Webkinz is The Future of the Web
With the economy the way it is (it doesn’t effect poor people like me, poor is poor) many companies and independents are wondering how they will survive the advertising drop that is sure to happen to them. I am not going to go into my usual speech about diversification of revenue because you know that already (although you don’t do it) and instead point you to a model that has been around for 4 years now, but that I was just recently introduced to. Webkinz seems to be nothing but stuffed animals in real life. My little cousin got a couple of Christmas and I asked her about them and she explained that not only are they just cute stuffed animals, but you can play with them online.
Of course since she is only 7 I figured that you were only able to do some very basic things with your new pet online, but I must admit I was thoroughly impressed when I checked out the website to see what you are actually able to do. In a nutshell, you adopt your pet and then are introduced to The Sims online with your pet. You can customize your pet’s room, play games (with your friends) and trivia (all for more points into purchasing goodies for your pet). I know this sounds simplistic, but it I hope you understand how addictive this is for kids. There are ads on the site and subtle pushes for new products to make kids bug their parents to go out and buy them new stuff.
Even better there is no limit to how many Webkinz you can own and control. My cousin has around 23 if I remember correctly and she was telling me her friend had 69. Think about that…69 purchases for one child. Mix that in with the amount of time she spends online interacting with her pets and you have a goldmine sitting right in front of you.
Now the reason I bring up Webkinz as an example of a great business model is because it shows how well you can do if you properly integrate the online and offline worlds. There aren’t many companies that pull that off well. I know Facebook and Myspace are solely focused on what they are doing now, but I have a couple of ideas of how they begin to expand their brand and reach just by reaching out into the offline world. Imagine if 9rules held one of our mythical meetups where members and non-members could come and discuss everything they do.
These are the times where companies tend to scale back and wait for a better economy to emerge when in fact these are the best times for innovation and pushing forward. By doing so when a better economy comes around the corner you are so far ahead of the curve that everyone will wonder how you even got there. And although all of our readers are adults here, I suggest you take a look at Webkinz and see what kind of ideas you can gleam from their success.
Cory O'Brien # —
I agree; now is the time to innovate, not stagnate, and Webkinz is a great example of a company that is expanding by combining the online and offline in a new and unique way. Let’s just hope that other companies start to get their act together soon.
Gnorb # —
“Imagine if 9rules held one of our mythical meetups where members and non-members could come and discuss everything they do.”
Still waiting for the Tampa meetup.
On the actual topic of the post, I’m left wondering whether there might actually be a limitation with which markets you can pull this off with successfully. Your prime example is Webkinz, which is aimed at a group that has never existed in a world without the Internet. MySpace and Facebook are also heavily geared toward younger crowds, though obviously not exclusively. Without making it feel like a gimmick (remember CueCat?) can this be done with anyone born before 1980? 1990?
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