In 2007, an anime adventure series, Bakugan, became the hot new fad for young people. The series’ Battle Brawlers must assist in the battle between good and evil in a parallel universe. As expected, the associated toy line by Spin Master was huge hit.

Now the brand is reintroducing Bakugan to a new generation of fans with an integrated media campaign by Ikon.  

The campaign will span several months, highlighting Bakugan’s new toy line and animated series. It launched last weekend when Australian fans and families got their first look at Bakugan Battle Planet on the Cartoon Network. The new toy line is on sale nationwide in time for the Easter holidays and Ikon has planned a progressive and widespread campaign to help drive longer term awareness.

Ikon’s Melissa Roberts said the campaign aimed to capture the attention of two distinct audiences that were identified early in the planning process – new potential fans and legacy devotees, who are now more than 16 years old but remain enthusiastic about the iconic brand.

“The programming event is a launch highlight and just the first driver in a busy schedule of highly integrated activities,” she explained. “Our target groups over-index in online video consumption and gaming so along with our linear TV partnerships, these pillars form the framework of the campaign to come. During phase one alone, we expect to serve more than 1.6M digital videos.”

Ikon’s research revealed that up to 40% of parents admitted to buying something for their child because it was associated with a social media personality. To address this connection, Bakugan Battle Planet toys will also be seeded with influencers asking them to Answer the call to Brawl.

“This is an exciting campaign to be part of and showcases Ikon’s excellence in reaching the youth market,” Roberts concluded.