Thursday, December 15, 2011

Hasbro's Senior Global Brand Marketing Manager of My Little Pony Position Open!

That's a long title right there! The main point about this one though, is the small blurb buried in the job description:
As a key member of our team, you will ensure the brand essence and all expressions of "anything My Little Pony" is consistent across platforms…and become a part of making the My Little Pony brand a pop culture phenomenon!
Looks like they are recruiting someone that understands it's relevance in pop culture. 

The rest of it is actually pretty entertaining too, complete with "somepony" and a few other small references to the actual show. 

Check out the full application here.

Based on the job requirements, it looks like "blogging about ponies" for a year doesn't qualify me.  Maybe some of you marketing majors out there can pull it off though?

144 comments:

Jelfes said...

Sorry, Seth, better luck next time, maybe there's a job position that does need that as a requirement!

derpy dash typhlosion said...

hat no fear! our friendly neighborhood seth is here!

jwq said...

Integrated marketing initiatives are now magical adventures.

Eric said...

Maybe somepony will finally get Hasbro to start producing plushies.

wackypony said...

the only thing they need to work on is more of a gender neutral color scheme. <_< oh, and less scary as fuck looking toys.

Echoj2 said...

Awesome, they are going to take advantage of their unexpected fan-base finally.

bestpony? AJ ;) said...

Maybe not you Seth, but I bet somepony who visits your site often will get the job! So it's kinda like you got the job... In some weird way... Through association!

r0ninKai said...

Somepony get on this. Before we get a pink Derpy Hooves!

DeftCrow said...

Does this mean official plushies and DVD/BluRay sets?

Vanishing said...

Yet another job my Bachelor's in Wildlife Biology will not help me out. Fuck.

Matoro said...

Hm, Does Hasbro have any business internships open?

Solar Phoenix said...

Does this job entail ensuring that the toys correspond to the characters they're based off of? If so, that explains why they canned the last guy and are hiring again.

Nimbus Buster said...

Well... Looks like getting my MBA this spring could turn out awesome XD

Shinmizu said...

@Vanishing
Totally should have majored in Farmlife Biology instead.

PonyPonyPonyBrony said...

Apply anyway Seth; you'd be the best!
Flood the market with Trixie!

Anyway, I'm super happy that this is gonna happen. Toys are gonna be so much better! =D

r0ninKai said...

"And much like our core cast of ponies bond together in friendship and have magical adventures together"


Hahaha. They're really serious about this aren't they? x3

Zurkoslat said...

"And much like our core cast of ponies bond together in friendship and have magical adventures together"
This is a pretty entertaining job description.

Wing0002 said...

I THINK BRONY NEEDS TO BE A CRITICAL SKILL TOO

Kelvin said...

If a Brony got into Hasbro would that mean maybe a white Princess Celestia toy?

Flutterfan said...

"become a part of making the My Little Pony brand a pop culture phenomenon!"

How to make My Little Pony a pop culture phenomenon

Step 1: Just stay out of the Bronies way.

Step 2: There is no step 2.

Masquerade said...

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
YEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!

Now placing bets on the month of the arrival for new, show-accurate toys! I'm saying either November 2012 or March 2013.

Rainbow Dash said...

I dunno seth, some of those "other requirements" seem to fit what you do on a daily basis!!

Kadreal said...

@Flutterfan

Knowing Marketing, I think they are looking for someone who can make some serious cash from this pop culture phenomenon. Which will be a bit more complicated.

Kyronea said...

I'm not sure there's anyone in the entire community that can fulfill those requirements. Not because the community is incapable, but because I wouldn't think marketing students would be all that interesting in giving the show a chance.

But I could always be mistaken.

Urthdigger said...

So, no more pink Celestias?

BossManJohn said...

One of us should rise up from the darkness and declare official and awesome toys, video games, and dvd box sets! My money cannon is pointed at the screen, let's do it!

Lord Bloomberg said...

First we own the internet...
Now we own Hasbro...
Next up... THE WORLD

Makaque said...

@Kyronea
Given that most of us are adult males, isn't it a bit late to be making these kinds of assumptions about who would be interested in ponies?

DeRockProject said...

@Flutterfan

There are always more ways to blow things up even bigger.

This looks VERY promising. Let's admit. The toys. Fucking pieces of shit. But I see where this is going. Maybe it's not that big of a change, who knows. But I can be SURE, this IS a change for the better.

I am very excited about this. And I hope to dear god whoever gets hired knows enough about the fandom to know what we want. The merchandise are finally making the change the show made last year.

Marcoooootje1 said...

"And much like our core cast of ponies bond together in friendship and have magical adventures together"

Heh, that's a win.

scienceandponies said...

One of the only times I may regret not selling my soul and becoming a business major.

IF ANYONE WHO READS THIS ENDS UP WITH THE JOB:

#1: PLUSHIES AND SHOW ACCURATE TOYS!

#2: A Twilight themed line of educational products. Think "My Little Chemistry" sets, microscopes, etc. Make money and get little girls interested in science. I would go out and make a child to buy this for them.

I really hope their marketing division implements a suggestion box.

Xeddrief said...

>Become Manager
>Ensure Toys are actually acurate to the show for once.
>Release some goddamn DVDs. In all areas.
>Success!

Broznik said...

I took a couple marketing classes in high school that I barely passed... does that count? :D

Jedifreak said...

@scienceandponies
Perhaps an Astronomy set instead. Fewer liability issues, look at the pretty stars, and you can listen to family members talk about the constellations.

scienceandponies said...

@Jedifreak

Yes! Astronomy sets would be great. Maybe have some magnet sets with one of those magnet wands shaped like a unicorn horn.

Not only would it probably be profitable (at least I think so) there's plenty of good publicity to be had in tackling the gender gap in science.

Passing thought. Hasbro already owns Easy Bake Oven, so it's a no brainer to slap Pinkie on it.

Неверхуд фёдорович said...

Hey Hasbro.
I know you don't hear me, but if you are...
PLEASE don't try to make too much money on us? It won't be the same if you change your marketing company a lot, and I'm sure you can do this right. But make sure you don't mess it up and try to take too much from us? Ponies are deliciously unique, leading them to the ultrabrandcartoon section won't do any good. And from utter joy ponies will just bring dim satisfaction.

Mike said...

Well, if a brony gets the position, at least we can expect marketing to improve. And maybe if we're lucky they can bridge the gap between the sales division and the people who actually write the episodes. I'd do it, but I'm still in school. It'd have to pay real well, if I could even get it in the first place; they probably want someone with more experience anyway.

Mike said...

@scienceandponies
"Passing thought. Hasbro already owns Easy Bake Oven, so it's a no brainer to slap Pinkie on it."
^
WIN
Seriously, maybe it seems like a no-brainer to you, but I'm sure that's never occurred to most people. You might be good for that position.

Mike said...

"As a key member of our team, you will ensure the brand essence and all expressions of "anything My Little Pony" is consistent across platforms…and become a part of making the My Little Pony brand a pop culture phenomenon!"
^
lol, not only does Hasbro know about us, but that right there looks like brony bait... Come to think of it, I wouldn't mind working in Rhode Island...

Kit said...

Oh gosh!
It'd be like having our very own spokespony from Hasbro! Someone we could voice our complaints to, share our ideas with... Someone needs to do this, I'm not a business major! x3

ytook said...

It looks to me as if Hasbro are reaching out to the fandom with this. they know they have lighting in a bottle with this unexpected demographic and they need somepony who at least knows the fandom.

As long as they see that the show advertises their products through its quality far more efectively than just introducing lots of characters to make toys of ever could (I'm looking at you multi coloured daleks...)

Zapper said...

This is beautiful.

Hasbro's gone from being surprised about bronies, to accepting them, to embracing them wholeheartedly. Incredible.

scienceandponies said...

@Mike

Education and Experience Requirements:

- Minimum of 7 years of progressive experience in consumer packaged goods marketing, preferably supporting a global brand.
- Bachelors Degree in Marketing, Advertising or related field.
- MBA preferred.
- Functional experience and/or knowledge will include:
- Expertise at implementation of a fully integrated marketing program.
- International experience and global perspective.

What I have:
-Bachelor's Degree in physics from UC Berkeley.
-Nearly wrapped up teaching credential
-2.5 years experience working in the university dining commons.


Doesn't look that promising. Though coming up with interesting potential advertising and marketing ideas was always something I was pretty good at. I wouldn't mind getting $20 per idea I throw at them considering how broke I am. If they open up an online suggestion box I'd give it for free. Suggestion #1 is implement suggestion box.

Ysalamiri said...

OH God, someone GET :D

Also, sollicitation tip: You don't "need" all the years of experience or all the requirements. In job applications they're always looking for that 1 perfect person who can do anything. And he doesn't exist :D

Octavia said...

Yeah... for anyone considering it... keep in mind it's for marketing -manager-. At a huge corporation. Like the above poster copy/pasted, they want someone VERY qualified for the position. Also keep in mind there will probably be people applying with even more than the minimum requirements. lol I'm not saying the chances are small... but... the chances might be small. :P It's one of those jobs where some of the best in the field will probably be applying for. But for anyone out there who thinks they have the qualifications for it and think they can do it, I say give it a try. Worth a try anyway.

Serephius said...

Kids chemistry sets are already pretty tame as they go. Pretty easy to control what reactions are possible with what you load em with. With a full disclaimer for supervision and not using non-set substances.

If you're really scared, make it an enclosed chamber with a view screen and some mixing mechanisms.

Prolly aim for the older end of the target audience though.

I think Hasbro needs more threads like this. I am tempted to copy this in a week and send it to them.

scienceandponies said...

@Serephius

I definitely second the copy and send idea. With any luck, a brony will get the job and get in contact with Equestria Daily. Maybe setup a feedback thread. I would at least hope than whoever gets the job keep this site bookmarked to track the spread of news for the strategies they implement.

Meep said...

Wow that's a very Pony Specified Job if I ever saw one >:3

Shame...

If only Seth didn't keep playing Skyrim he might have had a chance ^^

scienceandponies said...

I need to sleep, but can't stop with merch ideas. I'm thinking pony banks, maybe have sound clips play when coins are put in. Thinking there should be a Spike one where you feed them into his mouth (coins are sorta like gemstones right?). Also, not really for kids, but a Spike lighter would be sweet.

So I've noticed that my plans to make more educational physics and ponies videos (since my school got out really early) keeps getting derailed by obsessivley checking Equestria Daily. Confound these ponies for distracting me from ponies! Okay, need to go to sleep now.

The Commander said...

If I were a marketing Major...

Baron said...

*Just got up* If we've read "Rich Dad Poor Dad" do we qualify? >> << Arbitrage!

derpyderp910 said...

Pick me! Pick me! I have the degree... but not the experience.

Three years as a contract negotiator for a pharmaceutical company count? Probably not...

Mike said...

@scienceandponies

I wish I had those credentials too... Oh well.

Stargazer said...

If someone does get this possition, seth is still a valuable source of information toward the fandom of the show.

foreverrr said...

Aww, too bad I'm still in school, I'm considering majoring in marketing.
Still, at least there's the chance that the person they hire for the position will be a brony :D

CityFlyer502 said...

Best of luck to whoever gets this position. Unfortunately, I don't even have the beginnings of those credentials. As an aviation major, the only thing I'm qualified for is flying banners with ponies on them around the city.

MizuTakishima said...

I don't have a college education or experience, even though I'm kind of good at marketing things if that makes any sense ;__; (Hey maybe I'll learn more about that in college!)

Dionysus said...

DAMN, my dream job just opened up and I'm not even through the first semester at university !

I hope a brony gets the position and looks to get out some good toys.

David-ism™ said...

It funny how a lot of fans are confusing "Merchandising " with "Advertising ", since the job of a Marketing Director / Manager is to spin the product that's already made.

It isn't a declaration of scrapped toys for all new ones. But hey, dream big right?

Tachyon said...

@scienceandponies

A Spike lighter with fuel laced with copper sulfate. Greeeeen!

I'd have no use for it, and screw toxicity, I'd buy that in a heartbeat.

ShakeBunny said...

So does this mean we'll finally get better merch?

palatank said...

some brony should get the position, get one of the guys who desinged the dame hairdoos on the toys fired and bring in a good sculpture, and end my miseriy of seeing the toys not mach the show

sirMAXX said...

aww man i would love to do that. they should hire someone 20% cooler. this should be given to a brony. the ads should target the bronies and slighly more mature age group of both sexes since the larger demograph is male viewers anyways and get all the pre-bronies and pegasisters attention. then who ever is in charge of the products and merch team will have to change or add a new line of FiM toys. because the influence of the marketing team would influence the impact of the other of departments. higher quality toys aimed for the dominate mature audience would be more feasible. while still keeping the lesser expensive production quality toys for the younger kids that wont care as much and destroy em anyways.

4d4f5c2a-0f40-11e1-b2f5-000bcdcb8a73 said...

An open-minded person with some foresight would be ideal for this job. Then we could get plushies, high quality figures, and someone could then really expand into the brony market. Perhaps that person could also work some magic to figure out how to count bronies and how to market a DVD/Blu-Ray for the masses, including bronies.

That is, of course, if bronies are significant and worth the costs, which so far seems doubtful.

frith said...

@Vanishing Tell them you studied Wildlife Management. If they're clueless enough, they might fly you in for an interview over lunch. Ward's Biological Supply did that to me once. X^D

sirMAXX said...

we should e-mail them and tell them our thoughts

Solstice said...

Marketing major?

Welp, applying. Wish me luck.

Commentatrar said...

Seth,
I'm sure that if you applied, they might at least seriously consider you as a consultant. Equestria daily is not solely responsible for the success of the My Little Pony brand across age and gender boundaries, but it is the epicenter of the spread of Bronydom.

redwings1340 said...

@Solstice Good luck! I hope a brony gets the job, because that would be SO AWESOME!

moocow1452 said...

@Commentatrar

And this. Screw the degree, you have been in the field, with the natives, and you have the ear of the fandom as is. You might want to hold off to keep Equid neutral, but they would snatch you up in a heartbeat if you put yourself out there.

ZigZag said...

Glad Hasbro's finally realized they need people who have their shit together.

ZigZag said...

In honesty, though, I'd really like to see the products and the advertisements become both more show-accurate and gender-neutral. You can keep a bit of the girly aspect (the show itself still does), but they need to lighten up on the glitter and jewelry. The only pony who consistently has accessories os RARITY.

Also, Seth, you should totally apply, even if it'd be a long shot. Part of me thinks Hasbro would LOVE to have you.

scrimpeh said...

> Nukes Ponyarchive

> Wants new Manage to Cater to Bronies

OH HASBRO :V

(Of course, both of those statements couldn't be farther from the truth, but, c'mon, I'm making a joke here)

mkb said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
mkb said...

Seth, apply anyway. Just the fact that you're running this blog means you're on their radar, and that's more important than qualifications.

Seriously, I have gotten to do phd-level research despite not having an advanced degree because the other applicants showed up with a resume and I showed up with a prototype.

ZigZag said...

Another marketing-related thought: The first thing they need to do is change the packaging on the current products. All that brash pink hurts my eyes. I find silver to be a nice neutral color.

ZigZag said...

Also, hire Shiropoint to do TV ads.

btown the brony said...

This is an incredible opportunity to find someone to bridge the two demographics that follow this brand. More thoughts later, but I'm really excited to see who gets this. And I agree that Seth should apply, just in case... maybe they'll consider you for another position in marketing, you never know!

Trippn said...

Maybe the new guy will pull the plug on the ponyarcives C&D.

Unknown said...

Keep in mind what they are really looking for is someone who is already in this job at another huge-ass company to fill this job. Not, like, "marketing major one year out of college."

Yeah, bronies have ideas on how the brand "should" be run. Just like everyone who plays video games "has an idea for a video game."

What Hasbro wants is not just "someone who likes ponies", but someone who can also do this:

Be responsible for managing the global marketing budget, obtaining, analyzing and reporting global POS to management, and oversee world class execution of all global marketing assets.

IMO, most bronies do not understand the "little girl" demographic enough to be realistic candidates for this position.

Offtopicrainbow said...

They need ideas from a midpoint age group, bronies are usually men, was intended for little girls...so maybe get brony teenagers to give suggestions, ensuring all age groups like the toys?

Garnet Glow said...

If only I had that degree now instead of in a couple years...

Garnet Glow said...

@Offtopicrainbow

Or you get a female brony who has firsthand knowledge of the meme status and also the nostalgia of growing up with the brand.

This would seriously be a dream job for me. Unfortunately I'm at least 2 years away from my Bachelor's, and i'm aiming for that MBA...

-sigh- Maybe someday.

ponydoraprancypants said...

@Unknown

My wife does this job at another huge-ass company (much huger-ass, actually) - I'm trying to convince her to apply. Of course, we'd have to move to Pawtucket, and probably take a huge pay cut. But still ... she could be the pony queen! Heck, even though I don't technically have the required background myself, and my law degree would go to waste, and the pay cut would be even bigger for me, I even thought about applying myself - because ponies! Wa ha ha!

Beezy said...

Curse all those requirements, I would have been a fantastic Brand manager. :(

Unknown said...

That would be pretty damn awesome, ponydoraprancypants. And if she were the Pony Queen, that would make you the Pony King, or at least the Pony Royal Consort.

Shinmizu said...

@scienceandponies
As the dad of three proto-geek children, I would throw an armored truck full of money at Hasbro if they released Twilight Sparkle-themed educational DVDs and learning kits.

ponydoraprancypants said...

@Unknown

I think something more along the lines of Grand Pony Vizier, so I could be the pony behind the throne. :)

In seriousness, it's not likely that she'll apply, since we're entrenched out here on the West Coast. The weather is wonderful, the economy is good, and we're both making bank. On the other hand, someday we will be ready to live somewhere quieter, better for the kids to grow up. Then Rhode Island may come calling - there are worse places to end up. Providence is a great city, and Brown has a lovely campus. Plus, the cost of living is lower so we could really live it up! We could have a palace there for the cost of our little house here. Ponies have existed almost my whole life, and they'll be there in a few years time, too.

Dantes_Grill said...

"Develop primary communication vehicles in advertising"
does this mean they can give a despearte brony a drift car? =P

sounds like a job i would like but im to young and uneducated for that.

Lattellerr said...

reminds me of...APPLE.MOV...jeez...

Tears of a Valedictorian said...

Haha, I'd like to buy that copy writer a drink. Anyone who can segue magical friendship into integrated marketing strategy is alright.

Also, any prospective applicants out there, there's probably loads of travel involved. Hasbro's main target right now is Latin America, Asia, etc.

Blayze Kohime said...

This job needs to be held by a brony.

Vinyl Scratch said...

Panty Applejack and Stocking Twilight Sparkle? Awesome awesome awesome beyond belief.

Unknown said...

@ponydoraprancypants But if you're a Grand Pony Vizier don't you have to turn evil like Jafar?

I'm on the west coast too, I can understand not wanting to move!

anzul said...

hahahahha dat letter!!! XD

"you will ensure the brand essence and all expressions of "anything My Little Pony" is consistent across platforms…and become a part of making the My Little Pony brand a pop culture phenomenon!" im pretty sure this means no more crappy vectors!!! and no bad stuff too!

anzul said...

"1. Develop extensive category plans for the brand, ensuring the brand has a meaningful long term consumer position and achieves maximum volume profit/growth."

crossovers toys! HUZZAH!!(i hope!)

"
Create go-to-market template to deliver global marketing to regional level:
" thiis means no more crappy stuff for other countrys!!

and by the overall requirements, i can see that they want a "big fish" to manague that part of the company... HOLY SHY SHIT YES! this just can mean awesome! i hope they find a awesome dude for the job! and that pic lulz XD

ponydoraprancypants said...

@anzul

dude or dudette, please. This is the 21st century.

anzul said...

@ponydoraprancypants
what do you mean? did i say something wrong??

anzul said...

am i missing something????? >:/ explain yourself!!!

plz? com on! i dont like being the ignorant one!

DuskyLuck said...

Holy crap. I just read the application. Any brony who could actually land -THAT- job would have to be hardcore in that field.

Hasbro is a big f'in company.

Sheffield Makoto said...

If somepony like this was applicable for the job, I'd assume he/she already has a job in that field, and because it's a demanding job I bet they wouldn't frequent this site too much despite being a brony. But by chance they do catch wind of this, I don't think they'd comment on it. And if by chance they do submit a resume and get accepted for an interview and perhaps actually get the job, we wouldn't hear anything about it for several weeks.

It's not that I don't think there is somepony not qualified for the position in this fandom. We are incredibly diverse. It's just that the chances of somepony being available is slim, in my mind.

ponydoraprancypants said...

@Sheffield Makoto

Pish posh. I work 70-80+ hours a week, but I work at a desk, constantly connected to the internet, and I have three monitors. It's easy for EQD to constantly occupy one corner of my workspace. Efficiency experts say you should spend 5-10 minutes of every work hour on leisure, anyway.

greendino said...

Sociology majors too, by the way. Not just marketing majors can work in marketing

FoxStar Sixtail said...

Hate to bust people's bubble, but even if someone gets in who's aware of 'bronies' there's not going to be much, if any shift towards 15-40 year olds, no matter how much of a rabid and vocal fan on the internet they may be. The demands that by and large most bronies would make are not only reasonable, but would serve the brand in only a very limited manner for a short amount of time, if any.

Hasbro's MLP primary market is always going to be little girls and collectors secondary. I know bronies love the brand and each other, but Hasbro is going to want proof as in hard sales, + assurances that this fandom is going to be around in 2-4-5 years, still buying -all forms- of pony merch, not just 5 and 10 dollar figures.

The brony subculture can not deliver on that, so they aren't going to be worth thousands of dollars spent on ads or special merch. Be happy for the shout outs from Studio B, be happy for Derpy, but don't expect much else.

FoxStar Sixtail said...

Grr 'not' reasonable, blast lack of edits.

FoxStar Sixtail said...

@UnknownThis. Be ready to get raged at for truth my friend.

FoxStar Sixtail said...

@mkbFYI, your field and marketing - not at all the same. Seth wouldn't have a chance.

FoxStar Sixtail said...

@scienceandponies

1-Plush:Costs money and would only be worth producing of -maybe- the Mane 6. If I remember, it costs more to produce a plush then a little plastic figure, more work goes into it for sure.

2-Look, there are Transfans who still can't get show accurate toys and the Transformers line makes Hasbro more money. Do you think they are going to retool their toylines in China (Which means more money) to deliver show accurate toys when the main market for MLP does not care? (Little girls)

FoxStar Sixtail said...

@scienceandponiesYou can not, can not, can not safely take suggestions for merch and then run with them without playing CYA at every term because then you open yourself up for a lawsuit should the item you created off of someone's idea take off and they want money for it.

FoxStar Sixtail said...

@ZapperThey have? Where? Because this is a standard "We need a person who can help push 'xxx' name brand" job call. You see dozens of these all the time, nothing there says they have embraced wholehardedly the brony subculture. If anything I bet Hasbro -still- doesn't really know what to make of what is a flash in the pan fandom.

Star Pony said...

So if part of the job is making the brand consistent on all platforms, are we eventually gonna see show accurate merch and advertising?

ponydoraprancypants said...

@FoxStar Sixtail

You must be a lot of fun at parties.

FoxStar Sixtail said...

@Star PonyOnly if you can get little girls across the world to care about the same things bronies care about.

Or #2-It becomes worth the sizeable investment to Hasbro to make it. Toys produced on a huge scale would require likely brand new molds which are -not- cheap.

Advertising is possible, but they already do this, how much more could they do to target bronies, who at this point are watching and buying or not?

FoxStar Sixtail said...

@ponydoraprancypantsHey, given that your wife has the certs they are looking for (And likely has spent a fair bit of her adult life busting her ass to get em), I thought you would be more of a realist on this because you out of everyone on this thread likely have the best idea of what Hasbro wants and expects! And by my count it's almost out of the reach of 95% of the brony fandom.

Jimmy James said...

If only there were s brony skilled enough to get the job... They could market an MLP Warhammer set.

DeRockProject said...

@FoxStar Sixtail
Realistically, it's probably not easy, just changing a job like that. It's a risky move and they say they already have a stable life.

-------

@FoxStar Sixtail
Also, you want to group your comments into one like how I did here. You're just spamming the shit out of this comment thread, good god.

duskdrake said...

@FoxStar Sixtail


I disagree. It would be relatively easy to meet a number of wants from the older demographic (I.E. figures that are not recolors, less name-wrecking, ect.) while still pandering to the younger, original demographic as well.

The idea would not be for someone to attempt to make merch only for the older demographic, but to incorporate the wants of the older demographic more, which could only bring in more money.

It should be noted that, while hard evidence is difficult to find, bronies/the older demographic appear to be a large, growing group, with higher disposable income. If the new guy incorporates that understanding into the brand usage, then it would likely be beneficial to all

additionally, don't assume that something is inherently a "flash in the pan phenomenon." While this could end up being the case, it revolves around a number of aspects, not limited to how Hasbro deals with it

scienceandponies said...

@ZigZag

A more subdued purple would be fine. Still little girl friendly and less garish.

scienceandponies said...

@Garnet Glow

"Or you get a female brony who has firsthand knowledge of the meme status and also the nostalgia of growing up with the brand."
^
This

Lurks-no-More said...

"I'm selling ponies and pony-related products."

ponydoraprancypants said...

@FoxStar Sixtail

Probably out of reach of 99.99%. That said, I wouldn't discount the idea that they have created this position in order to expand the brand in new directions. Otherwise, I doubt they would have used the wording they chose for the job description. While little girls will always be the number 1 demo for MLP, the "pop culture phenomenon" language tells me they are, at least in part, looking for an emissary for new markets and demographics. Obviously they also want someone who can drive the standard financial planning part and old school marketing part of the business too, but when they talk about a "pony-powered team" and ask applicants if they want to be "be somepony," I don't see how you can read that and not think, "huh, sounds like Hasbro is trying to figure out how to market to its new fans."

scienceandponies said...

@FoxStar Sixtail

So they won't let us give them money until we can prove with hard sales that we will give them money?

I'm also pretty confident that the fandom will stick around as long as the show does, and likely a few years after. I of course hope they don't try to change the show too much as it created bronies by not trying to hard, but there's nothing wrong with releasing some merch and advertising campaigns that wink and nod at the fandom in parallel with their more traditional strategies.

FoxStar Sixtail said...

@scienceandponiesBelieve it or not, that's what Shout Factory has said why their are no season box sets yet. It boils down to just that. "You have to spend money before we spend money so you can spend MORE money." Not all that uncommon in marketing.

Unknown said...

@duskdrake I definitely feel there is room for improvement on Hasbro's handling of the "little girl" demographic. Do not get me started on their thing in the G3 years where "ponies can only do what 5 year old girls do"--which makes as much sense as saying "Transformers can only do what 5 year old boys do." Little girls, like little boys, want to have heroes.

In that sense Hasbro can cater to both groups (little kids and older collectors) simply by not being condescending. (In that vein, yay for the FIM cartoon!)

But I do not think it would be at all safe for Hasbro to assume that the brony phenomenon has staying power. It certainly MIGHT. On the other hand, it might die off within a few years.

The right "brony" could do the job, but a lot are just projecting "hey, this is what I would like to see, so it must be good! We are the real demographic, blah blah blah." Let me quote a Hasbro CEO from an earlier decade: "Collectors are the pimple on the elephant's ass."

Does a candidate know to market to little girls? Do they know how to appeal to nostalgic mothers who played with G1 MLPs as little girls? If the answer is no, they are not the right person for the job, because those are the main demographics.

Brongaar said...

This fits, but it seems that it deals with the whole Hasbro lines including Pony, But what do I know. 2.5 years in a hard business environ, running my own business, keeping myself under deadlines, and a sense of teamwork coordinating others for teamwork.

But whoever gets this position, remember this is still a kid's show, it just drawn in the parents and grandparents.. who are fans themselves.

duskdrake said...

@Unknown

I agree that they need to know how to appeal to the other demographics. My main point was that they need someone to appeal to both, and not exclude groups.

And the staying power is likely linked into how much atention the community gets. If bronies get ignored, it will be over much faster

Mo-Go said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Congratulations to Hasbro to be open minded enough to say "wooow this is huge, we dont know how to handle it, lets hire somepony who can"

Clop clop clop clop clop Bravo! clop clop clop.

I hope there will be more companys like you Hasbro, if you release toys for bronies I will buy them all!!!!

scienceandponies said...

@Unknown
Yes. This a thousand times.

Lauren Faust has made it pretty clear that this was her thinking going into making the show. Aimed at little girls does not have to be synonymous with low quality and lack of effort. Some might say little girls have terrible taste and don't care if it is garbage, but I'd be inclined to say it's more because garbage is all they're given. I read somewhere that the target demographic was girls 2-11 and I know that at least 9 year olds can detect condescension.

Shinuto said...

Where can find more by whoever made the image for this entry? It's...differentI've never seen this style before..but I like it.

Kelly Ryan said...

"you will ensure the brand essence and all expressions of 'anything My Little Pony' is consistent across platforms…"

So I guess they wouldn't be interested in my MLP x FRAG game mod? :(

The Red Sparrow said...

It says on the website that the position has been filled...

The Red Sparrow said...

Did anyone screen cap it before the application was closed?

Nurio said...

@Shinuto

Here: http://gashi-gashi.deviantart.com/

Unknown said...

Somebody noted that the position is open again?
http://jobs.hasbro.com/job/Pawtucket-Senior-Global-Brand-Marketing-Manager,-My-Little-Pony-Job-RI-02860/1558876/

WTF!!!!!!!

Jordan said...

So who got the job?

Vampz said...

What was wrong with the "scary as fuck" toys exactly? Unless we're talking about a completely different set of toys here. The $5 ones available at Wal-Mart weren't terrible.

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