The Development Strategy of High-End Plush Doll Brands - Take Jellycat as an Example

School of Art and Communication, Nanhang Jincheng College, Nanjing, China

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Abstract

The global plush toy industry is currently suffering from increasingly severe homogeneous competition, while consumer demand is constantly evolving toward personalization and spirituality. Emotional consumption and emotional value have gradually become the core elements supporting brands to establish long-term competitive advantages. Different from traditional plush products, Jellycat takes emotional companionship as its core value. Relying on a complete product design system and refined operation mode, the brand has formed a competitive strategy highlighted by high quality, strong empathy and scarcity, and built a unique and hard-to-replicate market barrier. This paper takes Jellycat as the research object, reviews its development process and typical characteristics, analyzes its market positioning, brand operation and communication strategies, and summarizes its practical experience in creating emotional value, maintaining user relationships and carrying out differentiated competition. The research results provide theoretical reference and practical guidance for the transformation and upgrading of China’s plush toy industry and related consumer goods brands, helping the industry shift from price competition and product competition to value competition and emotional competition. Studies show that Jellycat has grown into a global model of high-end plush toys due to the coordinated promotion of market positioning, brand management and communication strategies.