Tubby Talk It takes a child at heart to build a children's phenomenon.
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It's when Kenn Viselman stops the interview to baby talk apuppy out of post-surgery whimpering that I realize he's really60 percent child, 40 percent adult. With his childlike eyes, thebearer of nearly two decades of licensing and marketing experienceembraced British producer and creator Anne Wood's kid-approvedidea for Teletubbies, producing a preschool phenomenon spanning 30countries. Now, adding to popular TV shows like PBS'Noddy, Viselman's 4-year-old Manhattan licensing andmarketing firm, The itsy bitsy Entertainment Company will producefamily feature films and primetime TV series, starting with thesought-after Eloise. Here, a peek inside the mind of amarketing master.
What makes Teletubbies great? Do they have stayingpower?
When you see a young child interact with the series, you knowthey know it was designed for them. The neat thing aboutTeletubbies is that it's a first. We've tried to brand itfor the long term. But at the end of the day, you just never know.We have commitments for the next five years and our broadcast termextends beyond that with PBS, so we expect it to have quite a lifecycle.
What's the difference between a fad and a product linethat will enjoy a long existence?
There are a lot of really great projects that have ended tooquickly, mostly because they weren't merchandised properly. Theproperty owners didn't have enough confidence in their brand todo it slow and steady. Instead they rushed the project out or didtoo many promotions too early in the brand's life cycle beforeit was able to take root.
Does it help if the property is unknown?
There are pros and cons. When a project has no awareness,you're not dealing with negativity attached to it, and it'sneat for a marketing guy to go, "Okay, how am I going tocreate this?" But it's also a much more tedious process tobuild awareness. I tend to work on a lot of projects no one knows.I guess I'm just more comfortable with that kind of thing.
What's your advice to entrepreneurs out to spot apotentially amazing property?
Your product has to be unique and have a very clear and specificpoint of view. But getting your audience involved with the endproduct before it becomes the end product is quintessential. If youhave the skills of a marketer, you can market anything. But intoday's business universe, you have to either have a ton ofmoney or a very strong focus. It's much easier to capitalize ina small market and start to expand once you've developedawareness and exposure.
My company has [enjoyed such] success because we have a veryspecific target audience, and we understand our marketplace.Securing the rights [to Eloise] was an extraordinarystatement to us about the success we're having in stayingfocused on our goal. The reason they gave us this project [overheavyweights like Steven Spielberg] was because no one else couldsay, "We know kids better than anyone."
Contact Source
The itsy bitsy Entertainment Company, (212) 989-3660,http://www.itsybitsye.com
