Greedy Webkinz Annoys Parents, Trashes Brand
One of the greatest online success stories of the past two years, Webkinz, has suddenly threatened its brand and annoyed its most important constituency (parents) by bombarding kids with ads.
The Webkinz model was simple and brilliant: sell kids a $15 stuffed toy and invite them into a virtual world where their toy exists as an avatar. The concept was so successful that the Webkinz site has jumped to 7 million uniques in October, up 800% year over year and more than twice the size of kiddie site Club Penguin, which Disney recently bought for about $700 million.
But now Webkinz has quietly added ads to its site, and parents feel ambushed and pissed. As Louise Story reports in the Times, many Webkinz parents are threatening to bar their kids from using the site, thus threatening the good will and business value Webkinz' Toronto-based producer Ganz has built over the past two years.
The answer? If Ganz really needs the money, it should immediately eliminate the ads and charge more for the toys. Specifically, it should add "accessory" packages that allow kids to do more in the virtual world. Otherwise, it should just kill the ads, sit back, and collect cash.
The Webkinz model was simple and brilliant: sell kids a $15 stuffed toy and invite them into a virtual world where their toy exists as an avatar. The concept was so successful that the Webkinz site has jumped to 7 million uniques in October, up 800% year over year and more than twice the size of kiddie site Club Penguin, which Disney recently bought for about $700 million.
But now Webkinz has quietly added ads to its site, and parents feel ambushed and pissed. As Louise Story reports in the Times, many Webkinz parents are threatening to bar their kids from using the site, thus threatening the good will and business value Webkinz' Toronto-based producer Ganz has built over the past two years.
The answer? If Ganz really needs the money, it should immediately eliminate the ads and charge more for the toys. Specifically, it should add "accessory" packages that allow kids to do more in the virtual world. Otherwise, it should just kill the ads, sit back, and collect cash.
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Caught them out by IP tracking, but this sort of thing is unethical, and frankly damages their brand even more once outed (thanks for the sounding board, btw ;))
It is UNFAIR and UNETHICAL to "corner" a captive audience of "minors" by:
1. forcing kids, after having bought tens of Webkinz the first year, to "continue" to buy one webkinz EVERY year or the "poor" kid's account will expire...
2. "dangling" the carrot with false advertising. They tell a kid, you won this... or you have that... BUT in order to get it, you must go and buy this or that accessory... This is UNCONSCIONABLE... This CRUEL!...
I really hope that there is a legal way to file a class action lawsuit to fine Webkinz, send rebates to ALL kids who bought webkinz and wer subjected to such abusive antics... and finally FORCE Webkingz to adhere to ETHICAL business practices to avoid breaking the hearts of children...