New brand equity, new brand strategy, new logo. The schleich® brand becomes a “story starter”

“schleich® – where stories begin”. This is the new tagline for the leading toy character manufacturer Schleich GmbH. The company has fundamentally redefined its brand equity and will implement an extensive brand relaunch in summer 2022. The new brand strategy represents the largest single investment in the 87-year history of Schleich GmbH. From July 2022, these changes will come to life via an international brand campaign.

When children pick up the schleich® characters and sets, they are drawn into unseen, magical worlds of the imagination. Every Hippopotamus, every Tyrannosaurus Rex, every Lop-Eared Rabbit is the start of an exciting, ever-evolving story. Parents who witness their children playing with the high-quality characters know there is more to the schleich® brand than just toys. schleich® is a source of inspiration for stories – schleich® awakens the joy of storytelling.

“schleich® is known around the world for authenticity, detail and quality – this will always be the DNA of our products”, explains Dirk Engehausen, CEO Schleich GmbH. “But schleich® has always been more than a brand that makes great characters. When children play with our characters, they are immediately swept away into their own private universe. Over the last two years, we have taken it upon ourselves to make this core element of our brand both visible and tangible.”

As the core of the new brand strategy, schleich® is putting new emphasis on igniting the joy of storytelling in children whenever they play with its uniquely authentic characters and sets. And encouraging youngsters to let their imaginations run wild through unstructured play. Children are always inventing new stories, constantly experimenting and discovering the world through their imaginations. Accordingly, schleich® is convinced that a good toy is “90 per cent child” and “10 per cent toy”. The new tagline “where stories begin” will underpin all marketing activities from July 2022 and is clearly visible as part of the new logo.

“Children are curious and question their environment and what is happening around them every day. We are reflecting this mindset and curiosity in our new brand values”, explains Victoria Sutch, Chief Transformation Officer, who manages the brand process at schleich®. “We are taking the children’s enquiries a step further by playing intensively with the “W” questions that can broaden their horizons: ‘What if?’ and ‘Why not?’ In addition, during the development process we have refreshed our logo as the most visible element of the schleich® brand.”

Visible facets of the new brand strategy: logo, packaging, visual language
The schleich® logo has been modernised and simplified. Emulating the shape of a thought cloud, the logo itself is a nod to the spirit of “What if?” – the key question at the heart of the new brand. And the new tagline “where stories begin“ is a short, memorable expression of the new brand essence. The logos of the six product lines have also been revised and now appear fresher and more playful.

The rebranding also includes a revised packaging design, new POS materials and the characteristic schleich® flag on each character. The packaging materials are now also more sustainable – plastic is avoided wherever possible and replaced with recycled and recyclable materials.

A new visual language is a key element of the new brand strategy. This is characterised by authentic play scenarios with a focus on limitless imagination. Children are thus depicted as they actually play – different product lines and toys are combined, characters are dressed up or depicted in entirely new contexts. For example: a cow swimming in an aquarium; a fairy playing in the mud; a dinosaur having fun at a street carnival.

The brand’s digital channels are also being modernised – including a relaunch of the schleich® website at the global level (in July). Via new calls-to-action embedded throughout brand elements, schleich® will invite fans worldwide to share their own stories inspired by playtime with its characters. They can do so by sharing their pictures under #wherestoriesbegin on Instagram or Facebook.

International umbrella brand campaign
Schleich GmbH will introduce its new brand concept in July 2022 through an international umbrella brand campaign helmed by a marquee video and a variety of print executions. The ad campaign centres around imaginative “why” questions that spark a spirit of wonder: “Do giraffes grow in the rain?”, “Can lions keep a secret?”, “What do dinosaurs eat?” and “Can a tiny zebra make the sun shine?” Ads will run digitally, in out-of-home executions and print media and will be supported through integrated marketing channels customized for global markets.

“When we watch children tell stories with schleich® products, we are reminded that their stories don’t have a beginning, middle and an end. They just continue and grow bigger”, said Victoria Sutch. “For our new brand strategy, we are taking inspiration from the children and initiating a living process. We are excited about how we will develop the schleich® brand in the coming years.”

The new brand strategy was conceived and implemented by the agencies 72andSunny, Amsterdam and Traffic Productions, Munich.