THE CHALLENGE

JAKKS Pacific's hit Girl Gourmet line had been making waves in the toy industry, and their award-winning Cupcake Maker was being hailed as "the new EZ-Bake oven" and was getting rave reviews on everything from mommy blogs to Regis and Kelly. JAKKS was hungry for a way to extend the experience for girls. We stepped in to shoulder the cause.

THE STRATEGY

With digital as our lifeblood, we knew the best place to take the Cupcake Maker would be online. With our virtual world already booming within JAKKS' key demographic for this toy, we pitched them the idea of building a custom section in Spark City wrapped around the spirit of Girl Gourmet.

The integration would give girls and parents the chance to interact with the toy before ever having to step foot in a store. For Fuel, our virtual world receives a vibrant new expansion, while on JAKKS' end, they benefit by providing a unique way to extend their customers' experience. As a forward-thinking brand innovator, JAKKS' saw the potential of the idea, and green-lit the project, giving birth to Spark City's first large-scale brand partnership.

CREATIVE AND EXECUTION

With the deal inked, we sat down with JAKKS to explore the specifics of how the Girl Gourmet brand would integrate within the virtual world. After numerous pieces of concept art, we agreed on an in-game candy and sweets shop that would lead girls into a colourful cupcake store. Once inside, girls are invited to participate in a custom game which challenges them to make and serve cupcakes to an ever-growing stream of hungry shoppers.

In addition to this, the Cupcake Maker and additional JAKKS product were threaded throughout AllGirlArcade.com and the mall. For instance, a girl customizing her apartment would be able to spend her gems on a personal cupcake maker to place on her kitchen counter, while others could simply purchase a sweet as a gift for their friends.

The result of the creative integration is that the cupcake maker receives an enormous amount of visibility from an engaged and focused audience. AllGirlArcade.com and Spark City give the users a 24/7 user engagement opportunity that gives the Girl Gourmet Cupcake Maker brand a lasting impression through gaming and a casual hang out space.

PERFORMANCE

The addition of the Girl Gourmet has helped Spark City achieve an ever-increasing engagement time of over 45 minutes, and both the cupcake game and Girl Gourmet environments are serving as a true example of brands as content creators, for the benefit of both customers and companies.

??With the success of the JAKKS Girl Gourmet Cupcake Maker, we wanted to give kids a new way to interact with our brand,? said Gerhard Runken, Director of Marketing, JAKKS Pacific. ??The virtual environment that Fuel built for Spark City truly captures the spirit and fun of Girl Gourmet, and gives kids and parents an introduction and play experience with the brand before even stepping foot into a store.?

JAKKS Pacific is an example of how forward-thinking companies are finding ways to go beyond store shelves to give their customers a rich experience with their product.