New Product Launch Gets a Jump Start With Hands-on Trial and Product Demos

The Challenge

LeapFrog wanted to get kids and parents to try the device to see firsthand how fun and engaging it is for young minds. Putting the stylus in a child’s hand and the product in front of parents and educators became a critical part of the marketing strategy. LeapFrog turned to School Family Media to reach the right audience and implement a trial program on a national scale.

The Solution

School Family Media knew that integrating a demo-and trial program into school-family events—such as PreK and kindergarten “boohoo breakfasts,” welcome events, and back-to-school gatherings—would capture the right audience at a time when parents are focused on their kids’ educations. By leveraging its network of PTO and PTA leaders, School Family Media signed up 500 schools. With talking points and marketing materials provided by LeapFrog, each parent group actively promoted their event, set up demonstration spaces, supervised the product trials with kids and families, and personally handed out coupons and information to parents. LeapFrog provided each school with four LeapStart systems: one to be given away as a door prize to a family at the back-to school event, and the other three to be used by the school’s kindergarten classes.

The Results

Participating schools were thrilled to feature the product. Feedback from parents and teachers was overwhelmingly positive, and many complimented LeapFrog’s contribution to their children’s schools and education. With average event attendance exceeding 100 children, more than 40,000 kids spent up to 10 minutes highly engaged with the LeapStart Interactive Learning System. Firsthand feedback from hundreds of parents provided LeapFrog with information on key product features and benefits, such as ease of use, curriculum alignment, engagement level of books, and more. More than 70% of leaders shared the success of their events featuring the LeapStart product on their social media channels, helping spread the word exponentially outside school walls. Many leaders reported funding the purchase of additional systems for their PreK and kindergarten classrooms. The LeapStart Interactive Learning System became one of the holiday season’s hottest educational toys, topping toy review charts everywhere. That’s a leap in the right direction!