Interview: Creative Craft Group on its Play-Doh Partnership
Erik van Erp, Owner/Managing Director and Jordy Schonkeren, Brand Licensing Manager from Creative Craft Group, go in-depth with Totallicensing.com about a new partnership with Play-Doh
Can you tell us a bit about Creative Craft Group?
Creative Craft Group is a leading Arts & Crafts manufacturer from the Netherlands. We have 3 divisions/brands: Grafix, Art Sensations, and Craft Sensations.
We distribute at specialized retail, mass-market retail, hyper- & supermarkets, and discounters. We sell all over the European mainland and in the UK.
And how did the partnership with Play-Doh come about?
Creative Craft Group was looking for a license that would fit the kids’ arts & crafts products and shares our values of creativity and fun. We wanted to work with a brand that would enhance the experience, stand out in retail, and offer retailers a full range of Arts & Crafts items that can stay in-store year-round. We found a match in Play-Doh.
The brand values of Play-Doh focus on a great moment for kids and parents to play and be creative together. The brand already has enormous value as a clay/compound brand, are top of their category and offer high quality products. Consumers not only see Play-Doh as a clay/compound brand, they see it as a broader Arts & Crafts brand that can be enjoyed safely with their kids.
It’s exactly these brand values that allow us to create a timeless range. From basic colouring items that a retailer can sell the whole year, to bigger sets that can be introduced into retail for special periods of the year.
What product categories are in the launch?
Firstly, we introduced a colouring range with items like colouring pencils, felt tip pens, gel pens, crayons and colouring sets, and followed this up with arts & crafts products like poster paint, paint sets, and a stencil set.
And was it well received at Nuremberg?
It was very well received at Nuremberg. In the following weeks we have had conversations with several retailers from European countries. We can’t say much about it yet, but we can share that (part) of the range is already available at different retailers.
We are also proud to share that at the end of the year we will launch in South-Africa, and even more news is coming soon!
What’s next in the partnership?
Next, we aim to add new licenses from the Hasbro portfolio, also some entertainment characters. We have a broad assortment of items that would fit well with some of Hasbro’s leading characters. And of course, we will continue to expand the Play-Doh range. We are already looking into some great items that kids and parents can enjoy together.
