TONKA AND DIRT WERE MADE TO BE TOGETHER
And now a word from our sponsor…
CORONA, California (June 4, 2014) – It's a daunting responsibility to be the custodian of an icon. Arnie Rubin and Kathy Hawk are well aware of that, and it governs everything they do with Tonka toys.
Rubin is the chief executive officer and Hawk the vice-president of marketing for Funrise Toy Corporation, which is the manufacturer of leading licensed power brands such as TONKA®, MY LITTLE PONY®, BABY ALIVE®, FURBY®, POUND PUPPIES®, LITTLEST PET SHOP®, TRANSFORMERS® and their core property portfolio includes Gazillion® Bubbles.
It also has a major presence in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series presented by GEICO as both a member of the unique Team Lucas marketing platform and the primary sponsor of Pro 2 driver Myan Spaccarelli.
Rubin said the company had sponsored a racer in the SCORE desert series and he had realized from the response to the Tonka T-Rex show truck that the automotive market in general and motor sports in particular could be an avenue to explore. That became a reality after a driver for Lucas Oil series was brought to their attention.
Rubin recalled, "We went out and met with Myan several times, looked at the sport, and realized yeah, this is something (worth trying)."
Spaccarelli's Tonka Pro 2 truck was unveiled June 20, 2013, at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, on a trial basis. This year, the company solidified its relationship with Spaccarelli and expanded into other venues with Team Lucas. Rubin calls it "the best (fit) we've found in the 18 years we've been doing Tonka," for a number of reasons.
"First of all," Rubin said, "the tag line for the Tonka brand is 'getting dirty since 1947' and we thought the whole theme of off road racing and that tag line tied together.
"When we met Myan we felt that here's a young gentleman that shared really good family values, he's a religious man, a church-going man, a guy who had a passion for racing and loved the Tonka brand and remembers playing with Tonka trucks when he was a kid. It just all tied together for us."
Funrise has made it an even better fit by putting forth the time and effort and expense necessary to expand Tonka's presence at the events. Spaccarelli's pit area is adorned with black-and-yellow Tonka flags and banners and includes a table with stickers and product brochures, Spaccarelli gives away a Tonka truck or two each day, and the Tonka display on vendor's row adjacent to the grandstand is one of the most popular spots for children of all ages who welcome a chance to play with a variety of Tonka vehicles in a big sandbox.
The company has taken a similar approach in its sponsorship of The Kentuckian in the Pro Pulling League.
"We'd been doing traditional advertising on television or traditional grass-roots social media," Rubin said. "This is our first experience with activating at events and sponsoring a race truck on the track. It's been a learning experience for our whole company and we're thrilled with it."
Hawk, who brought the playground idea to Lucas Oil after trying it at other events, said it's not unusual for someone to approach her and show her a Tonka vehicle they've had since they were a child
"It's a brand that the whole family recognizes," Rubin said. "A lot of the automotive parts brands maybe dad relates to, but mom relates to Tonka and the kids relate to Tonka, so even seeing the brand around the track gets a smile. Even all the other drivers here that we talk to say "god, I remember when I played with a Tonka truck. One of the track equipment drivers said 'hey, you know what, this is one of the reasons I drive heavy equipment, I played with a Tonka tractor when I was a kid."
It is that history that Rubin said makes him and Hawk very protective of the name "from a lot of perspectives.
"It's a family brand, compared to an automotive brand, so we've got to be very protective of the kind of person who's a spokesperson for us – clean cut, with family values," Rubin said. "We wouldn't want someone who didn't have the right appearance or the right values representing a kids' brand. Our customers are Wal-Mart and Target and Toys R Us and Costco and Sam's Club, so we have to maintain an image for the brand that is really family oriented."
What all the effort is aimed at, Hawk said, is "bringing the brand back out and bringing back the awareness of it. We're still here, we're still going strong, we still make steel toys, and we just want it to pass on to the next generation. It's been around for 67 years."
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Video Credit: Todd Romano
