Grumpy Monkey is my classmate
I saw a job posting for a Children's Books Marketing Manager at Penguin Random House publishing and it got me thinking. Traditional marketing techniques get you traditional results. Which is fine - a solid mix of social, influencer, paid & earned ads, library/author events & outreach, and with something like children's books marketing, a strong focus on YouTube along with a healthy dose of community engagement across the various blogs, Reddit, Facebook groups and other commentary based marketing will all definitely get you solid results.
But...
I'm always interested in the unique idea that often brings in greater results. Typically from generating exponential exposure through the press, and typically involving a more experiential marketing approach. Here's a few experiential marketing ideas I had with the potential for press picking it up:
Let's pick the Grumpy Monkey series because my youngest loves those books.
- Video of Grumpy Monkey (physical mascot or digital production depending on budget) in a classroom sitting at the desks, drawing on the smart board, going through their cubbies, that would be shown in class or during their Library time.
Many classrooms have a very similar look so it would feel like Grumpy Monkey is in the kids classroom when they weren't there. He leaves pages from the book under each kid's desk and they have to compile the book in page # order to then get to read it at circle time.
Could also include an updated class photo set for each kid with Grumpy Monkey digitally added to the class group pic as well as an individual school photo of Grumpy Monkey in his picture day outfit.
Many classrooms have a very similar look so it would feel like Grumpy Monkey is in the kids classroom when they weren't there. He leaves pages from the book under each kid's desk and they have to compile the book in page # order to then get to read it at circle time.
Could also include an updated class photo set for each kid with Grumpy Monkey digitally added to the class group pic as well as an individual school photo of Grumpy Monkey in his picture day outfit.
- Place copies of the book in the sharing library boxes in specific high target audience neighborhoods with special stuffed animals, confetti and a grumpy monkey mascot appearance when a kid takes the book from the display. Camera crews at the ready, to use footage across media channels.
- A Pop-up life-size (kid size) walk through of the book as an installation in a high foot traffic area. Could also be done via Augmented reality/virtual reality with additional Random House children's books available for selection to walk through.
Here's the job description:
We are looking for a Marketing Manager to join the Random House Children’s Books Trade Marketing team to assist in the development and execution of marketing materials and campaigns across the board book and picture book list. Random House Children’s Books is home to bestselling and award-winning trade authors and illustrators from Suzanne and Max Lang (creators of the Grumpy Monkey series) and Jill McDonald (Hello, World!) to Emily Winfield Martin (The Wonderful Thing You Will Be), Bess Kalb and Erin Kraan (Buffalo Fluffalo), Sophie Blackall (Ahoy!) and more.
Reporting to the Assistant Director, the Marketing Manager will work closely with the School & Library Marketing, Audience Engagement, and Publicity teams to develop materials and execute cohesive plans to reach booksellers and parents of young readers with the intent of creating awareness and driving sales.
If you like these ideas and want to use them or collaborate, let me know here.
