Our first advertising campaign put Playskool on the map. In a crowded market of parent directed advertising, the red background and unique logo treatment allowed Playskool to take credit for a giant line of products, from pacifiers to baby and preschool toys, Playskool classics like PlayDoh, Lincoln Logs, Tinkertoy and Mr. Potato Head and included a number of Playskool licensed products.
This powerful red (PMS 185) became the inspiration for all Playskool marketing, licensing and packaging. Kidvertisers’ creative use of fantastic photography by David Vesey and Amy Coons, wow-centered headlines, inclusive casting and creative use of a series of big and small space ads positioned Playskool as the category leader. In testing with parents, the red print campaign scored consistently as best liked and most memorable across every category of kid products. The print campaign ran over 10 years.
Another big breakthrough was the 1-2-3 Bike commercial, which Kidvertisers championed by first embracing a sketch from R&D, following up with a sizzle video that ultimately became our first TV spot for for the brand. Playskool 1-2-3 Bike was a mega hit; it opened up a whole new line of business for Playskool, where little kids could play like big kids.
Remembering here with love and respect, Mr. Stephen Hassenfeld who believed in Kidvertisers, gave us our start, and continues to be an inspiration. “Who’s the most important person in the world?” asked Stephen. “The person you’re with.”