The "Strategy at a Glance" below details the show's positioning, consumer products strategy and plans, TV specials, retail initiatives and show facts.

Overview

Blue’s Clues revolutionized preschool TV with its interactive, play to learn format.  A TV and merchandise hit, Blue’s Clues has established itself as a leading preschool brand and will continue to delight preschoolers for years to come with new TV series characters & content and new consumer products offerings!

And in 2004, Blue’s Clues adds a whole new interactive segment with Blue’s Room.  For the first time ever, preschoolers will hear Blue talk – directly to them!

 

Positioning

The “New Classic” Preschool Property

 

Target

Primary:         Boys and Girls 2-5, and Moms

Secondary:    Tween girls, grandparents, gift-givers

CP Strategy - Key Plans

  • Focus product and marketing efforts around Blue’s Clues Educational line launch Fall 2003 with “Blue Takes You to School” on-air and on-pack promotion (August)
  • Leverage on-air introduction of new show segment Blue’s Room Spring 2004
  • Launch all-new Blue’s Clues products: Blue’s Room July 2004 including new “talking” Blue, new characters and icons and all new product packaging

Key Product Plans

Fall 2003

EDUCATIONAL (Fall)

  • Activity: “Blue U” themed activities featuring promo burst
  • Apparel & Accessories: “Blue U” themed apparel
  • Books: Tie-in titles from S&S (Blue’s First Hundred Days of School) and Random House; New titles in the Scholastic Nick Jr. Book Continuity Series, New Soundbooks from PIL; Blue featured in Chronicle Books Nick Jr. launch with ABC Block Book set & Interactive craft book; Workbooks & Flashcards from Learning Horizon
  • Gift: Enesco back-to-school themed waterball
  • Home Furnishings: Dan River “Blue U” bedding
  • Home Video:  Paramount “Blue Takes You to School” VHS/DVD (8/26,  print advt)
  • Interactive:  new CD-ROM themed to tentpole, re-promote educational titles
  • Stationery: Introduction of Blue’s Clues “back to school” products (preschool line of stationery/writing supplies – writing tablets, chunky markers, stampers, etc)
  •   Toys: Fisher-Price ELA’s

OTHER KEY LAUNCHES AND CATEGORIES

  • Bath items, packaged goods, party goods, junior stationery, gift

2004

BLUE’S ROOM (Summer/Fall)

  • Activity: Flying Colors activity and stationery line
  • Apparel and Accessories: themed apparel; Global Design Concepts backpacks
  • Books: Simon & Schuster and Random House/Golden Books titles
  • Consumer Electronics: karaoke machine
  • Home Video: “Blue Talks” VHS/DVD (May); Blue’s Room tentpole title (August)
  • Toys: Fisher-Price toys; Hasbro game; Playhut play tent

Key Initiatives/Tentpoles

Fall 2003

  • TV programming special “Scavenger Hunt” (7/14)
  • Tentpole “Blue Takes You to School” primetime event (8/11)
    • On-air and on-pack sweepstakes (CP promotional overlay)
    • Consumer advertising in parenting publications
  • TV special “Blue’s First Holiday” (Dec)
  • RIF Partnership tie-in (TBD)

2004

  • New Live tour themed to Blue’s Room (2.5 MM BC Live attendees to date)
  • Tentpole “The Legend of the Blue Puppy” primetime event (Feb)
    • BLUE TALKS!  New interactive segment, Blue’s Room
    • Major consumer advertising campaign
  • TV special “Car Trip” (May/TBD)
  • TV music event “Bluestock” (June/TBD)
  • TV programming event with 24-minute Blue’s Room special (Aug)

CP Advertising/ Marketing

Fall 2003

  • CP promotional overlay for “Blue Takes You to School” (Aug-Sept)
  • CP TV, print and online advertising for “Blue Takes You to School” (8/18-9/7)

2004

  • CP promotional overlay for Blue’s Room products including on-pack and on-air sweepstakes (August)
  • CP TV, print and online advertising supporting Blue's Room products (August)

Ratings & Q-score

  • #1 Q-score among mothers of preschoolers (#27 Character Q-score)1
  • #2 preschool show on all commercial TV among Kids 2-52
  • 13.9 MM monthly viewers3

1)        Marketing Evaluations, Inc: 5/03
2)        Nielsen: 3/31/03-6/29/03
3)        Nielsen Cume Data: 5/03

Retail Initiatives

Fall 2003

  • Payless: Nick Feature Area and multi-property hopscotch mat for game play in store
  • Kay-Bee Toys: dedicated Nickelodeon Boutique
  • Kmart: 17ft Nick featured toy section (Aug-Dec)
  • JC Penney Nick Zone (Holiday ’03 -‘04)
  • Lowe's: Nick Paints Program
  • Party City: Nick Section
  • Borders: Feature in Amphitheater section
    - Nick Days
    - 45 Store Openings
    - Summer     Reading Club
  • Waldenbooks Nick section
  • Wal-Mart: Cross-merchandising opportunity with toddler apparel, book, vision centers (TBD)
  • Tween Apparel Initiative: Nick to work with Key trend tween retailers and catalogues to encourage placement of iconic Blue U items (TBD)
  • Kay-Bee Toys: dedicated Nickelodeon Boutique
  • Kmart: Nick Feature Toy Area (7.5 ft August – December)
  • Lowe's: Nick Paints program
  • Party City: Dedicated Nickelodeon feature space
  • Carlton Card Shops: featured in 16ft. dedicated Nick signage. Blue also featured in window signage at over 400 Carlton stores
  • Books A Million: Blue will be a featured property in 12ft dedicated Nick section with signage at 160 BAM stores

  Show Facts

  • Show launch: September 1996
  • # of episodes: 141
  • TV schedule: Airs 11x a week: Mon-Fri at 10:30am and 11:30am; weekends on CBS

Last updated 11/1/03.