Tom Pirovano, Director, Industry Insights
There’s been some buzz in the news recently about Toys “R” Us acquiring FAO Schwartz. I’m confused by some of the perceived pessimism regarding toy retailers struggling to keep pace with mass merchandisers. From my “food guy” perspective, Toys “R” Us and FAO Schwartz have some very strong brand equity that has the potential to be leveraged in several creative ways. Here are a few opportunities I’d love to see Toys “R” Us pursue if they haven’t already been tested or discussed.

First, change the focus from …

Hispanic-American households spent almost twice as much (90% more) on dried vegetables and grains than average American households during the 52 weeks ending June 28, 2008, according to Nielsen.
These households also outspent average households by 88% on purchases of ice, and by 75%, 72%, and 64%, respectively, on purchases of baby food, baby needs, and disposable diapers.
Acculturated Hispanic-American households — those that speak at least some English at home – account for 10.8% of all U.S. households.  These households represented 20.5% of dried vegetables and grains product dollar sales and 20.3% of …

By 2020, one in five U.S. residents will be Hispanic or Latino.  But despite the growing number of American homes with Spanish speakers, most U.S. companies’ customer service and marketing websites remain English-only, Pete Blackshaw, Nielsen Online Executive Vice President, notes in his latest Ad Age column.
That lack of Spanish-language online content has left many Hispanics out of online consumer discussions, Blackshaw argues.
“If you survey the landscape of brand websites, mini-sites and Facebook brand pages, you’ll be struck by the surprising absence or marginalization (intentional or not) of Spanish-language content,” …