Game maker MGA Entertainment keeps a close eye on the superfans of its many franchises through its YouTube channels and social media platforms.
The Rainbow High doll line has been a huge success since its debut in mid-2020. MGA has provided a steady stream of short-form content via YouTube and a Netflix-licensed series to polish the brand revolving around female characters who attend a performing arts high school. It’s a prime example of how content can become commerce in new ways beyond product placement on a Saturday morning cartoon show. For Rainbow High, storytelling implemented through digital content is woven into its implementation and expansion of the doll line.
“We had to create the story behind the puppets and make them characters,” said Anne Bardushi, chief content officer at Chatsworth-based MGA Entertainment. diverse. “We had to create a high school and what that world would look like. Music and content were important to Rainbow High because this brand is about creativity and self-expression.”
Certainly, MGA also tends to release music associated with their brands. Rainbow High’s story recently focused on introducing a friendly rival high school known as Shadow High. A song released in September in connection with the season 3 series “Rainbow High” is full of sassy calls from the Shadow High gang to “bougie high across the street” where “everyone is so perfect and classy.” “The School Across the Street” did so well, prompting MGA to build anticipation for an animated music video, which dropped December 26.
MGA uses a combination of traditional, digital, and social television to drive sales for brands that include LOL Surprise, Little Tikes, Bratz, and Mermaze Mermaidz. But nothing is as engaging and engaging as fresh content. The “Shadow High” video is full of winks for most ardent Rainbow High fans.
Parducci notes that children play with the dolls to act out their own imaginations, so it makes sense that strong professional storytelling enhances the brand. The music and music video production reflects an extensive collaboration between MGA insiders, percussionists, and producers. The animation is produced by Australian animation studio Pixel Zoo, which MGA acquired earlier this year to help expand its content operations.
“Our goal is to get kids to engage with the content as much as possible. This helps get as many eyeballs on our brands as possible,” said Parducci. “We have a 360-degree view of this brand that can engage them through content, music and home play.”
Rainbow High dolls are aimed at ages 6-10. The content inevitably veers on the older side, towards the 8-10 demographic and has proven to have broader appeal with boys than the game franchise itself. MGA is taking the pulse of its fans with its dedicated Rainbow High YouTube channel (~676,000 followers), and aims to maintain local language YouTube channels for the franchise, which also helps them increase their content budget.
“We’re in a very unique position here. We can build awareness very quickly with a strategy that aligns our gaming, licensing, media, music, social strategy all at the same time.”
A focus on content extensions has been critical to the success of the Rainbow High brand. MGA has more to come, with IP-driven strategies in the works for the LOL Surprise brand. The company has also committed to producing its most ambitious original series yet, a remake of the South Korean dinosaur series “Armored Saurus,” a mix of live-action and CG. The project is on track for a 2024 release.
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