Sarah Jordan (Mastermind Toys)
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On this episode of Marketing News Canada, Darian Kovacs interviews Sarah Jordan, the CEO of Mastermind Toys.
Sarah leads Canada’s largest retailer of specialty toys and books, along with thousands of employees. She brings to life the idea of “play,” and creates a world-class environment for customers and employees. Sarah is a passionate and energetic leader that brings transformational change to the business. She holds an MBA and an engineering degree from Queen’s University.
Sarah attributes her success to playing to her strengths and putting the best team around her. She acknowledges there are areas she is not as strong in her career, but instead of being down about it, she utilizes the areas she excels to the best of her ability. She said her success goes earlier than her post-secondary education, it began in her childhood due to her parents instilling a “can do” attitude.
Mastermind Toys does not curate based on gender, they curate based on play patterns. This is something the brand is proud of, and they will continue to operate their business in this way. Every toy they build is built to last and they believe in quality over quantity.
When discussing a marketing strategy, some questions that came to Sarah’s mind were:
How can we create a more inclusive play room?
How can we make our products more diverse?
How can we market our products so they are desirable to a larger audience?
Something Sarah hopes to see in the future is more adults buying toys for themselves, she believes that people get old because they forget how to play. Adults often play with their children, but forget it's okay to play by themselves too. She said she has seen a significant increase in the number of adults playing with Legos.
What is often difficult about marketing for Mastermind Toys, says Sarah, is the “need to market to children and parents seamlessly all at once.” It is children who need to want the toys, but it is the parents who will be making the purchase. The key is finding the right balance between the two marketing strategies.
Mastermind differs from other toy retailers in many ways, one being the post-purchase experience. The brand understands that parents are busy and they want to do what they can to make their lives more simplistic. With this being said, they offer wrapping services post-purchase as often parents are buying these toys as gifts.
Sarah’s extensive education and experience make her an informed and passionate CEO for Mastermind Toys.
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Written by Zaniah Friesen