Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc: Build-A-Bear.com and Build-A-Bearville.com
Build-A-Bear Workshop, Incorporated’s website Build-A-Bear.com touches all the basic fundamental marketing elements for kid freindly website; large buttons, the primary colors, moving imagery, large easy to read fonts, and simple messages.
The site really pushes product offerings by centering three out of four buttons; “Shop Now”, “Find a Store”, “Party with Us”. The forth button is “Play Games” is dedicated to simple flash games, Build-A-Bear E-Cards, and other creative printables. Each button has a simple directive to sell the company’s products and support it’s brand differential advantage, which is customer designed custom plush animals.
What really shocked me was the websites initiative to drive visitors, primarily younger visitors, to a secondary site called Build-A-Bearville (www.buildabearville.com). From this site visitors can build a custom avatar character that moves and interacts with other visitors. Build-A-Bear allows the visitor to go into interactive “Safe Chat” environments, play games, build a “Cub Condo”, and go on adventures with your bear. Visitors can earn credits to use to purchase virtual products and services. Build-A-Bearville is full virtual world specifically built for children to play and interact. Specifically children who purchase, play, and interact with Build-A-Bear products.
What’s the hook? In order to become a active participant with the Build-A-Bearville avatar world you have to either enter a code supplied by a store bought bear, or get a activation code from online Build-A-Bear representative. Each visitor also has to submit their date of birth, parents email address, and a password. Obviously this data could be used in monitoring the visitors movements, product likes and dislikes, while keep in touch with the primary visitor’s purchaser (the parents).
I was stunned by the depth of design of the Build-A-Bearville website, from it’s custom avatar to it’s long list girl pop in a “Pick and Play” jukebox (in Spanish too).
All in the name to reinforce the Build-A-Bear brand.
HAIL THE BEAR!
Reference:
Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc Official Website. Retrieved September 2, 2009 from Build-A-Bear Web site: http://www.buildabear.com/
Build-A-Bearville Website. Retrieved September 2, 2009 from Build-A-Bearville Web site: http://www.buildabearville.com/
