Episode 20: Mission-Based Business Marketing

00:33
Kyle Mollison
Welcome to another episode of Marketing Moves. I'm your host, Kyle Mollison. And today we're diving into mission based businesses, corporate social responsibility, and how that plays into marketing. We're talking how to build your brand by doing good, how to maintain that same ethos of responsibility through periods of growth, how to remain true to that mission as your business diversifies its offerings. And today, we're also talking toys. Today's guest, Vishnu Chandran, is the CEO of Wild Republic, a manufacturer of nature related toys, stuffed animals and gifts with worldwide distribution, serving zoos, museums, aquariums, as well as other brick and mortar and online retailers. Vish has nearly 25 years of history at Wild Republic and has been instrumental in continuing its mission of helping humans and animals to live in peace on earth.

01:19
Kyle Mollison
He's also found time to focus on other philanthropic endeavors, such as orphanages, animal sanctuaries and conservation programs, as well as local community outreach in the US, Canada, Denmark, and Australia. And top all of that off.

01:33
Kyle Mollison
Vish has also found time to be.

01:34
Kyle Mollison
A pretty good tennis player. Vish, welcome to Marketing Moves.

01:38
Vishnu Chandran
Thank you for having me.

01:39
Kyle Mollison
It's great having you here. I know you from a previous life from tennis, and I'm really excited to dive into the business side of things and hear a lot more about Wild Republic and specifically how you use that mission based and corporate social responsibility to build your toy empire.

02:05
Vishnu Chandran
Yes. So it's definitely an honor to be here discussing that and look forward to diving into it.

02:11
Kyle Mollison
So, like I said, I know you from a previous life from tennis, and I want to hear a little bit from business. Vish, give me the history on Wild Republic because as I was doing some of my homework, it was a really interesting history of the company.

02:30
Vishnu Chandran
Yeah. So I'm very blessed to be part of a generational business started by my grandparents. They were very passionate about finding ways to connect children and children with wildlife. It started with my grandfather going to zoos across the United States and seeing that, hey, there are animals here. But when you go to the gift shop, they didn't exist there. So he was the first one to actually bring the stuffed animal into the gift shop, which is now a very important part of why people go to zoos and why they end up taking a memory home.

03:03
Kyle Mollison
Yeah, that's awesome. And I think what really struck me as I was doing my research is this is obviously a really powerful thing, that bringing able to take that stuffed animal home. Being able to take that animal home, it's always been that really mission based business. So if you kind of had to distill it down, what would you say that ethos is and the mission of Wild Republic is?

03:34
Kyle Mollison
Yes.

03:35
Vishnu Chandran
So Wild Republic is my grandparents' mission to connect children with wildlife. My personal vision is to find ways that humans and animals can interact in peace. That is my ultimate goal, is to have that kind of balance with how we go with the future. So that's what's very important to how we move this forward, is that connection.

04:00
Kyle Mollison
Yeah, absolutely. So how has that kind of evolved as the business has grown? Because I know that you've had a lot of different business units, and really.

04:13
Kyle Mollison
The organization seems to have grown really dramatically over the years.

04:19
Kyle Mollison
So how has that evolved and how has that always. It's always been a part of the business, but how have you made sure to integrate that throughout all of the evolutions of the business?

04:31
Vishnu Chandran
So, as a company, what we wanted to do was make sure everything that we did was global. So we have a strategic initiative that we started in 2019 called Tag, which is teams automation and global, which the global now has evolved into green. So tag is teams, automation, green. It is global teams. It's having a great team that everyone corresponds together, collaborates together around the world. Whether we're in Australia, we're in Denmark, we're in the US, everybody has some sort of connection with each other. Along with that is having good, automated, efficient processes to support these teams, so that these teams are able to collaborate and be able to make change. And all while being green, we have to be eco friendly, not only with our products, but with our process as well.

05:17
Vishnu Chandran
And that's why for us, if you refer back, we always refer back to tag, because it's tag, you're it. Let's go make a difference. And along with that, we have great partners that allow us to be able to do that.

05:29
Kyle Mollison
That's awesome. So as I was also researching, I saw a big. I don't want to know if it's a flagship product or a new product that's coming out is the idea of the biodegradable toys and the biodegradable stuffed animals. Obviously, eco-friendly has become so in vogue lately. It seems to me that's a really interesting way to meet the market where it's at. With that, can you tell me a little bit about how you guys went about ideating that and bringing that to market?

06:05
Kyle Mollison
Yes.

06:05
Vishnu Chandran
So, for us, everything comes back to listening to our customers. It is also about doing the right thing. For us, eco-friendly seems vogue, but in reality, for us, it's in our dna. It's all about how we take care of the animals and the environment that we're in. And so the ideas, they come from us challenging our manufacturing base and also while taking the inputs from the customers. We work with some of the most prestigious institutions, like the Monterey Bay Aquarium, where they're pushing the capability of how can we be more sustainable, eco eco-friendly. So, obviously, we've started with recycled, and eventually, now it's how do we make a product that has a good end of life plan? And that's where the biodegradable product came in, is the ability to have that end of life.

06:50
Vishnu Chandran
And we've created a drop off sort of thing on our website. So if you scan it, you can go to our website and print off a link so that you can send the product back in eventually and we will figure the way to dispose of it for the consumer.

07:04
Kyle Mollison
That's awesome. That's so interesting to me. And again, what I think that you guys do a really good job is you guys aren't just walking the walk, you're talking the talk, because it's authentic to you and it's authentic to Wild Republic. Again, you noticed it. You mentioned it. You're not doing it because it's in vogue. It's not what's hot in the streets these days. You're doing it because it's in your DNA. As you've kind of done that. How have you made sure to make sure that you're keeping that authenticity and not necessarily making it so that way it seems as though, or it's perceived that you might be kind of, like, chasing that green trend.

07:49
Kyle Mollison
Yeah.

07:49
Vishnu Chandran
So, first of all, definitely the greenwashing. It's always the word. You have to always watch. So how Wild Republic we approach it. First of all, we listen to our customers. We make sure we're very well connected with them, but we have third party certifications that are behind us. So we are working closely with one of the most reputable labs with that, and we work with their top scientist that is on the recycling board in China. And so he actually helps us vet our processes. So we're not saying what we shouldn't be saying, and that's how we always approach everything, is that we are definitely having some of the top people that are behind the scenes helping us validate this because we don't want to go out there, make a claim, and then we can't prove it.

08:29
Vishnu Chandran
And so it's important that if you're going to say something, we have the means to back it up and prove it.

08:35
Kyle Mollison
Yeah. And I think what is really refreshing about that, and I think probably plays into a really big part of your success, is that authenticity. I think that people really can tell that this isn't that fad. Like I said before, it's part of that DNA. So on top of the third party labs and listening to your customers, how have you found that you've been able to maintain that authenticity throughout your different distribution channels? Because like I had mentioned at the top of the podcast, you guys are omnichannel. You are in brick and mortar. You have an ecommerce site, you are working with other third party retailers. So how do you make sure that authenticity gets across all of those different channels?

09:30
Vishnu Chandran
So first of all, for us, it is about listening to each channel. It is doing the research, it's doing the homework of each channel. It's understanding how does each channel enjoy the brand. Because every channel is totally different and we understand that we can't be cookie cutter to that. And that's where sometimes it may be harder to scale in these channels. But that's okay because we would rather make sure that we're serving our channels correctly. Now, a key thing for us for 2024 and beyond is embracing technology into that process while balancing the ability on a consumer level that children are still off the screens. Because we want children to be playing in nature, but being able to leverage technology to channel them off the screen.

10:17
Kyle Mollison
In a way, yeah, absolutely. And while you are trying to keep them off the screen, one thing I did notice as I was clicking around your website that I really liked, and I think it's, again, another way that you're maintaining that authenticity. And speaking about these issues that are really important but in a way that isn't overtly salesy, is you have that entire four kids section on your website. And to me it's really excellent content marketing. Not to add content, the content word to it, but I think that's a really good way to highlight that mission and highlight that and extend that message. Has that four kids section been something that you guys have always had? Has that been something that you've been building out more as kids are getting more and more screen time.

11:12
Vishnu Chandran
So for us, the four kids section has always been there. In fact, what it's neat about that is it started with hang tags. It was literally the hang tags on the stuffed animals, and it was just basic animal facts. So we wanted to develop them. That's been there for, since we've had a website either, whether it's been them hanging monkeys with the games we used to have online, which was kind of the pioneer to online product with an online perspective. Eventually, for us, we turned it more into animal facts and being able to share with that. We've had teachers use those animal facts as well in their classrooms, but that's something that just always has been there for us. And we have plans to evolve it further as obviously the wonderful world of technology just keeps getting better for us.

12:00
Kyle Mollison
Yeah. And again, kind of on that. Again, I keep hammering the authenticity piece, but it's because you guys do such an excellent job of it. Other than that, for the kids section on the website, how are you really translating that message and that authenticity in a way that is being digestible by the digital native? And as your target market, kids get to be more and more used to being on phones, on social media, how are you making sure that message is still reaching them in a healthy way and in a way that's engaging? Yes.

12:38
Vishnu Chandran
So for us, obviously, it comes to our product, but from an online perspective, we definitely leverage different tools. We're using social media. We have great PR firms that we work with globally that have a very aligned and integrative strategy, because we want to be able to tell the same story across the globe. But obviously, it has to translate as well as we are leveraging different awards and different, obviously, podcasts and different ways of getting our message out there so that it's not just we can tell our story, but it's also important that we have others being able to translate that story to others so that it's not just us telling it. It's important that we have validation from others so that it's out there.

13:21
Kyle Mollison
Yeah. And speaking of awards, I saw, I think your grandfather won a toy of the year award. Do you want to tell me about that?

13:29
Vishnu Chandran
Yes. So he was honored with the first people award from the Toy association, the toady or the toy of the year. It was one of the first people categories, and he won the champion, sustainability. We felt he was the underdog because really he wasn't the underdog, but he was competing against Mattel and happy and radio flier. And we're excited that when they called his name, that he had won because of all his efforts. I mean, he's still active at 90. He's in India right now as we speak, developing product and working on different materials for us to be even more sustainable.

14:06
Kyle Mollison
That's amazing. I wish I could be half as active as your grandfather. Sounds like he is at 90. So, again, I kind of alluded to this a little bit earlier, but have you had to make many pivots or any pivots to product line or messaging? As we've kind of seen the generations shift, and as you've gone from getting toys in hands of Gen Xers to getting toys in hands of millennials to Gen Z, and now I think it's Gen Alpha is probably where the kids are these days. So how have you had to, are there any big changes or big shifts that stand out to you in terms of how the different generational cohorts engaged with toys? Yes.

15:04
Vishnu Chandran
So I think we've had the benefit of nostalgia. So that is something that we have definitely been able to take advantage of, is nostalgia. So it allows us to be able to keep certain products going that I remember at one point, I was a kid, I was playing with this myself, and to be able to share that with my children, it's always exciting. But I think we have the benefit of nostalgia with us, I would say, is that social media, I think, is kind of the big change with how we're getting our message out there, because I found that there's a lot of engagement with it, whether it's your Instagram, your Facebook, or your LinkedIn.

15:36
Vishnu Chandran
But especially, I've noticed Instagram is a big platform for us, and it seems to be where we get the connections of the influencers and also our own storytelling on there. But that's the thing. The big shift for us is that social media has definitely been a big driver of being able to tell our story.

15:55
Kyle Mollison
That's awesome. That's awesome. So you began talking about, like, this was a toy that I played with when I was a kid. So I listened to you on another podcast, and when they had asked what your favorite toy was, I was a little bit surprised to hear what it was. So can you tell me that story?

16:12
Vishnu Chandran
Yeah. So it's fun because for me, my favorite toy, believe it or not, is a stop sign. I had this stop sign that I had as a kid, and I also got a power wheel along with that stop sign, but I chose to play with the stop sign always. Because for me, when I used to see stop signs as a kid growing up, it was kind of fun to see how some people, I had a little fun graffitiing them. And so I was like, hey, let me decorate my own stop sign. And so I kind of was coloring it. It definitely brought some great. I had some creative juices flowing that I never even realized I had in me, and the stop sign brought it out of me. But what it kind of set up for me foundationally is it's about rules.

16:51
Vishnu Chandran
I'm a big on rules and process, and how that kind of. I never realized it, never linked it back until I thought about it, is that it started with a stop sign. But for business, as we grow and we scale and we obviously serve these different channels, as we talked about earlier, we got to have the rules and processes to serve all these different things that we do. And I think that's where the stop sign kind of came into play for me, is that it's all about how my big on roles, teaching people what the rules, important roles, are, what roles serve us, what roles need to be moved on from all that.

17:26
Kyle Mollison
Yeah, I remember listening to that. I was like, I never would have guessed, but, yeah, that's super interesting. And I like that you tied it back to the idea of kind of, like, rules and process. And now my mind's turning, and I'm thinking about, what were the toys I played with when I was younger? What does that talk about me? And I think one of the biggest toys that I remember having was, like, a telescope, and I remember just fostering that curiosity and then getting very into astronomy and science and things like that. And again, moving into a marketing field where it's science and numbers based, I can kind of see it making some sense. So, again, so much of the mission of Wild Republic is about nature and wildlife and the animals.

18:22
Kyle Mollison
And I'm sure I don't even want to know how many times you've been asked this, but do you have a favorite animal, and if so, what is it?

18:29
Vishnu Chandran
Yes. So I'm always happy to talk about my favorite animal, and it's the snow leopard. They are majestic. I mean, the fact that they can live in the Himalayas and basically almost, like, bounce from each crevice to each crevice without falling to a pit, it's just amazing to see. And just. They're beautiful. I mean, they're just so majestic, and I just can't even. They're amazing.

18:52
Kyle Mollison
Yeah. And interesting. It's a very nimble and agile animal, and I feel as though Wild Republic has been very nimble and agile in, again, making sure that your message is getting across in a way that isn't heavy handed or anything like that. So again, I'm trying to bring it all back. I'm trying to bring it all back. My favorite animal is the sea otter. Again, I remember. And again, speaking of nostalgia, I remember. Do you remember zoo books? Yes.

19:28
Vishnu Chandran
Oh, yeah.

19:29
Kyle Mollison
I remember I had a zoo book of sea otters. And again, was just from that point on, my Instagram feed is cute.

19:39
Vishnu Chandran
Sea otters.

19:41
Kyle Mollison
I've got no shame saying that among all of my obvious marketing things. But again, I'm a big sea otter guy, and it never ceases to amaze me how that's something that seems to be something that's very evergreen.

20:00
Vishnu Chandran
It crystallizes. All right.

20:02
Kyle Mollison
Hey, this is my favorite animal, and it's been my favorite animal for almost 25 years now. We spoke a little bit about this, but again, you guys are our omnichannel. Again, I know a really big channel is the zoo, the aquarium, gift shop, and things like that, which makes a ton of sense. How do you make sure that your mission statement is just as strong as it is in those very contextual retail storefronts as it is in an online context on your own e commerce store or on a marketplace like Amazon?

20:50
Vishnu Chandran
Very good question. So we actually have dedicated teams that work in each of those channels so that they know exactly how to tell the story, they know the mission, they know all these different things. But it is definitely, again, it goes back to, we're still learning. We always learn what's the right way to tell the story. So we may say we have one thing, one way, but we'll always find something else and be able to adapt that in. So, like I said, we talked about being agile. That's just how we're always in a learning culture, and something may apply today, may not apply tomorrow. And so we're always approaching it from a learning lens and how we go forward with that.

21:30
Kyle Mollison
Yeah, definitely. So as we talk again, it's so obvious to me that this is very much so, just second nature and just an integral part of the culture. For Wild Republic, what advice would you have to other mission based organizations organizations that are following a corporate social responsibility plan on how to do it authentically?

22:02
Vishnu Chandran
Listen to your customer. I mean, I think it's understand. Listen to your customer and always look at doing the right thing because you do the right thing.

22:12
Kyle Mollison
Yeah.

22:12
Vishnu Chandran
It may not come out right away, but it's thinking long term I'm a subscriber to the infinite game by Simon Sinek, and that book always reminds me is that whatever decision I make, it's about the future. And that's what if you're making the decision towards the future and five years from now, if this is going to matter, that's how you have to approach it, along with listening to your customers, because as you listen to your customers, you'll find a way to do it. Sometimes they may tell you something that seems like very off the wall, but take that as an opportunity to figure out, because that is a chance for us to solve a problem and make a difference.

22:46
Kyle Mollison
Yeah, absolutely. And again, it's one of those things. It's like if it's not in a marketing one class, it's been a handful of years since I took marketing one. But just the idea of listening to your customers, it seems to get so easily lost by so many brands these days. And again, I think especially for a brand like yours, where you're really looking to make that difference, really speaking to the end user and taking their feedback in really is integral.

23:24
Vishnu Chandran
Yeah, definitely. We have to balance, obviously, the buyer from a b to b standpoint and then the consumer, because we have to help our buyers be able to get to that end consumer. And so it's important for us to understand who that end consumer is. And for us, it's knowing that they have that connection, so that when we're able to help the buyers to be able to get that product moved off the shelf, that's very important. And that's why for us, we have to understand that end consumer because we could sell to the buyer, but if the product doesn't move off the shelf, we're not doing anybody a service, whether it's online or in store.

24:01
Kyle Mollison
Exactly. Can you think of a time where you did get some feedback from the consumer where you're like, wow, this was not at all what I was expecting. And can you tell me how you pivoted on that?

24:13
Vishnu Chandran
So we had some situations where we thought were going with. We went with a partnership that we thought was going to work for us, and then we ended up getting some pushback because it didn't have the actual. Once you peel back the onion, the partnership didn't make sense for what were trying to do. And I think that definitely how we responded was we took the feedback and we decided that not to pursue it. And that was something that we had gone pretty far with it, but we decided not to pursue it because for us, we definitely know that if it's not going to resonate, this is not telling the story we thought were going to tell. So for us, we listen, we take the feedback, and definitely we usually pivot pretty quick.

24:55
Kyle Mollison
Awesome. Well, so as we look to wrap up, I've got a couple of quick fire questions for you and then we can get you back to, again, saving the animals and building that connection. So what is the one thing that you would recommend to a company that is wanting to embark on a corporate social responsibility journey? What is the first step that you would recommend?

25:24
Vishnu Chandran
If you're going to commit to it. And it's got to be real. It has to be from the heart. If it comes from your heart and your soul, it will come out. People will see that. It's not a gimmick, it's not a fad, it's not a trend. This is the company really cares. And we have to show all of us, as companies have a duty to the public to have that in ourselves, because that's how, as companies move forward, that's how consumers are going to look for us. They want to see us as actual people that care about and make a difference.

25:55
Kyle Mollison
Yeah. All right, so now two more quick ones.

25:58
Kyle Mollison
Forehand or backhand?

26:00
Vishnu Chandran
It used to be backhand. Now forehand.

26:02
Kyle Mollison
Very nice. Very nice. And last, and probably potentially most importantly, where can our listeners find you to learn more about you, ask you any questions?

26:12
Vishnu Chandran
I'm on LinkedIn fish, Newchendron.

26:15
Kyle Mollison
All right, Vish, great chatting with you.

26:17
Vishnu Chandran
Thank you.