Client
KidsGive
Category
Strategy + Positioning · Brand identity · Digital · Packaging · Exhibition + Retail · Signage · Publications + Print · Advertising · Video + Titles
Doing well by doing good
KidsGive founders Laura Rangel and Lisa Steen-Proctor had a vision: to help struggling families overseas and, at the same time, teach American kids the joy of giving. They wanted children to feel connected to their counterparts in the rest of the world.
To do that, they designed a stunning collection of dolls called Karito Kids (“karito” means “caring” in Esperanto). Each large-scale doll represented a girl from a different country — China, Italy, Mexico, Kenya and the United States. KidsGive dressed them not in native costume, but in contemporary fashions to emphasize the cultures’ similarities as much as their differences. They commissioned exciting mystery adventure books from top children’s authors. Finally, they built a website that encouraged participation, rewarded caring, entertained, educated, and created a community of girls, all of whom wanted to give back to the world around them.
What we did
We were lucky to get involved early and deeply, creating a brand identity, packaging, trade exhibits, website, point of purchase displays, promotional videos and trade advertising that helped catapult Karito Kids to the pinnacle of recognition in the toy industry. Our snazzy, colorful graphics positioned the brand as something very different from the competition.
Results
The visibility we generated created instant industry awareness. Which led to Karito Kids receiving over 20 major industry awards in their first 12 months on the market, including Toy of the Year from TIA. Promoted by Brooke Shields, featured on the Today show, and recommended by Oprah in O Magazine, we helped get Karito Kids off to a stellar start, despite the hard-hit industry they chose. And hundreds of families overseas benefited from the percentage of retail sales that KidsGive distributed to its nonprofit partners.