The UK PR agency will generate new content for Cepia’s influencer programme, with the aim of getting the Versus World on Christmas wish lists.
UK PR agency Norton PR has been enlisted by Cepia to drive a high-profile influencer outreach programme of activity in the run up to Christmas for one of the hottest US collectibles, the Versus World.
Cats vs Pickles is the fastest growing plush collectible, according to US NPD data, and Cepia wants to share with fans its new expansion into a line-up of “versus” brand characters including Dogs vs Squirls, Kittens vs Gherkins and Bears vs Donuts.
The campaign outreach will include YouTube and Instagram takeovers, unboxing outreach and participation in Influencer events to seed products into the social media streams and drive holiday sales.
“The Versus World is one of those properties that is a joy to work on given its strong back story and existing collector fan base,” said Emma Arthur, PR director at Norton PR. “With our track record of supporting licensed product launches in the UK and Europe, the opportunity to develop an established audience by generating new, engaging and exciting content is an exciting new challenge.”
Kicking off the programme of activity with a dedicated branded area at this year’s BlogOn Xmas event this coming weekend, Influencer attendees will have the unique experience of being ‘sorted’ into Team Cat or Team Pickle with the opportunity to make and share branded content during the day and post-event. The Versus World collectible ranges will also form the basis of a mass influencer unboxing and review campaign tagging key retailers plus online takeovers linking to new content.
“A strong social media and influencer strategy is mission critical to generate awareness and demand amongst our target kid and kidult collector customers,” said Cepia CEO James Russell Hornsby, “We were seeking an agency who could help us get the Versus World properties into the hands of creators and are so excited about the plan that Norton will bring to market.”
A recent survey of over 1300 Cats vs Pickles fans revealed that the average collection size is over 70 characters, with 20% boasting collections of 120 or more in just the past year. The brand also has kid and adult fans, with both boys and girls collecting. Remarkably, more than 60% of all fans report that they regularly take their Cats vs Pickles collectibles with them to school or to work, making it a true lifestyle brand.
