Often in the work towards the brand merchandising, we find brand companies go extremes to gain weightage and attract consumers. The road to get sales numbers sky-rocketing the revenue and to gain popularity among their targeted buyers, the companies come up with promotional products / merchandise that is given out either additionally or as an insert in various products packaging to excite the buyers buying the product just for that. Especially having a cartoon characters merchandise insertion in a snack packet.

However in their zest, we see the brands neglecting the dangers that lie beyond the purchase of a snack packet, being completely ignorant on the quality & edibility of the merchandise given as free / surprise toy with the pack of snacks.

Kids tend to buy snack packets mostly for these cartoon characters toys more than just the snacks and hence the snack companies gets into the cross-promotional deals to leverage the marketability of the toy, in lieu mark-up its own sales officers the toy company earns the royalty revenue out of it too. Naturally, a snack packet containing a cartoon character toy attracts him and he tends to put in the merchandise in his mouth thinking the same to be an eatable not knowing the after effects.

An ill effect like this was recently seen when a four-year old child accidentally swallowed a tiny toy kept inside a snack packet.

The boy died after gulping a rubber toy that he found in a snack packet in Eluru town of West Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh. It is said that the tiny toy was inserted in the snack pack and, after a few bites of the tomato rings, the boy consumed it as well mistaking it for an eatable. Immediately, on swallowing the rubber toy, he started vomiting and emitting froth out of his mouth. Stuck in the throat, the toy caused the boy to choke as the efforts to pull it out failed. When rushed to a government hospital the doctors pronounced him brought dead.

This is just one of the many incidents that happen when a toy is being swallowed by kids.

Who do we make claim as responsible for the death of these kids? The Parents, who did not check the pack before handing over pack to kids? or the Kid who consume and put everything in mouth they get their hands on? or the snack manufacturer who decided to take license to use character toys to push his sales?

We feel it’s none of the above but the sole responsibility of the brands licensing out the licensees to manufacture a toy that is such below the quality levels that can be hazardous for consumers health.

We urge the brands in Indian Brand Licensing Industry to only have deals with the manufacturers that are either Disney Trusted, ISO & Seedex Complaint and BIS approved! After all we all want to bring joys to kids and not such remarks that takes on the life of an individuals.

Think about it!