FOR TOY & GAME BRANDS

Toy and game marketing for the holiday rush and beyond.

Most toy brands earn their year between Black Friday and Christmas, on toys that now cost more to bring in. We plan that season from the profit each toy has left after duty and freight, then run the video ads, Shopping ads and email that sell it.

30-minute call with Dair
The founder, not a sales rep.
A basket of colorful wooden building blocks
BRANDS WE'VE WORKED WITH
  • Tuff Crowd
  • Rüfüs Du Sol
  • Haven Sleep Co
  • Amourprints
  • Soul Comfort
  • Boss Dog & Boss Cat

Toy and game brands are among the 100+ brands we've worked with since 2018. Read our reviews on Shopify (opens in a new tab).

IN SHORT

Toy and game marketing is how a toy, game or puzzle brand sells to the adults who pay: parents and grandparents buying for a child, and adults buying puzzles, games and collectibles for themselves. For most brands, the year depends on the weeks before the holidays.

HOW PEOPLE BUY
Two ways. Parents and grandparents buy for a child, often as a gift, by age and interest. Adults also buy for themselves, such as puzzles, games, building sets and collectibles: Circana found toy sales for people 18 and older grew 18% in the first half of 2025.
WHEN IT SELLS
Mostly from Black Friday to the week before Christmas, when ad prices peak and shipping slows down, plus Boxing Day in Canada. Birthdays, new releases and game nights carry the rest of the year.
WHAT WINS THE SALE
Video of the toy or game being played, a clear age range, and stock and shipping cut-offs that hold through December.
WHY TOYS AND GAMES ARE DIFFERENT

A good year comes down to a few busy weeks.

Toys and games are gifts bought by adults on a tight calendar. That changes how the ads, the store and the emails have to work.

Not sure where your store loses sales? Ask Dair →

The year rides on the holidays

Sales pile up between Black Friday and Christmas. That's also when ad prices rise and shipping slows down. Wait until November to plan and every new customer costs peak prices.

HOW WE FIX IT A holiday plan that starts in the fall

A photo can't show the fun

Shoppers want to see how it works, how big it is and how a family plays with it. A box shot on a white background answers none of that.

HOW WE FIX IT Video ads that show the play

Toys that cost more to bring in

Most toys sold in the US are made in China, and the duty on them has changed several times since 2025. A discount set from last year's cost can turn a best seller into a loss.

HOW WE FIX IT Holiday offers priced from landed cost

Sales drop off in January

Many brands go quiet on their holiday buyers until next November. Birthdays, new releases and expansions give you a reason to write all year.

HOW WE FIX IT Birthday and new-release emails
INSIDE THE WORK

How toy and game brands win the season.

Most of the year's sales land in a few weeks, so the plan, the video and the product data all have to be ready before them.

THE HOLIDAY PLAN

The holiday plan starts from what each toy costs to land.

Nearly 80% of toys sold in the US are made in China, according to the Toy Association, and the duties on them changed several times in 2025 and again in 2026. A Black Friday discount planned on last year's cost can wipe out the profit on a toy. So the plan starts with the landed cost of each toy: the factory price, the freight and the duty you pay today. That decides which toys lead the ads, which go into bundles and which stay at full price.

Then the calendar works back from the day the stock lands. Ads are tested in late summer, while clicks cost less, on toys that are already in the warehouse. The email list grows before November, and the last shipping dates go on the site and in every email. When the rush starts, the budget goes behind the toys with the most profit left after ads. To make the same profit, a discount needs margin ÷ (margin − discount) times as many orders, and the discount calculator works it out for each toy.

  • A landed cost for every toy, with the duty you pay today
  • Discounts only on toys whose margin can take them
  • Ads and emails timed to when the stock lands
An example holiday plan for a toy store: each toy's margin after duty and freight decides whether it leads the ads, goes into a bundle or stays at full price.
VIDEO ADS

Show the play in the first seconds.

A box on a white background can't show how a toy works, how big it is or how a family plays with it. Short video can: hands opening the box, the first build, the moment a game gets loud at the table. The opening seconds decide whether people keep watching, so they show the toy in action, with the age range clear on screen from the start.

The ads speak to whoever pays. For a child's toy, that's parents, grandparents and other gift-givers, with the age range on screen from the first second. For puzzles, games and collectibles, it's often the adult who plays, so those ads show the finished puzzle, the game night or the shelf. Each video is cut for Reels, TikTok and Stories, and judged by the orders and profit it brings rather than its views. More in ad creative and testing.

  • The toy in action in the opening seconds
  • The age range on screen from the start
  • Cut for Reels, TikTok and Stories
An example short video ad for a toy: the age range on screen, the play in the opening seconds and one clear button for the adult who buys.
PRODUCT DATA

Parents search by age, players and play time.

Many shoppers search for 'gifts for a 6-year-old' or 'family board games' before they know your name. To show up, each product needs the details they search and filter by: the age range, the number of players and the play time for games, the theme, and what's in the box. We add them to your product pages, to collection pages for each age and occasion, and to your Shopping feed.

The same details go into your Shopping feed, so a search for 'board games for 4 players' or 'gifts for a 6-year-old' can find your toy. Collection pages for each age, interest and occasion catch the gift searches parents make every fall, and each one links to the toys that fit. Any warning printed on the box appears on the product page too, word for word. See SEO for the collection pages.

  • Age range, players and play time on every product
  • Collection pages for each age and occasion
  • The same details in your Shopping feed
An example listing check for a toy store: the details parents search and filter by, with play time that was in the box text but missing from the Shopping feed.
WHAT'S INCLUDED

What we run for your toy or game brand.

One plan covers the holiday peak and the quieter months. Every budget is tied to what an order earns.

  1. A holiday calendar

    Offers, ad budgets and last shipping dates planned from early fall. We check them every week of the peak.

  2. Video that shows the play

    Unboxings, set-ups and the toy or game in action. Each video is cut for Reels, TikTok and Stories.

  3. Ads for the people who pay

    Parents and grandparents for toys bought for a child, adult fans for puzzles, games and collectibles. Each group gets its own ads.

  4. Shopping ads with full product data

    Age range, player count and play time added to your product feed. Shoppers searching for exactly that can find you.

  5. Gift guides that rank

    Collection pages for each age, interest and occasion. They're written for the searches parents make every fall.

  6. Email for the rest of the year

    Birthday reminders, new releases, expansions and game-night ideas that bring holiday buyers back.

CLIENT RESULTS

Results from our clients.

All case studies →

Amourprints case study

Personalized wall art
$2M to $11M

Every dollar spent on Meta ads brought back $5.50 in revenue on average, for twelve months straight.

Tuff Crowd case study

Luxury streetwear
$100K in the first hour

We built the hype before launch, ran the ads, and made sure the store could handle the rush. When it went live, everything held up.

WHAT WE DO

Ads, search and email for the whole year.

Every channel works from the same holiday plan: the same stock dates, the same profit per toy and the same last shipping dates.

Facebook and Instagram ads that find new buyers, with budgets set by your margins.

FacebookInstagram

TikTok video ads and Spark Ads that look like the rest of the feed and find new buyers, with budgets set by your margins.

TikTokSpark AdsSmart+

New ad ideas every week, tested with real budget. Winners get scaled, losers get switched off fast.

UGCStaticVideo

Shopping and search ads that reach people already looking for what you sell, managed for profit.

ShoppingPerformance MaxSearch

SEO

Technical fixes, better collection pages and useful content that bring in shoppers from Google without paying per click.

Technical SEOContentSearch Console

Automated emails and texts that bring past customers back to buy again, without paying for more ads.

EmailSMSKlaviyoOmnisend
FREE TOOLS

Plan your peak with real numbers.

See what a Black Friday discount does to each toy's profit, and the return your ads need once duty and freight are in the cost.

Ads & offers

Ad budget calculator

How much should I spend on Meta and Google ads to hit my revenue goal?

FAQ

Questions from toy and game brands.

Don't see your question? Ask Dair directly on the call.

Dair Rose
Still have a question?
Email or call. Dair replies personally.
Book a strategy call →

Show the toy being played with, aim the ads at the adults who buy, and plan the holiday season months ahead. After the peak, birthdays, new releases and email to past buyers keep sales coming.

By late summer. That leaves time to work out each toy's landed cost, grow your email list, test ads while they cost less and set your last shipping dates. When November arrives, more money goes behind the ads that already work.

Often both, with different ads. Parents and grandparents shop by the child's age and interest, so their ads show the toy being played with and the age range. Adults buying for themselves respond to the finished build, the game night or the limited edition. Ad platforms restrict ads aimed at children, so neither version targets kids.

Game nights, birthdays, new releases and expansions give you reasons to sell all year. Email and SMS bring past buyers back for each one, and Google Shopping catches people searching for a game by age, player count or theme.

Often, yes, because a toy that's fun to watch makes a natural short video. Unboxings and first reactions tend to stop the scroll. We judge the ads on the orders and profit they bring.

Toy by toy, where the margin needs it. Work out each toy's landed cost with today's duty, then decide which toys carry a higher price, which go into bundles and which stay as your entry price. Change the price on your store, your Shopping feed and Amazon on the same day, and test it in ads before the holidays, while there's still time to adjust.

Planning your next holiday season?

Bring last December's numbers and your landed costs. In 30 minutes, Dair will show you which toys to push this season and what to fix before the rush.