World’s Biggest Playdate Brand Activation – Little Tikes

Press Coverage of the Event

Event Website

Influencer / At-Home Kit

Sweepstakes

The Approach

Following its major rebrand, the leadership team at MGA Entertainment, which owns Little Tikes, wanted to host a brand activation to celebrate the brand turning 50. The Little Tikes marketing team and I created what became known as the World’s Biggest Playdate, a series of large, in-person activations where families from all over the world could gather for a day of play.

Together, we designed activities featuring iconic Little Tikes toys, photo opportunities, a sweepstakes, and at-home activity kits for parents and influencers to host their own playdates. We secured sponsorship from partner brands like Target, Walmart, Nestle, and more to help finance the event, provide snacks and water, and raise awareness.

I pitched the idea for creating a “World’s Biggest Playdate At-Home Kit” that could double as an influencer box to help create buzz on social media, which went to more than 100 influencer partners and almost 1,000 families. I also developed the concepts behind many of the games and activities included in the influencer kit and put together the ‘How to Host Your Party’ instructions.

Afterwards, I wrote radio ads, an email marketing campaign, an event website, and more materials to promote the three Worlds Biggest Playdate events in the United States.

The Results

With 13 activations in 11 countries across three continents over the day, hundreds of thousands of parents and kids all over the world participated in the first World’s Biggest Playdate event with almost a thousand more families participating in ‘at-home’ parties.

Our retail partners at Walmart, Target, and Amazon sold thousands of Little Tikes toys directly to consumers through their on-site booths, and the event received positive press coverage by local media affiliates.

Attendance at the World’s Biggest Playdate was so successful that the event was turned into a roadshow that went to more than a dozen baseball stadiums over the summer of 2019. A follow-up World’s Biggest Playdate event was planned for 2020, but had to be transitioned to an ‘at home’ version due to the Covid-19 pandemic.