- The document describes the history and business of Shawnimals, a character design studio that creates plush toys and character-branded merchandise, from its founding in 2001 to the present. - Key details include successful Nintendo DS and iPhone games, a focus on building an engaged audience through social media like Facebook and Twitter, and an analysis of their core fan base and social media strategy.

2. • Character design studio • Plush toys • Character-branded merchandise • Intellectual Property

3. SHAWNIMALS TIME LINE 2001 2002 2003 2005 2006 2008 2010 - Present { PHEW! Hobby First press Chicago! Full-time Inc. Nintendo DS game iPhone game

4. • Nintendo DS Game: 120K units worldwide • iPhone game: 800K units downloaded • Profitable! Imagine that... • Social Media award recipient in 2011

5. • Kind of nerdy … surprise surprise! • Comics, videogames, movies • Pop culture in general • Morphed into an interest in art, design and technology • Worked at EGM magazine as a game reviewer 1996 – 2000 • Learned about enthusiast audiences and many other things... SHAWN SMITH (aka Shawnimal)

6. US THEM ♥

7. OUR AUDIENCE • Teens – late 20-somethings • Design sense on some level • Or at least recognize its accessibility • Sense of humor • Collectors • Recognize the “it” factor / coolness

8. KEEP IT REAL Or you will fail...

9. WHAT ELSE? • Love our stories & humor as much as our designs • They’re smart & can smell marketing from a mile away • Love that sense of ownership • Love that sense of discovering something new and cool • IMPORTANT: We are our own demographic... What we make isn’t always easy to understand, not to mention it lacks ubiquity but that’s OK. We don’t want to water down what we do, and neither do our fans.

10. “ One of the endless cool things about Shawnimals is that it's all-inclusively people-friendly, and NOT exclusively kid-friendly nor for adults only!” - Fan on Facebook

11. HEY, THANKS! Don't forget about this and other such niceties..

12. 3 KINDS OF FANS 1) Casual – What's the hook? • Facebook, Twitter, visit from referrals or apps • Ad >> Fan page >> direct from there • Free content: Designs, stories, downloads 2) Straddlers – What's the tipping point? • Direct or referred traffic, might purchase, very curious 3) Hardcore – How do we retain and excite them? • Regular visits, interactions, purchases • Helps spread word (AMBASSADORS!)

13. “ OH, YOU SEE, THAT'S THE MAIN BAD GUY...” Fans talking to fans, and better yet, educating each other on the nuances of our world!

14. This works for us. You’ll need to find out who your audience is, what they like, and how they want to communicate (style as well as content). Some food for thought... • What excites them? • What's your plan? • Do they use this stuff? • Do you? CAVEAT

15. SOCIAL MEDIA! We use these things in the following order: 1) Facebook 2) Twitter And sometimes: 3) Instagram 4) YouTube 5) Flickr 6) Google+

16. FACBOOK • Acts as our main hub between our site and most social media efforts • Excellent way to have an easy multimedia experience with fans • Can also easily post links and see where traffic goes and whether or not it’s converted • Ease of use all around • Customer service!

17. TWITTER • Recent changes make media an interesting possibility here (image attachment, web site synopsis, etc) • Transportation center: Links to shop, links to interests, links to other social media to direct fans (Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, etc) • Random, on-brand or semi-off-brand thoughts • Customer service!

18. THE OTHERS... Google+ • Not yet proven, but wanted to secure our place. Instagram • Really interesting possibilities here because it’s so visual. We are watching closely. YouTube • No brainer, but we don’t have a lot of video content... yet. Flickr • Less relevant for us now, but a useful tool for spreading word, or for other initiatives (like photo contests)

19. AND STILL OTHERS? There are more and more examples of social media tools all of the time, some of which are specific to various types of businesses and industries. Explore, play and see what works best for you and your customers. Think about them less as technology initially and more as a communication tool. Will this communicate effectively? From there, decide whether or not to use it.

20. QUESTIONS?