Toggo

The vision & result

A joint venture between RTL Group and Disney, Super RTL, aimed to establish an umbrella brand. The program would include various shows and animated series such as Bob the Builder or SpongeBob SquarePants.

Super RTL acquired licenses for productions and had some own productions and shows in their lineup. All the different brands of these cartoons and shows from various companies (Nickelodeon, Warner, Hit, etc.) were to be united under one brand umbrella: thus, “Toggo” was launched in 2001.

Oliver Eckart led the “Toggo” brand project and, together with his teams from internet, program and licencing at Super RTL, established a brand that aimed to unify various children’s TV series brands and go beyond television. “Toggo” was intended to become a cross-media brand that was on eye-level with kids in a safe environment and conveyed values such as family, safety, fun, and trust. The target audience was children aged three to thirteen, requiring micro-segmentation. “Toggolino” catered to the pre school audience, airing shows like Bob the Builder or Barney in the morning. In the afternoon, shows like SpongeBob or PowerPuffGirls were broadcast. This high-quality programming was also suitable for the younger audience, allowing every family member to watch together without losing coolness for older children due to younger fans. Thus, “Toggo” became the “home of children,” tailoring the programming to children’s needs.

Initially, Toggo was introduced as an in-program brand. The first product associated with it was a lollipop in a butterfly knife design that could be closed and reused. Children loved the lollipop, and parents supported the idea as it prevented sticky pockets. With this initial success, more doors opened for the cross-media brand; TV magazines with Nina Moghaddam gave “Toggo” a personality. The “Toggo Tour” was organized during summer vacations, featuring games and concerts for children. CDs were marketed under the label “Toggo Music.” In 2020, “Toggo Radio” was launched, and for the younger audience, there is the Toggolino edutainment platform online. The success of Toggo’s cross-media approach contributed to establishing Super RTL as one of the leading commercial kids cross-media-channels in Germany, with double-digit growth over ten years.