A Social Awakening for Fat Brain Toys

Mark & Erik presenting to the Big Break group

Big Break Contest Background

We recently returned from an extraordinary visit to Facebook headquarters in Palo Alto, California. What on earth was a toy company like Fat Brain Toys doing at “the Book”? As part of the Big Break for Small Business contest sponsored by Facebook and American Express OPEN, Fat Brain Toys had won the proverbial lottery, being chosen as one of just five companies out of 11,000 entrants to spend two days with Facebook experts.

For those of you who are not familiar with the contest, American Express OPEN and Facebook teamed up earlier this year to provide five companies with a “big break”. Specifically, they wanted to give five small businesses the opportunity to grow their businesses by utilizing social media. By combining hands-on training from Facebook experts, and a cash prize by American Express OPEN, it would give these small businesses a unique opportunity to accelerate the growth of their business. It truly would be a “big break”.

But why would Facebook and American Express OPEN bother to do this? As the lucky winner, I must admit that I didn’t fully understand myself...I was just grateful for the opportunity. It didn’t take long to realize that through this contest, we had simply been chosen as missionaries - real life case studies of how social media could impact small business.

While we intend to leverage our learnings to improve our business and the services we provide to our customers, we also want we to do our part to extend what Facebook and American Express OPEN started. We want to help other small businesses succeed too! As a follow-up to this document, we will share some of the key learnings that we walked away with and our personal pledge to help other small businesses. Of course one visit to Facebook does not make us experts in the field of social media. Then again, we are a living and evolving case study that will be in trenches - building, engaging, testing, analyzing, and learning as we go.

American Express OPEN will also be producing a series of videos that will document our learnings and provide even more resources for small businesses. Once those are published, they’ll be available at http://www.facebook.com/OPEN

The Winners

For those of you who voted in the contest, you might be curious about the other winners in the contest. I’ve had numerous friends and family already ask me, “So did you get to meet Big Daddy?”. Yes, I had the distinct pleasure of spending time with Gordon and Darquia of Big Daddy’s BBQ, but also with the owners of Distinctive Gardens, HOPELights and Spoonflower. The thing that amazed me the most was that each of the owners were exactly who they appeared to be on their videos: genuine, gracious, friendly, savvy, and absolutely passionate about their businesses. 

Big Daddy’s BBQ - each time Gordon opened his mouth, he either had us laughing or crying. His story is truly the stuff that American dreams are made of.

Distinctive Gardens - Bud is the tie-dye wearing “face” of the company, but Lisa sits quietly in the background making things happen - including an impressive social media initiative. One of the things that struck me most about Distinctive Gardens is their enduring commitment to their community, and in return, their community’s warm support of them.

HOPELights - Dawn took her own personal challenges, combined it with deep marketing expertise, and created inspirational tools that help the families of children with special needs throughout the country. Her passion for kids with special needs is undeniable...and infectious.

Spoonflower - Inspired by his wife’s simple insight, Stephen Fraser and partner Gart Davis have set out to infuse the otherwise old-school field of fabric design with personalization and high-technology. These seasoned entrepreneurs are giving artists an entirely new medium from which to create.

While we entered the contest as competitors, we all learned from each other throughout the contest and walked away with great mutual respect for each other. Keep an eye out for these companies as they continue to flourish and make an indelible impact in their respective fields.

How Fat Brain Toys Will Apply Social Media

As I write this, with my mind still buzzing with the possibilities of how social media can be deployed in our business, I’m still finalizing my social media to-do list. There were some things we were already doing well. There are a few simple things that can be improved. Still other things things that need to be seriously evolved. Most importantly, we will begin baking social media into all facets of our business. This will be subtle in some areas while dramatic in others. But make no mistake, we intend to use the gift we’ve been given. 

In the coming weeks and months, look for a Facebook “Connect” login in our order process, allowing customers quick and easy access to their shipping information. Look for several exciting social apps for our Fat Brain Toy Awards, Gift Wizard, and Gift Registry. And of course, look for a significantly improved Facebook presence.

All of this is squarely focused on one goal: To bring our unique brand of quality toys & games to even more American households. For nearly nine years now, we’ve been building a foundation for something great. We see social media as the means for accelerating that recognition in the marketplace. As always, we thank you for your support and will continue to work hard to earn your patronage.