B.

Building a brand through activating a community, mobilizing creativity, and embracing constraint.

We launched B. toys in direct collaboration with the toymaker using funky colors, quirky language, and no media budget, so every real-world moment had to count and we had to harness the power of moms on social media.

The toy aisle became our media plan, and “Just B. You” became our rallying cry for the tiny humans we hoped to inspire. Packaging and displays drew moms into a social community where they shared their children’s unfiltered quotes, kids simply being themselves. Those voices became the brand’s soul. Moms were able to create beautiful art out of their kids’ quotes and share them with the world. (And they did!) As we nurtured the community with intention, it soon took on a life of its own. A onesie giveaway went viral, while a thoughtful blogger program built trust and helped this oddball toy company become a mom favorite.

Most meaningful of all, our charitable effort helped build more than 50 schools in Haiti and Kenya, touching the lives of kids far less fortunate than the ones playing with our toys. Visiting Haiti to document several schools in progress remains one of my most profound professional moments.