VTech Kidizoom Video Camera tops the social toys list for Christmas

VTech’s Kidizoom Video camera looks set to be the success story of Christmas, and Mattel’s Barbie Video Girl is set to bomb, according to analysis by social media agency, Yomego. Yomego used its Social Media Reputation (SMR) index to track the popularity on social media of five new toys launched in time for Christmas, to predict which is likely to be found beneath the most trees on Christmas Day. Scores are out of 100, and take into account ‘reach’ (the number of people talking about the product) and satisfaction of users; and a ‘recency’ score is applied to both.

The toys analysed, ranked in order of social media reputation, are:
6. Vtech Kidizoom (RRP £59.99). SMR: 74.83
7. Hasbro’s Monopoly Revolution (RRP £29.99). SMR: 71.17
8. Hasbros’ Nerf N-Strike Stampede (RRP £54.99). SMR: 65.36
9. FurReal Friends Gogo My Walking Pup (RRP £59.99). SMR: 40.93
10. Mattel’s Barbie Video Girl Doll RRP £59.99. SMR: 42.12

For more information, see Yomego’s blog.

Detailed analysis of each brand:

1. VTech Kidizoom

Reach: 66.45
Recency: 68.87

Satisfaction: 81.56
Recency: 82.45

Overall SMR: 74.83

VTech’s Kidizoom camera is getting the most consistently positive reviews on social media of any of the retailers’ top toys picks, with a positive Social Media Reputation (SMR) score of 74.83 out of 100. The camera has been rocketing up the Amazon toys and Games bestsellers list , and has been given a big thumbs-up by social media users. It ranks a solid 82 in satisfaction, and a heavyweight overall SMR of 74 out of 100.

2. Hasbro: Monopoly Revolution
Reach: 51.25
Recency: 55.48

Satisfaction: 88.68
Recency: 89.25
Overall SMR: 71.17

The surprise hit this year is Monopoly Revolution, released by Hasbro to celebrate the 75th edition of the classic property game, with blogs and news websites including the Guardian tipping it to be a Christmas bestseller. These high-profile mentions have boosted the game’s reach, and glowing reviews have boosted the satisfaction score to a high-scoring 89. Monopoly Revolution strolls into second place with an overall SMR score of 71.

3. Hasbro Nerf N Strike Stampede
Reach: 55.79
Recency: 58.64

Satisfaction: 74.82
Recencey: 72.17

Overall SMR: 65.36

Toy guns have become as much of a festive fixture in recent years as mistletoe and tinsel, so it is no surprise that a lot of young boys will be asking Santa for a Nerf N Strike Stampede this Christmas. Discussion about the toy has boosted its reach score to 58 this month, and satisfaction is also buoyant, achieving a strong score of 72. Boasting a fully-automatic clip with 18 darts, this luminous toy weapon is likely to appeal to boys (and we dare say their fathers too). The £59.99 price point has been noted by thrifty forum users as excessively high, but with an overall SMR score of 65 the N-Strike Stampede is on-target to be a winner this Christmas.

4. FurReal Friends Gogo My Walking Pup

Reach: 29.35
Recency: 30.67

Satisfaction: 51.35
Recency: 52.34

Overall SMR: 40.93

Faring almost as badly is the FurReal Friends Gogo My Walking Pup. It may be popular with children, but early reviews, reflected in the low satisfaction score (hovering around the 50 mark), suggest the toy sheds its hair just like a real dog and that the 18 different sound effects amount only to wailing and panting, likely to drive mum and dad insane. An overall SMR of 40 suggests that this is unlikely to be top dog this Christmas.

5. Mattel’s Barbie Video Girl Doll

Reach: 32.35
Recency: 33.44

Satisfaction: 51.43
Recency: 51.25

Overall SMR 42.12

Doing less well, is the Barbie Video Girl Doll, which according to social media reviews, is an amalgamation of a poor quality video camera and a doll, resulting in an SMR of just 42. According to social media users, the RRP of £59.99 represents a hefty investment, and online opinions are divided. This Barbie girl scores low in satisfaction terms, with a paltry 51; and an overall score of 42.

For more information on SMR, see www.yomego.com, or www.mysocialmediareputation.com.
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About Yomego
Yomego is a specialist social media agency. It offers brands a mixture of strategic insight, creative design and expert implementation to help them create (and monetise) entertaining and engaging digital communities across web, TV and mobile platforms. It has created successful social media campaigns for brands including: GMTV, Five, ITV, MTV, eircom, Ladbrokes, Durex, Tayto, BetFred, Dennis Publishing and Fremantle (among others).
About Social Media Reputation
Yomego’s SMR service tracks what’s being said about a brand, and by whom, across 29,000 social media channels, measuring data including the number of people exposed to messages about the brand and the level of positive or negative sentiment. A team of SMR specialists analyse this data, providing insight and practical recommendations to boost reach and improve a brand’s reputation. It will even provide live alerts if a reputation score takes a sudden dip, and highlight its source.

This analysis can be used to track a brand’s reputation; to analyse the impact of particular campaigns (online or offline) or product launches; or to provide an early warning system of a potential issue that will affect the brand’s reputation both online and offline.
For more information, see http://www.yomego.com.
Media contact
For more information and to speak to Steve Richards (MD, Yomego), please contact:
Kate Hartley
Carrot Communications
Tel: 0771 406 5233
Kate.hartley@carrotcomms.co.uk
Twitter: @katehartley