PEZ DISPENSERS - PEZ CANDY DISPENSERS

www.pez.com PEZ dispensers, the toy, sweet and collectable in one, have become a global household name. For decades, many famous comic and cartoon characters have been transformed into PEZ dispensers. A constant stream of new and varied character heads keep the brand fresh. According to Big Kick Research in the UK, the brand is widely known among 6-10 year-olds and most children in this age group have at least one dispenser. In addition, many 9-10 year-olds also collect PEZ dispensers. What does the What does the brand promise you? brand promise you? The brand’s success is based on its emphasis of high quality in terms of design and functionality. PEZ’s constant new, top licensing themes from the world of cartoons and comic heroes make sure the characters retain their appeal to consumers. Before licensing a character, PEZ carefully checks if the film story or comic behind the licence is appropriate for children. It’s important for the brand’s values that the story and character are not violent. PEZ’s mission is to provide a unique toy, sweet and collectable in one to inspire children’s imaginations and encourage sociable playing. What is PEZ? There are a lot of sweet dispensers on the market but only PEZ has the classic patented dispenser and the latest character heads. Consumers easily recognise the genuine article. The compressed PEZ sweets are tablet-shaped to ensure they fit snugly into the dispenser. Single sweets can be dispensed through lifting the dispensers head. They are available in strawberry, lemon, orange and cherry flavours. All PEZ sweets are made without colourings, which mean they do not contain any E numbers. PEZ dispensers span a broad product range inspired by the top licensing themes from the world of cartoon and comic heroes. Classic licenses include The Jungle Book, Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse, The Lion King and Looney Tunes. PEZ also recreates top characters from the latest films such as Madagascar, Star Wars and Shrek, which have a relatively short life-cycle compared to the iconic dispensers. The product range also includes numerous in-house creations as well as seasonal products. These include the 30cm tall XXL PEZ dispenser, the PEZ Racing Car dispenser and Mini Fantastic PEZ dispensers in the form of little fluffy animals. As well as being popular with children, PEZ has become a cool collectable amongst adults. Collectors are known to be in continuous contact with each other around the globe, in order to extend their collections. Similarly, PEZ is becoming increasingly popular with students and young adults, who view the PEZ dispenser as a cult object and fashion accessory. Did you How was the brand developed? Nearly 80 years ago, in Austria, Eduard Haas III developed a peppermint candy made of pressed sugar and peppermint oil that was marketed as the ‘High Society Mint’. The German word for peppermint is PfeffErminZ, which is where the brand name ‘PEZ’ is derived from. During its first 10 years, the PEZ candy was geared exclusively towards adults. The shape of the original PEZ candy has stayed the same since its launch in 1927, but now has a far reaching appeal. In addition, PEZ is available today in more flavours, including strawberry, lemon, orange and cherry in the UK. The first PEZ dispenser was introduced in 1940, but again, it was targeted purely at adults with a product in the shape of a cigarette lighter. In 1952, small heads were put onto the dispensers. Ten years later, in 1962, Disney characters like Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy made their first appearance on the top of the PEZ dispenser, giving the brand strong appeal to children. With each new series, the PEZ brand increasingly becomes a collector’s item. know? 4.2 billion pieces of PEZ are consumed every year. Placed end to end, this quantity of sweets would be enough to circle the equator one and a half times. The most expensive PEZ dispenser is ‘Spare Froh’, a mascot of an Austrian bank, from 1970. It recently sold for approximately US$1,500. More than 65 million sold annually around more than 4.2 billion sweets are consumed dispensers are the globe and single PEZ each year. Where would you have seen the brand? PEZ dispensers and refills are readily available on the high street. They are sold in supermarkets, selected independent newsagents and corner shops as well as some department stores and high street fashion stores. PEZ licenses change every two months to keep up with the latest cartoon and comic characters and to retain the interest of children and collectors. These constant changes help to strengthen and revive the brand and ensure PEZ remains relevant to its young audience. PEZ has a strong and colourful marketing history, with advertising dating back to the 1920s, which focused on the brand’s benefits and values. In 2002 and 2003 PEZ launched TV advertising which boosted its brand awareness immensely. Since then, PEZ has focused on integrated campaigns which include online marketing, sampling, PR, direct marketing and ambient media. The central message of the brand’s current campaign is: ‘PEZ – the coolest collectable on the planet.’ PEZ offers a sweet, toy and collectable in one, so therefore has three different target groups it needs to consider in its marketing: children, which are the largest audience, followed by young adults and collectors of all age groups. Loyal collectors are a valuable, focused target group so PEZ will be running a large collector’s promotion this year. It also aims to encourage young children to build up their PEZ collection and become loyal collectors. Other marketing channels include regular on-pack, print and online competitions to keep consumers involved with PEZ. Sampling promotions and cross promotions with other character licensees increase brand awareness. In addition, in 2005 PEZ dispensers were voted the 98th best gadget ever by the magazine Mobile PC. PEZ made an appearance in the 1982 children’s classic E.T., one of the biggest grossing films of all times. XX Kids Superbrands Kids Superbrands XX