Squinkies is one of the most popular toys in United States and was rated by New York Times as the annual best-selling toy in 2010. After these years its sale record is still superior in today’s market. Manufactory of Squinkies was Blip ToysBlip, a company of only 16 people and was established in 2002. The CEO of the company Bill Nichols was a person with creation and enthusiasm. But how did a small company like Blip ToysBlips become special and different from all other famous companies such as Mattel and etc.?

Here are the analyses that I made:

1. Bill Nichols have found in 2009 that expensive toys would not attract parents’ attention but cheap plastic toys would. Following this idea he decided to sell toys that had characteristics of “3C” －Cute, Collectible and Cheap. In this regard, as Cute and Cheap are the essential part for kids and parents respectively, Nichols had mastered the market in an effective way.
2. In the research I have found that in order to lower the production cost, Nichols chose to produce toys in Chinese manufactories instead of producing sales samples by toy engravers.
3. The third strategy that Nichols had used was his use of Internet (blogs and online communities). Nichols comprehended that through parents, especially mothers, the velocity of propagation was rapid; therefore he visited over 300 blogs of moms, recommending his product and also giving free chances to try out.

Photo via http://www.citypages.com/photoGallery/index/1822642/1/

From the experience of Nichols, we know that small business could also succeed and it is prominent that using suitable marketing strategies is one of the most effective ways of attracting consumers.

Reference

YouTube Video – Company’s business strategy & growth outlook for the Squinkies product line: