Roominate was created by two Stanford coeds engaged in the sciences, to inspire young girls to find their fun and future in the STEM fields. Picked up by Mark Cuban on Shark Tank, it was soon bought by our client, PlayMonster.
Our engagement started with research studies into young girls most likely to enjoy Roominate, their ages, interests and media consumption – as well as those of their mothers. The girls ranged from 6-12, depending on the complexity of the building project. We also discovered that what really made the play special was that after the building and wiring, they could turn it on and see it actually work, taking the experience once step closer to reality. If they could imagine it, they could create it. Then they could activate it.
To show that the fun of creating with Roominate wasn’t only for a certain age, we featured a diverse group of girls building a range of projects, from simple to complex. Playing together with an almost “chanting” music track we hoped to give a sense that this is more than a toy; it’s the start of a movement of young girls into this traditionally boy dominated area.
In developing our media plan we researched the appropriate influencers for mothers and girls as well as Disney and YouTube, but got the biggest bang for the buck taking advantage of the features in the Disney and YouTube online networks, supported by Facebook. Almost half of all tweens have their own smartphones (and these girls spend a lot of time online with music, videos, and do-it-yourself content)*. In this very interactive environment, clicks took viewers directly to Roominate pages on Walmart.com, ToysRus.com and Amazon to drive action.
*Source: Consumer Intelligence Series 2015, Media-Savvy Kids, Teens want engaging stories on multiple devices.