, 1.25 million of which will be inserted into the April issue of Sports Illustrated for Kids, says Joe Swaney, Director of Public Relations at The Cartoon Network. The rest will be available to kids who call a toll-free number or write to an address found on the Web site (www.cartoonnetwork.com). Kids who order the card by April 15th will get it in time to use it for the weeklong promotion that begins on April 26th.

The plan calls for sniffing by the numbers. Every time viewers see a number on the screen, they'll be able to release the appropriate aroma by rubbing the same number on the card. The card carries 14 different scents, including cinnamon, garlic, rubber, orange and hemlock, and comes with an "Odor Decoder" for gaining "exclusive access to secret games and downloadables."

The Cartoon Network paid for the promotion itself because if it had a sponsor, like General Mills, the FCC would have considered the half-hour program a commercial.

(Joe Swaney,The Cartoon Network, 404/885-0657)

Awards

Marketers Earn Kudos

Of the 34 Gold Edison Best New Products Awards presented by the American Marketing Association earlier this month, a handful went to kids' products:

* Huggies Little Swimmers Disposable Swim Pants, designed by Kimberly-Clark for the "10 million toddlers who visit pools and beaches each year," feature absorbent material that doesn't expand when it gets wet. In the first year, the product exceeded projected retail sales of $30 million. Agency: Ogilvy and Mather.

* Fruitsations is a relaunch of Mott's fruit blended sauces, with a new name and see-through packaging. Agency: J. Walter Thompson.

* Milk Chugs, by Dean Foods, was designed to boost singleserving milk products. They come in various flavors and in portable, resealable plastic bottles. Agency: Euro RSCG Tatham.

* WhipperSnapple, a bottled smoothie made from milk and fruit juice, and first cousin to Snapple, comes from Triarc Beverage Group, which bought the brand from Quaker Oat. It comes in a see-through bottle shaped like soft-serve ice cream. Agency: Deutsch Inc.

* Oreo O's Cereal from Post drew survey responses from nine of 10 people who said it tastes like the cookies, three quarters said they'd buy it. Agency: Ogilvy & Mather.

The awards are based on the votes of more than 4,000 marketing and ad executives who look at innovativeness, marketplace success, packaging and societal impact. (Bernice McArdle, AMA, 312/831-2780.)

Toys

Playing With Food

Hoping to match the success of its 1998 Beanie Babies campaign, McDonald's Corp. began serving up a mini Furby with its Happy Meals last week. Last year's Beanie Babies' giveaway helped to sell a whopping 100 million Happy Meals in two weeks.

That's not the only deal the restaurant chain has made with Hasbro this spring.

Hasbro Interactive doubled the number of retail partners from last year with last week's launch of The Game of Monopoly at McDonald's promotion nationally. The month-long promotion will put a rebate offer on 40 million McDonald's tray liners. The rebate, called Monopoly Madness, offers: "Buy the Monopoly CD-ROM game or any other Hasbro Interactive title and get one of four selected titles for free": "Trival Pursuit," "Sorry!," "Tonka Garage" or "My Little Pony." The offer will be supported by in-store posters, endcaps and tent cards. (Emily Westhoven, 617/437-7722, ext. 238)

Interactive/Online

Planned Parenthood Launches Web Site

In an effort to capitalize on teens affinity for the Web, Planned Parenthoon Federation of America launched a Web site - www.teenwire.com - last month. The site was created by Atomic Vision Inc. of San Francisco and features information about sexual health, advise from experts and profiles about teens. (Matthew Butterick, Atomic Vision, 415/777-9810)

People

Garton to Lead Time for Kids

Keith Garton has been named the first publisher of Time for Kids in New York. Charged with increasing the title's in-school circulation and developing new products, Garton comes from Prentice Hall School Division, where he was senior VP of marketing. (Debra Richman, 212/522-6856)

Peter Cullen was promoted to VP of business development for Disney Channel as

a result of his cable experience. Previously, he held the title of VP of sales strategy and planning and worked on the business planning, distribution and sales for the all-animation channel Toon Disney. Reporting to Anne Sweeney, president of Disney/ABC Cable Networks and Disney Channel, Cullen will oversee business planning for Disney/ABC Cable Networks. He's been with Disney Channel since 1990.

(Shirley Powell, Disney Channel, 818/569-7672)