This is the final news alert for 2010. The next news alert will be delivered on Tuesday, January 4, 2011. We wish everyone Happy Holidays and a wonderful New Year! Safe travels to all as we start the 2011 trade show travel circuit. aNb Media will be at the toy fairs in Hong Kong, Nuremberg, and New York. We look forward to seeing everyone’s new lines for 2011.
Royaltie$ Launches Media Event
aNb Media (that’s us!) announces its first Royaltie$ Brand Impact (RBI) Media Event, slated for July 26, 2011, at The Altman Building in New York City. The Q4 preview event will feature the latest consumer products in categories such as apparel, domestics, gifts, food, electronics, stationery, and much more.
The media representation will focus on social media, online media, and long lead publications. However, some traditional press is also expected.
aNb Media has now produced four hugely successful product showcases over the past three years in New York City under the TimetoPlayMag.com banner. The sold-out events were attended by the leading members of traditional media as well as key influencers in the social media sphere, arguably today’s most influential source of information for moms.
Each exhibitor will receive a 7’x 7’ footprint, which will allow for enhanced product displays and demonstrations. Due to the floor plan, space will be limited. This is a turn-key event with no hidden costs. There is minimum set-up and tear-down.
Participants find our showcase events to be an extremely efficient and cost-effective strategy for meeting with media before the start of the all-important Q4 selling season.
If you would like more information and pricing, please contact one of the following: Andy Krinner: andy@anbmedia.com; Jim Silver: jim@anbmedia.com; Bob Glaser: bob@anbmedia.com; or Donna Moore: donna@anbmedia.com.
Walmart to Take Bite out of The Big Apple
It has been widely reported that Walmart is in advanced talks with New York City construction unions to develop a large store in the East New York section of Brooklyn not too far from the Queens border with Related Companies. A city council meeting is expected to be held in January.
The five boroughs have long been anti-Walmart because many argue that the chain will destroy small business, destroy the character or New York’s individual neighborhoods, and its anti-union policies are harmful to workers. However, there are Walmart locations on Long Island and in New Jersey, which some argue draw business away from the five boroughs as consumers seek less expensive products in those Walmart locations.
The New York Daily News reported that an anti-Walmart City Hall rally was held last week where City Councilman Charles Barron said, “We will not be your slaves and you’re not bringing that plantation to East New York.” (East New York is the neighborhood in Brooklyn where Walmart is planning to open. Barron represents the area.)
Walmart reportedly fought back with its own City Hall rally, busing in about 75 East New York residents to argue that the company will bring low prices and much-needed jobs to the neighborhood, according to The New York Daily News.
Crain’s New York Business recently reported that Walmart conducted a poll with the help of noted Democratic pollster Doug Schoen. Not surprisingly, the results of the Walmart poll showed that 62 percent of New York City’s small business owners favor bringing Walmart to the five boroughs.
Certainly this project has a long way to go—if it ever does get off the ground. It is possible to find a ton of supporting evidence whether one is for or against Walmart. But why does Walmart draw so much controversy? It can’t simply be the union issue because there are many other retailers that are non-union. Most likely, it’s the company’s sheer size that makes it a lightning rod for controversy in the overall cultural conversation. How is Walmart different than Ikea, Home Depot, Target, Kmart, Toys “R” Us, CostCo, or BJ’s Wholesale Club? All of these stores are in New York’s five boroughs now. Large-scale shopping developments have been built in the past three years in Queens, Manhattan, and Brooklyn featuring these stores.
While we didn’t question each of these retailers as to their union ties, Toys “R” Us did tell us its stores are non-union. Kmart also told us that it’s stores are non-union but they do welcome union bids for construction. Target said it, “didn’t have any information at this time.”
CPSC Launches Safety Info Database
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) approved a final rule to establish a publicly available consumer product safety information database. The rule, which was approved by a 3-2 vote and will be published in the Federal Register, also establishes how CPSC will work with consumers and manufacturers or private labelers to process and post incident reports on the database. The consumer database will officially launch in March 2011 as part of the SaferProducts.gov website.
Required by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, the database will allow consumers to go online to SaferProducts.gov and file a report telling CPSC about an incident with an unsafe product or potentially hazardous consumer product. Manufacturers and private labelers will have the opportunity to respond with comments and may request that their comments appear with the report in the database. CPSC will make all of this information visible and searchable online by the public.
Beginning in mid-January 2011, all manufacturers or private labelers of consumer products will be encouraged to pre-register with CPSC to receive timely online access to reports submitted about their products.
At SaferProducts.gov, anyone will be able to search for reports submitted about consumer products along with any comments the manufacturer requests be included.
Big Bird in China
Sesame Workshop, Shanghai Toonmax Media Co. Ltd., and MSD, a developer of innovative health solutions, 
will celebrate the launch of Sesame Street’s Big Bird Looks at the World. The new daily TV series will debut on Ha Ha Channel on December 22 at 5:30 pm. The 52 11-minute episodes in Chinese Mandarin, is made possible through the generous support of MSD.
Sesame Street’s Big Bird Looks at the World, targeting 3–7 year olds, introduces viewers to three best friends: Big Bird, Elmo, and Lily. Lily is a 4-year-old girl tiger who loves martial arts. She’s just learning to read which she thinks is a lot of fun—almost as fun as singing and dancing.
The series fosters children’s natural curiosity about nature and science and encourages hands-on exploration as a great way to learn. Each episode is triggered by a question that the Muppet characters have when they notice something about the world around them.
“Sesame Workshop has had a proud history of serving the needs of children globally since 1969 and in China since 1983 when Big Bird first visited,” said Gary E. Knell, president and CEO of Sesame Workshop, in a statement. “Toonmax, being committed to building a premier educational preschool brand, and MSD, investing in Chinese children’s growth and well-being, are exceptional partners. Sesame Street’s Big Bird Looks at the World serves as a positive example of what can be accomplished with successful people-to-people exchanges. While our cultures may be diverse, we’ve both gained incredible insight and friendship through sharing ideas and experiences for Sesame Street.”