Moomin Facebook site goes global!

BRANDORA Editorial Staff - July 2011

Enhanced Facebook site is a hit with fans, retailers and licensees

The Moomin Facebook fan site has relaunched — and it’s bigger and better than ever! The growing army of Moomin fans now have a site where they can find out more than ever about the characters and the brand, discover retail outlets for new products, and of course, chat and share their thoughts about the friendly trolls. The new fan site — http://www.facebook.com/pages/Moomin/185958374788084 —was launched in late June.

Interest in the characters and the brand is growing fast and there was an evident need for a global fan site that would be easy for fans to find and use. And with hundreds of visitors already, many of them coming to the site for the first time, it’s clearly a success. Visitors swap photos, talk about favourite characters and discuss Moomin products and events like the recent highly successful Moomin tea party and storytelling sessions at the Pop Up festival in London.

As well as providing a meeting place and information resource the site offers 24/7 administrative service with native support for English, Swedish and Finnish. Support for other languages is expected to follow in the coming months. The site is also a useful resource for the licensing and retail sectors to let fans know about products and generate publicity for the brand.

An important feature of the new site will be an openness to ideas from visitors. Moomin Characters Oy Ltd, which has developed and administrates the site, is working with both fans and licensees on ways to enhance its relevance and make it more responsive to views and proposals — from new products to new apps.

The Moomins have been stars of books, cartoon strips, stage and screen for over half a century. Caroline Mickler Ltd’s strategy for the Moomin brand in the UK has brought a wide range of licensed product, including cards, books, toys, apparel, accessories, tableware and an award-winning range of fashion bags, to a vast consumer audience but in particular two target markets for whom the lovable, carefree trolls have a massive and enduring appeal: children and young adult women.

Pekka Halonen, Webmaster, Moomin Characters Oy Ltd, says: “It is important for the characters and the brand to be where the fans are and to communicate with them. We have already had a strong response to the new site from the fanbase and plan to continue building on this great start with new ideas and new services.”

Caroline Mickler says: “Awareness of Moomin continues to grow throughout the world, so the need for an easily accessible source of conversation, ideas and information about Moomin was clear. Moomin Characters has done a great job for the fans and the brand.”