G.I.A. takes marketing behind closed slumber party doors

Drug Store News, May 2, 2005 by Antoinette Alexander

The slumber party: a secrecy-shrouded ceremony of sorts where girls, clad in their comfiest pajamas, bond late into the night, munching on junk food and disclosing, behind the safety of closed bedroom doors, which boys they think are cute, which teachers they like or don't like and, perhaps, what new beauty products they think are hot. And Girls Intelligence Agency is looking to give suppliers and retailers access.

Through a unique research and marketing tool aptly dubbed Slumber-Party-In-A-Box, G.I.A. strategically dispatches one of its 40,000 or so "secret agents"--girls as young as 7 years old who are prequalified as "influencers." The mission: To gather 10 to 12 of their closest friends and host a slumber party where they and their friends will put to the test a box of never-before-seen products supplied by a manufacturer looking to succeed in the female youth market. There are roughly 500 such parties held at a time, reaching a minimum of 6,000 girls.

We realized that not only were these great places to talk to girls, but the girls went on to share [product] information with their friends and were talking about it," said Laura Groppe, G.I.A. founder and chief executive officer. "For young women, it is a social currency to be 'in the know.' We are empowering them with new products and coming out and asking them their advice."

The girls then go online to fill out surveys, send photos from the event and even provide commentary on the products. G.I.A. then supplies manufacturers with a summary report. A few months later, G.I.A. follows up with the girls to see how many people they shared the product with. It is estimated that the peer-to-peer marketing tool can help companies reach up to 600,000 girls.

"The Slumber-Party-In-A-Box program was a great opportunity to get the word out for the Bratz product," said Laura Waniuk, product manager for Bratz.

While G.I.A. is not a new venture--having been started about three years ago, it has held thousands of parties for such clients as Procter & Gamble, Neutrogena and Johnson & Johnson--Groppe said the company is now ready to move out from under the radar.

"We have been careful to continue to evolve, and we feel that now we have gotten enough proof that this is a tool that works," said Groppe, who noted that, if a client requests, G.I.A. now has the ability hold such parties on a larger scale, reaching a much broader group of girls.

G.I.A. also has started to hold events for clients who are trying to develop an in-store personal lifestyle experience or retail destination and has been developing a program for mothers and daughters to help manufacturers better understand how they can win over these consumers.

"Then, on the opposite end of the spectrum, we designed events for our clients who may be launching a new product and need to go nationwide. We will do premiere events and invite girls," said Groppe.

When asked what the research has revealed about the girls thoughts on the drug channel, Groppe said that drug chains are the No. 1 destination for 'tweens, teens and even college-aged girls when it comes to beauty and cosmetics.

"You don't hear that is the case from other sources because humans tend to say one thing and do another, said Groppe, meaning that some girls may say they only buy their beauty products at high-end retailers, but in reality, that is not always the case.

She added: "What hasn't been happening is actual execution at the drug store level for successfully communicating with this customer. Having a retail destination that really speaks to them ... would be immensely successful."