Maybe you are not familiar with the name "Thomas", but when you see this blue train, I believe you must have a feeling of deja vu. In fact, the train Thomas and its friends have swept the world for 70 years.
Since 1945, this classic image in the history of British literature has been accompanied by children's laughter. Each train has its own excellent quality. For example, the small train No. 1 Thomas, the quality represented by the courage behind; West represents friendship; Sino is responsible; James and Emily teach church children to solve problems and teamwork.
The only purpose for them to go through various adventures is to teach their children a variety of valuable life experiences so that all the children of the world can become good, honest and courageous children.
"Strong IP + Smart Hardware" Cross-border CooperationBut even so, excellent IP in today's Internet age also needs to keep pace with the times in order to continue to infect new generations of children with good quality. Under such a concept, the cross-border cooperation of "strong IP + smart hardware" has become the strategic plan of Thomas, a small train, and it can even be said to be an inevitable choice.
Interestingly, Thomas's first stop was not selected in Europe and the United States where this small train has a higher awareness. It flew over the sea and came to Shenzhen, where the smart hardware industry chain has the most perfect. The company reached a cooperation and authorized the latter to complete the design, production and sales of children's smart hardware.
As an IP that enjoys a 70-year reputation, Thomas has shown extreme caution in every step of cross-border cooperation. It took about half a year from the determination of authorization to the completion of the sample. This is an admiration for the mature children's watch market.
Maybe the bones of the British aristocracy also have the temperament of no aggression. In the Shenzhen where every second counts, the landing of Thomas's first product is indeed “slow†and out of place. Hu Lei told Lei Fengwang (search "Lei Feng Net" public concern) that Thomas asked children's watch straps to use food-grade silicone, and this is not just to find a company to verify that it will be done, and even have to be served A test center in Guangzhou designated by Thomas obtained relevant certificates. But it is precisely because Thomas hopes to open the Chinese market with such a product. This "slow" is not only rare in Shenzhen, but also every product should do it.
Thomas's "children's intelligent ecosystem"For a CEO, Hu Lei's use of the constellation to make an opening may be a bit "too grounding," but judging from the family photos placed on the table, let the lover's giant male to build Thomas's smart hardware products, at least for For Hu Lei, it can be considered pleasure.
Hu Lei joined the Chinese New Year in 2015. Before serving as CEO, Hu Lei spent 12 years in Tencent. For Hu Lei, who has just entered the middle age, Tencent’s professional career left him with product-based Internet thinking. This geese plant breath even extended to his current office - a full row of QQ dolls on the windowsill.
"Traditional manufacturers still use the thinking of doing business to do smart hardware, what to do with what they earn, and what I do is to be more inclined to make this product truly solve the problems in life, and use the Internet's thinking to build barriers to products. ."
And all this will be built on the preschool education brand Thomas from England. Thomas's Children's Smart Ecosphere - This is a "very Internet" concept - including four products designed for use scenarios and user pain points: watches, toothbrushes, cups, robots. At present, we have completed the design and production of the first two products. After various types of approvals are issued, we will continue to sell on the domestic market.
In addition to the functions such as calling, positioning, and other functions that ordinary children’s smart watches have, the main feature of Thomas Children’s Watch is “teamâ€. This function is also very similar to Tencent, which is similar to the “face-to-face building†of the watch version, and supports the Speaking function - yes, that is, WeChat 4.5 has been on the line, but it has quietly disappeared that real-time intercom.
In the imagination of Hu Lei, this function is intended to enable children in the same tutoring class or interest class to implement post-classroom communication functions. The concept of “circle†is arguably the focus of Thomas Smart Watch. For example, on different occasions, parents can manually select the "group" that the children can communicate with, which is the so-called "circle."
"This kind of semi-closed approach is to allow parents to manage the children's communication circle."
The current concept of Hu Lei is to cooperate with some educational institutions and let the same class of small partners use this watch together. But will parents buy it? If you do not buy, will children have invisible comparisons and discrimination? On the issue of how to promote, Hu Lei is still thinking.
In order to ensure the safety of children, Thomas Children's Watch is also equipped with monitoring functions called "listen" and "see". As the name implies, it means that parents can turn on the watch and listen to the movement around the child without telling the children. Or open the camera on the watch to understand the environment around the children. In this way, parents can obtain some information through these two functions even if they are separated from their children.
This watch is priced at 798, which is not cheaper than smart children's watches on the market. But Thomas's watch, because of its strong IP properties, is seen by Hu Lei as more of a taste for gifts. “It is at least a smart watch that expresses a kind of care for children,†said Hu Lei. “And the cultural subtlety and good quality behind Thomas' IP is the spiritual food for children to grow up healthy and happy. "From an animated image that only stays on screen to the reality and become an indispensable intelligent product for children, the brand of Thomas will also bear more meaning in the future."
The meaning of drunkards is not on the table
As for why it started with the watch, it was actually not the intention of Hu Lei. A child’s watch was released at the end of 2015, but it’s not a good sell. Based on the fact that there is already a molded product, first improve it from the watch, and use it to explore the Chinese market, it is not a bad idea.
On the one hand is Thomas, a traditional children's education brand that wants to be a smart hardware; on the other, it is a natural thing to want to obtain strong IP support to open the market for smart hardware manufacturers.
Hu Lei admitted that the watch is just a test product. Compared with watches, the Thomas Children's toothbrush listed later this year is the focus of their promotion. Toothbrushes are just the current need for children's home education. After all, children can wear watches every day, but they can't brush their teeth.
Since his establishment, Hu Lei has always maintained the habit of writing journals. At the end of his paper, he often said:
"Thank you for the arrangements that exist, and give me abundance and abundance."
Perhaps Thomas’s cross-border attempts and his cooperation with Yu is also a place in the world.
Lei wears the public number of Lei Feng Network (search "Lei Feng Network" public number attention), concerned about wearable, health care products and technologies. If you want to talk about your own business story, you can add Xiaobian Wechat, or send an e-mail to.
