Many of us at GFM, including colleagues without little ones at home, are big Honest Toddler fans. If you do not follow this account on social platforms, including Facebook and Twitter, you are missing out on snarky observations as shared through the lens of an opinionated toddler.
Brands have been having fun with the toddler for quite some time but yesterday I came across an extremely creative melding of the toddler personality with a traditional media outlet—and an unexpected one at that.
GQ Magazine teamed up with the Honest Toddler for its 2014 Father’s Day Gift Guide. Each somewhat expected gift suggestion, like a military-grade iPad case, has captions written by the Honest Toddler.
For example, “I’m sorry about what happened to your last iPad. On the bright side, I don’t think it felt any pain. Prevent history from repeating itself with the Griffin Survivor Extreme Duty Military Case.”
The GQ and Honest Toddler collaboration comes on the heels of a New York Times article about social media stars cashing in with brands. Examples cited include a law school student who dropped out to pursue lucrative Vine video projects and a print graphic designer who built a social media studio in his garage to produce Vine spots for numerous brands, include Home Depot. Aside from video, the Land of Nod, a children’s retailer, commissioned its latest catalog cover from a mom blogger who posted pictures of her son napping with the family dog.
Personally, this continued blending of media for relevant content and surprising partnerships excites me tremendously. I have watched small bloggers I follow on my own time or on behalf of clients explode over the years—Lisa Lillien of Hungry Girl and Emily Schuman of Cupcakes and Cashmere to name a few. Within the last few years Emily, a self-built lifestyle blog star, has been picked up by Estee Lauder for makeup videos and Club Monaco for a specially curated collection.
Have you considered strategies that include utilizing a social media “star” for a traditional marketing campaign? Do you think we are at a tipping point for this trend or is there still room for brands to create these partnerships in a unique way?
