The Cartoon Network has created a flurry of excitement on the interwebs over the weekend, having released a simple app that allows you to create your Powerpuff style avatar.
Powerpuff Yourself was launched to celebrate the return of the animated series – a show that began way back when in 1998. I personally remember watching the show in-between Dexter’s Lab and Johnny Bravo – and the nostalgia factor has got me considering a Sky subscription to be able to watch the new series.
For Cartoon Network, nostalgia is a big part of the launch of the new series. Of course, kids will still watch the new series, as I’m sure it will be excellent, but just as a certain generation tune into the new Thunderbirds, I’m betting plenty of millennials will be tuning into this latest series of the Powerpuff Girls.
The app is further proof that nostalgia is a key focus. Anyone can create their own avatar, and with very little information requested. You don’t need to provide your email, nor do you need to login through Facebook (and thus give up your life data) – all that is required is your birthday.
The birthday of people using the app is the clincher. This is pure marketing research into which generation, and what precise ages, the nostalgic audience are. Bear in mind that the series ran from 1998 until 2005, so understanding this will help in selling the new series, from those who are at university and in desperate need of cartoons to watch as they eat cereal all day, to people who may well have their own kids by now.
So while Powerpuff Yourself is an incredibly fun time-waster, consider the incredible research piece that Cartoon Network are powering off the back of it. Perhaps your next research project could incorporate something a little more creative.