'Renewed Dedication' to Core Retailers
Posted by ICv2 on March 22, 2003 @ 11:00 pm CT
Wizards of the Coast told retailers at the recently concluded GAMA Trade Show that it plans to implement a retailer co-op program later this year, in which WotC will subsidize advertising by hobby retailers. This is but one manifestation of what one WotC marketing spokesperson called '...a renewed dedication to the core retailer base.' Another will be a renewed focus of marketing dollars on Magic: The Gathering, after several years of heavy marketing of licensed products. This is part of WotC parent Hasbro's strategy of focusing on core brands and reducing the emphasis on licensed products in 2003 (see 'Hasbro Goes Back to Basics,' and 'Hasbro Sales, Profits Down for Year').