For those who aren’t familiar with Hasbro Pulse, can you tell us about that platform and Hasbro Pulse Premium?
Hasbro Pulse is Hasbro’s ultimate fan destination, a place for fans to get updates on the latest reveals and pre-orders, behind the scenes content from our brand teams, and access to purchase their favorite products. It was made with fans and collectors in mind and gives them an online hub to get all the Hasbro news and content they crave. As part of the Hasbro Pulse platform, fans can sign up for Hasbro Pulse Premium to gain free standard shipping on all orders, as well as access to exclusive perks, promotions, and experiences they can’t find anywhere else.
Why did Hasbro start the Pulse program?
At Hasbro, we’re so fortunate to have a passionate community of collectors and fans. We knew that this community was consistently hungry for the latest news from the brands they love and we wanted to be able to provide a platform that not only brings them the latest news, but also exciting and engaging content for our portfolio of iconic fan brands. With Hasbro Pulse we’re looking to give these collectors a place to go for all their needs — from learning about the latest HasLab campaign to interviews with the designers of their favorite toys, they have a space online they know they can turn to for Hasbro product and news.
Hasbro PulseCon 2020 takes place on September 25 and 26. Tell us about the event and what fans can expect.
We’re beyond excited to bring this one-of-a-kind experience to our fans! Hasbro PulseCon will be an immersive virtual event hosted on the Hasbro Pulse YouTube channel and best of all, the event is free of charge. Fans can tune in to see livestreamed panels featuring their favorite franchises; special celebrity appearances, including John Cena, Joe Manganiello, Ashley Eckstein, Henry Golding, and more; as well as musical guests Fall Out Boy, Lights, and Jack Black and Kyle Gass of Tenacious D! There will be so much exciting content and we can’t wait for fans to see what we have lined up.
What opportunities does hosting a virtual event offer that an in-person event may not?
While we’ve all missed having the chance to engage with our consumers and fans in-person, this virtual convention gives us the opportunity to get more in-depth with a two-day event devoted entirely to Hasbro’s most beloved fan brands. The virtual nature of Hasbro PulseCon allows us the space and time to connect fans all over the country directly with the brand teams at Hasbro without barriers of travel. We will still have interactive elements, where fans can participate in cosplay contests, live Q&A, trivia, virtual “ghost hunting” for National Ghost Hunting Day, and more, all from the comfort of their own homes. Not to mention, being online and free of charge gives all our fans equal opportunity to tune in and experience all that Hasbro PulseCon has to offer.
How have consumers’ expectations of toy and game companies changed over the years?
Collectors and fans have always been passionate, but over the years with technology and social media bringing everyone closer, we’ve seen more interest from our fans to receive content quickly and directly. Ours was to address this with the creation of Hasbro Pulse by giving our fans a place to connect with our brands, and we plan to continue evolving and growing the Hasbro Pulse platform as the needs of our fans continue to change.
The fun starts today! Learn more about Hasbro PulseCon.