Moose Toys flipped traditional experiential marketing logic with their Gui Gui product launch. Instead of designing an event primarily for in-person attendees, the toy company created a social-first experience explicitly built as a content generation engine. The July activation at The Grove in Los Angeles reached nearly 15 million consumers in just two days through a strategic approach that treated physical attendance as secondary to social media reach.

“We wanted an experience that was a canvas for content,” says Mallory Van Laeken, Director of U.S. Marketing at Moose Toys. “Gui Gui is such an aspirational aesthetic brand, and we wanted to launch it in an elevated way at a landmark destination.”

Based in Melbourne, Australia, Moose Toys brings a distinctive approach to product development and marketing. “We do things differently. We have this Aussie audaciousness,” explains Dana Cohler Moncrief, VP of Public Relations at Moose Toys. “We want to be the world’s most innovative toy company. You might know us from Shopkins, but in recent years we’ve been known for Magic Mixies, MrBeast Lab, and Bluey.”

“Gui Gui has quickly joined this roster of notable brands,” Dana says. “Now, when someone asks what brands Moose has, I add Gui Gui alongside Shopkins, Mixies, Bluey, and MrBeast. It’s become iconic for us in such a short time.”

Mallory Van Laeken

The Product: Beauty Meets Slime

Gui Gui represents Moose Toys’ fusion of two major trends: slime play and beauty products. The product allows children to create customized slime with different textures, scents, and decorative charms, all packaged to mimic premium skincare products.

“Slime is huge on social,” explains Claudia Vine, Senior Manager of Social Media & Influencer Relations at Moose Toys. “We looked at what’s trending: where can we create a product that’s aesthetically pleasing, but also popular with tweens? Gui Gui is that item. They love skincare, they love slime. Why not marry the two?”

Claudia Vine

This product development positioned Gui Gui at the intersection of existing social media trends, making it inherently shareable even before the marketing campaign began. The packaging itself was designed to encourage content creation, featuring what Mallory describes as “a layered unboxing process” reminiscent of “a beautiful PR package from a skincare brand.”

Flipping the Traditional Event Model

Most brands design experiential events primarily for attendees, with social content as a secondary consideration. Moose Toys completely inverted this system with their Gui Gui Boutique pop-up at The Grove in Los Angeles, conceptualizing the entire activation as a “canvas for content” first and foremost.

This pivot addressed a key problem facing marketers today: how to extend the reach of physical events beyond their limited in-person audience. By designing every element of the experience to be inherently shareable, Moose created what Claudia calls “a UGC [user-generated content] generator” that transformed attendees into content creators and brand advocates.

“When we launched the brand, we seeded at scale, got product out to advocates, influencer partners, and paid partners, and created buzz,” Claudia explains. “When we created this event, we didn’t realize how much excitement it would draw.”

The results? Nearly 15 million consumers reached in just two days, a 35% social interaction rate, and 100% positive sentiment. But, perhaps more importantly, as Mallory and Claudia share, the campaign created sustained marketing momentum that continued months after the initial activation, with content still being discovered and shared well beyond the two-day event.

“We saw sustained content from the event,” Mallory says. “We’re still launching new pieces, and creators love working with us, because we allow them to be authentic, which is amazing.”

Campaign Timeline and Strategic Seeding

The Gui Gui campaign followed a carefully orchestrated timeline designed to build anticipation before the product was widely available. Moose first revealed Gui Gui at New York Toy Fair in March, creating initial industry buzz with what Mallory describes as “a beautiful booth section” and even securing “a billboard in Times Square.”

From this industry introduction, the team moved to strategic product seeding with influencers, followed by a limited retail launch at Walmart. “We had that beautiful in-store end cap, and it was incredible to see how quickly those sold out,” Mallory shares. “They were gone within 24 hours.”

This scarcity heightened anticipation for the Grove event in July, creating what Claudia describes as “FOMO” (Fear of Missing Out) among consumers eager to experience the product. Even following the event, full retail availability remained limited, with Mallory noting they would only be “fully stocked across all accounts” by October for the holiday season.

What’s notable about Moose Toys’ approach to influencer marketing is that it has been a long-standing priority for the company. “Moose has been at the forefront of investing in influencers since the Shopkins days,” Dana points out. “We’re proud of being early adopters, and our leadership and marketing teams fully support it.”

Multi-Layered Creator Strategy for Reach

For the Gui Gui campaign, Moose Toys employed a multi-tiered creator strategy that extended beyond typical influencer partnerships. Rather than relying solely on a few high-profile paid collaborations, the campaign implemented a thorough approach spanning multiple creator tiers.

“At the start, we had some paid partners, but we did a huge amount of seeding to earned and advocate partners,” Claudia explains. “That was important because we wanted Gui Gui to be something everybody was talking about.”

This included paid partnerships with creators such as Salish Matter, Sydney Morgan, Zoe Colletti, and Rock Squad, extensive product seeding to micro-influencers across various niches, and facilitation of on-site content creation by everyday consumers. The strategy maximized reach while maintaining genuine connections.

“UGC is so important,” Claudia says. “Some brands think paying a couple of creators is enough. No, you need real people too. That layered strategy really helped us.”

Positioning Across Multiple Niches

Moose Toys deliberately expanded beyond traditional toy industry influencers, working with creators across beauty, lifestyle, skincare, and parenting content. This cross-category approach positioned Gui Gui between multiple trending categories, rather than limiting it to the conventional toy space.

“We could have just gone to toy creators, and we did,” Claudia notes. “But we also layered in creators across multiple content niches to reach people who don’t usually see toy content and amplify our brand voice.”

Mallory reinforces this strategic positioning: “It doesn’t have to be our core toy-buying audience. Everyone loves slime, everyone loves beauty. That trend fusion bridged demographics beyond our typical consumer.”

The aspiration factor was carefully cultivated through both the product design and the event experience. “Sol de Janeiro had a pop-up the same day beside us at The Grove, which was perfect synergy, since our brand was inspired by trending skincare and beauty,” Mallory says.

Designing Social-First Experiences

The physical experience at The Grove was crafted to facilitate content creation at every touchpoint. Working with creative marketing agency NVE Experience Agency, Moose created a boutique environment that was visually striking while incorporating multiple sensory elements.

“It was very creator-focused,” Mallory explains. “We had a press preview where curated creators could film exactly what they wanted.”

Claudia elaborates on the sensory elements: “We know that’s big on social. People want to capture sensory content. So we created an environment where they could pull, touch, and smell the slime.”

The experience was designed not just for on-site content, but to generate ongoing sharing. Attendees left with a product that enabled them to continue creating content at home. “They got to touch, smell, and experience everything Gui Gui, then leave with a product to recreate content again and again at home,” Claudia explains.

When it comes to maximizing returns on investment, Claudia emphasizes the importance of a balanced approach across multiple marketing channels.

“You need everything,” she explains. “We seed, pay creators, generate UGC, and repurpose it in media. But having media dollars to amplify it further is crucial. A lot of brands forget that. Sending to or paying a creator isn’t enough. Paid media is vital to make sure more eyeballs see it.”

Lessons for Creator Economy Professionals

The Gui Gui campaign showcases the effectiveness of placing social content at the heart of a marketing strategy. Claudia addresses the common hesitation around social media investment, particularly in challenging economic times.

“In this climate, a lot of people are nervous about spending,” she says. “It’s important to test and trust. Some say, ‘We need to hold back, because money is tight.’ I get that, but there are creative ways to amplify campaigns. Lean on your teams, let them be creative, and invest in social and influencer marketing. It’s crucial for amplifying content and brand voice.”

Mallory adds that connection is key: “They’re an extension of our brand voice. They’re our ambassadors. When it’s genuine, it’s even better.”

The campaign showcases how creator marketing has developed beyond simple sponsored posts into a thoughtful, multi-layered strategy that influences every aspect of brand building.

“Influencer marketing isn’t going anywhere. It just keeps growing,” Claudia concludes. “It should always be at the center of your marketing plans, or at least a strong part of them. Put the investment behind it. It will pay off. Our Gui Gui launch proved that.”

All photos are credited to Moose Toys.

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