Buildings, machines, animals or music instruments – with the Brixies miniature construction sets of the Schäfer Toy Company practically all imaginable motifs can be reproduced true-to-detail. The specialist for customised designs offers promoting companies numerous options for playful customer bonding for both young and old.
It is currently not so easy to set off into the big wide world – so one simply has to bring it to one’s home. This is possible without any further ado with the Brixies construction sets of the Schäfer Toy Company: They allow the Eiffel Tower, Tower Bridge or the Taj Mahal to be reconstructed in one’s own living-room, the kitchen table is transformed into the Champs de Mars or the banks of the Thames at the flick of a wrist. The possibilities are as fascinating as the array of colours of the bricks. They not only allow an excursion to far-away worlds, but also to the zoo, building site or Christmas market – without even having to leave one’s own four walls. Brixies incite playing fun, the desire to build things and one’s phantasy. Hence, they make particularly effective brand ambassadors. Positive emotions – above all the pride the builder experiences on contemplating his finished constructions – and a long association with the promoting company: It is hardly possible to attain more than this with haptic advertising or advertising as a whole. Since Schäfer Toy Company introduced the brand Brixies onto the market in 2015, their products have also proven to be essential building blocks of the marketing mix of many companies. And in times when the COVID-19 pandemic is forcing many people to stay at home and multiplayer games are booming more so than in a long time, they are even more popular than ever among young at heart adults, their children and grandchildren.
Eleven bricks
The patented postcards with construction sets comprising of up to 150 bricks that are sent out as mailings receive dream response rates.
Joachim Schäfer, founder of the Schäfer Group, which the Schäfer Toy Company also belongs to, got to know the mini building brick systems on a trip to Asia and immediately decided to implement them as promotional products. “I wanted to offer them to our customers too and held a meeting with our product development team in Germany. We then looked for a factory, developed the tools and registered the brand.” Singapore Airlines was one of the first customers, for whom we developed four exclusive models just under six months after the brand was founded. All of the construction sets comprise of eleven different basic bricks. The smallest brick measures just 4 x 4 x 5 mm, the largest 35 x 8 x 5 mm. The different shapes and sizes allow the designers to build all models very true-to-detail and as close to the original design as possible. Overall, there is a choice of 23 different colours, including two transparent shades. In addition, wheels and joints can be mounted so that driveable machines can be reconstructed and so the models are mobile on request. To ensure that the recipients can also enjoy their constructions for a long time, great value is placed on the good quality of the products. “Our bricks are made of high-quality ABS plastic and comply with the latest EN 71 standards,” confirmed Julia Carolin Schäfer, contact person for Brixies at the Schäfer Group. The company grants a 5-year guarantee and offers a spare parts service for all end users.
Immense variety
The standard programme includes an immense variety of models: From an electric guitar to drums, through to the keyboard, a complete band can be designed for instance. For those who prefer things slightly more classic or traditional: A harp or Alpine horn are also available. A shark, kangaroo or golden retriever are examples of the range of animal species available among the Brixies repertoire and there is a cooperation with the machine manufacturer, JCB, so that reproductions of crawler excavators through to wheel loaders are among the collection. All standard items can be customised with an individual label on the packaging for minimum order volumes of 100 pieces. Companies that are not satisfied with the standard offer, can develop their own bespoke designs together with the company’s graphic design department for order quantities of 1,000 pieces upwards. “We actually only need a photo, then our graphic designers reconstruct objects that are initially unusual for laymen such as printing presses or special construction machines,” stated Joachim Schäfer.
The number and colours of the bricks are laid down together with the customer – subsequently the trained eye, fine motor skills, designing skills and experience of the respective graphic designers are called for. Detailed step-forstep assembly instructions are supplied with the construction set that is delivered inside a gift box. Both – the assembly instructions and the gift box – can be individualised on request and logo stickers can be enclosed. Trams for the Cologne transport companies, penguins for Thermomix or toilet houses for Dixi are just three of a host of examples that have come about in this way.
Music schools, concert organisers, bands or orchestras can find a whole potpourri of instruments among the Brixies line-up.
The company entered a cooperation with the machine manufacturer, JCB.
According to Julia Carolin Schäfer the postcards are among the best-sellers of the line-up. “They are innovative gifts that can be implemented in many areas and which bring joy.” Smaller figures from the Brixies range – up to around 150 bricks – are offered as a construction set on standard sized postcards that can be dispatched in the normal way. For orders of 1,000 pieces and more custom-made designs are possible too, for smaller volumes of 100 pieces upwards it is possible to have the postcard customised with individual logo stickers on the outside or with text labels on the inside. “In this way, the recipients occupy themselves longer with a mailing, because it is unusual; they take it home with them to assemble it together with their children for instance, ideally place the finished model on their desk – and thus always have the logo of the promoting company in sight,” is how Joachim Schäfer explained the promotional effect of the patented product: “In this way, promoting companies reach response rates of up to 67%.” In other words, dream rates that a brand image can wonderfully build on and which further reinforce the customer loyalty.
Especially in the current times of Corona, mailings are a particularly popular way to say thank you and remain in contact with the target group. If the target group can’t come to the brand, the brand simply has to go to its home.
// Mischa Delbrouck
Photos: Schäfer Toy Company
