“Licenses have a crucial role in the musical toy market” | Key4Communications |

The toy’s company Claudio Reig is celebrating its 75th anniversary. Handmade toys, music boxes and wooden little pianos were first produced in the 40s; mass production was introduced in the 50s and new technologies were implemented in the 90s. Jerome Reig, managing director of the company, affirms that licenses are crucial for this sector and that new technologies and TV content lead the market.  Reig holds good prospects for the industry in 2015

-Which are the novelties for 2015?
-New licenses such as  Frozen, My Little Pony and  Transformers will be incorporated and we will also release new products.

-How do you see the musical toy market in Spain compared to other European markets?
-The truth is that the Spanish market and the European one are really similar. There are only small differences due to different taste and culture. The fact that the musical toy is targeted sometimes only to people related to the musical world is a problem everywhere.

-What is the role of licenses in this sector?
-Licenses have a crucial role in our market. There may be countries with a great music culture that have better products and do not need licenses, but in Spain TV shows, movies and characters have a huge impact.

-Which are the expectations of the company in 2015?
-The trend shows that digital products and TV content lead the market. If this trend continues and musical TV shows are successful, we feel really positive.  We seek to offer a broad range of products that meet our clients’ needs, collaborate with distribution services and focus on the after-sales service.

-Claudio Reig is celebrating its 75th anniversary, how has the company adapted to social changes over the century?
-It is true that in 75 years the company’s development has been enormous. First of all, we started producing wooden and metal toys and eventually plastic was introduced. Secondly, mass production and new technologies were implemented: the trend nowadays is to personalize toys through technology.  From my point of view, the key is the fact that we have our own products and also licensed ones. We have always tried to adapt to the market’s demand and broaden our target.

-Which are the keystones of your business development?
-We feel really proud that we are turning 75. I believe we still have a long path ahead of us. If I have to talk about a pivotal moment, I would definitely highlight the implementation of mass production in the 50s. Moreover, the introduction of digital technologies in the 90s was also a milestone and in 2000 licensed products were brought into the company.

-Has children’s interest in musical toys changed over time?
-It actually has. There are several factors that explain why children feel more attracted by musical toys nowadays than when the company was founded. More integrated licenses, musical TV shows and the raising importance of music as a school subject have increased children’s interest in musical toys. However, it is also true that recently kids are losing interest in music and more traditional toys; this is why we try to merge the physical and digital worlds, for example by connecting  a traditional guitar or keyboard to a tablet, mobile phone or MP3. On the other hand, we strongly believe that playing an instrument has a physical component such as the sense of touch, the volume or even the position of the instrument. Children will not get these crucial things just by using a tablet or a phone.

-Which is the most successful musical toy among children nowadays?
-The musical instruments that children like the most nowadays are those that let them emulate their favourite artists. We believe this is the reason why guitars and microphones are the most demanded ones.