JouéClub’s New Strategies to Disseminate Christmas Catalog in the Face of ‘Oui Pub’ Challenge

Since 1^is September 2022, 14 territorial zones (the cities of Bordeaux and Sartrouville, Grenoble Alpes Métropole, the agglomeration of Agen, the Greater Nancy metropolis, Troyes Champagne Métropole, etc.) volunteered to experiment with the “Oui Pub” system until in 2025. No leaflets are distributed in the mailboxes of residents of these municipalities unless they have attached a “Yes Pub” sticker.

A headache for many brands like JouéClub whose Christmas catalog distributed 12 million copies represents its main communication tool with 85% of them distributed by mailbox. “In these experimental areas, only 10 to 15% of people put a ‘Yes Pub’ sticker on their mailboxes, pointe Franck Mathais, spokesperson for the JouéClub brand. A leaflet distributor speaks at street level. Today, tours are no longer possible because we do not have enough mailboxes to distribute them. » The whole challenge for JouéClub is to find new ways of distributing its paper catalog to reach households in the catchment areas of its stores.

Encourage consumers to come and pick up the catalog in store

“Before, our strategy consisted of sending our catalog to homes via mailboxes, underlines Franck Mathais. We are now putting in place actions to encourage consumers to come and pick up the catalog at points of sale. We are currently testing a number of initiatives because in 2025, we may no longer be able to distribute our catalog throughout France. We must anticipate it because it cannot disappear in its format papier. »

Christmas shopping, a crucial period for JouéClub, which generates more than 50% of its turnover between November and especially December. The 364-page catalog was released on October 4, but its commercial effectiveness is long-lasting.

Mini-catalogues distributed on three media

First initiative activated by the toy brand, a mail distributed to customers affected by the Oui Pub system, i.e. 400,000 letters addressed, in order to encourage them to come and pick up the catalog at nearby points of sale. JouéClub offers them a voucher of 5 euros to be used in the store (from 30€ of purchase).

For non-insert customers (4 million customers), the brand is testing the distribution of mini-catalogues in the press. “We work on three types of support: youth press with the Bayard Presse group on media intended for children such as the Okapi magazine, explains Franck Mathais. We publish an 8-page mini-catalog, an extract from the catalog, with specific products for this age category. » The goal is for these little readers to encourage their parents to pick up the catalog (in full) from JouéClub. “We carry out the same operation with the presse télé via Divertowith a mini-catalog this time focused on a family and seniors segment, and also in The Parisian Weekend. » In total, 4 million copies will be distributed.

The brand is testing the distribution of mini-catalogues in the press.

Press houses, a new asset

Another action implemented this year, the distribution of the catalog in the Press Houses. “We selected them in the catchment areas of the stores concerned by Oui Pub, we put between 200 and 300 catalogs in free distribution, explains the JouéClub spokesperson. The catalogs go out very quickly because the press houses often have a tobacconist and generate a large flow of customers. »

A digital broadcast

The digital dimension is also taken into account with the distribution of the catalog on the brand’s website. However, after several years of an expanded catalog, where Internet users could scan the desired pages from their smartphone, discover videos or links to product sheets, animations, etc. this will not be offered this year. “We are in the process of completely redefining our application. This year, we preferred to focus our action on these alternatives to mailbox distribution. »

On the digital side, JouéClub preferred to call on two specialized players in this segment: Bonial and Tiendeo. “In total, we will reach 15 million people, says Franck Mathais. We will be able to measure the return rates and the effectiveness of this system. »

Higher distribution costs

Between paper and digital distributions, JouéClub will reach 25 million households. Very high national coverage. “To bring as many customers into our stores as before, we need to double our audience. »

However, all these initiatives have a significant cost for JouéClub. ” We let’s spend 2.5 times more than simple delivery to mailboxes, he points. Mini-catalogues require us to produce specific documents. For us, mailbox distribution is the most economical way to reach our customers. And above all to select and refine a geographical area to better target our customers, two points that we no longer control today. Mechanically, we are broader in our distribution. »

For the toy brand, we will have to wait until the end of the year to know the results and first lessons from these different operations.