ASTRA’s Neighborhood Toy Store Day Generates Robust Consumer Media Coverage

OVER 90 MILLION TARGETED CONSUMERS REACHED WITH THE SHOP LOCAL AND SPECIALTY TOY MESSAGES

PRESS RELEASE

The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) announced today that media coverage about the advantages of specialty toys reached a reading audience of over 90 million consumers in the ramp-up to this year’s Neighborhood Toy Store Day.

Thanks to ASTRA’s outreach to national media outlets, coupled with outreach ASTRA retailers made in their local markets using press release templates and other resources provided by ASTRA, the importance of supporting locally-owned toy stores has been mentioned in several hundred media outlets around the country and across multiple platforms, including print, radio, broadcast, Facebook, Twitter, and blogs.

Among the placements were mentions in Examiner.com; SheKnows.com; CoolMomPicks.com; and The ShoppingMama.com. “We know that moms, who are the biggest toy buyers, get so much of their information from blogs and social media,” noted Kathleen McHugh, President of ASTRA. “So this year we put a big focus on those channels. This is an effort to raise awareness of the specialty toy advantage and the importance of shopping local—especially in the markets where our members are located—and we are delighted with the results.”

Neighborhood Toy Store Day was created by ASTRA to position ASTRA retailers for a strong holiday season. It is celebrated each November on the second Saturday. ASTRA supports participation of its retailer members by offering free planning guides, templates for media outreach, Best Toys for Kids award program flyers, and much more.

About the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA)
With more than 1400 members, the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) is the largest association for companies in the toy and children’s products arenas. ASTRA and its member companies promote the growth of the toy industry by delivering products that serve children’s best interests. For more information, visit www.astratoy.org.

Because Community Matters, ASTRA members thank you for shopping locally.