Behind Paw Patrol’s enduring appeal and upcoming movie

“Paw Patrol has managed to do what few franchises have done and it’s creating staying power 10 years strong,” said Jeremy Tucker, who joined Toronto-based Spin Master as executive VP and global chief marketing officer last year after working as CMO at Planet Fitness. Speaking on the latest episode of the Marketer’s Brief podcast, he noted that the brand’s storylines and themes have resonated with preschoolers globally.

Spin Master recently introduced a new spin-off series in the Paw Patrol universe. The new movie is a sequel to 2021’s “Paw Patrol: The Movie” which, after appearing in theaters, has seen success on streaming platforms, Tucker said. Spin Master is planning a new toy line and consumer products with the new release along with other marketing created in partnership with Paramount and Nickelodeon.

While “Barbie” got a boost from its July 21 dual release date with “Oppenheimer,” leading to the double-feature marketing dream of “Barbenheimer,” “Paw Patrol” is also seeing some social media buzz from an unexpected, and unlikely, release date partner. “Saw X,” the latest iteration of the long-running horror franchise, will also debut on Sept. 29, which has led some online to dub the dual movie meme “Saw Patrol.”

Spin Master wouldn’t be promoting that type of meme, but Tucker does discuss how the company maps out its marketing strategy as it considers both kids and parents. Spin Master creates “bespoke marketing” across the brands in its portfolio to leverage each channel for each audience segment, he said.

“Parent-only targeted media and messaging is becoming an increasingly important and bigger part of our mix, and we’re leaning into long-form and we’re leaning into influencers and we’re leaning into channels like TikTok very carefully, only with parents,” Tucker said.

On the podcast, he also discusses the toys Spin Master expects to be hot this holiday season, potentially following in the footsteps of its Christmas must-have Hatchimals toy back in 2016. The company recently introduced Bitzee, an interactive digital pet that users can feed and play with to help it grow.

“If you don’t take care of it, it actually runs away,” said Tucker, noting that the toy is already seeing pre-sales and positive feedback from influencers and consumers following its recent debut at VidCon.

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