A. C. Gilbert Company SWOT Analysis, Competitors & USP

A.C. Gilbert

Toy Brands & Manufacturers

Media & Entertainment

The toy that resembles structural steel

Chemistry sets, erector sets (like mechano), magic sets

Children toys

Children from the middle and upper middle class

Building toys that resemble actual steel structures. Parent’s pride in structures made by children.

Below are the Strengths in the SWOT Analysis of A. C. Gilbert Company:

1.  Was one of the largest and oldest toy companies in the world
2. Strategic acquisitions like that of Mechano and American Flyer to enter into the structural toys and toy trains market
3.  Strong brand name of “Erector Set” which was later used by the Gabriel company. The company continued to market it as a "The construction toy from A. C. Gilbert"

4. Strong brand name and had good availability

Here are the weaknesses in the A. C. Gilbert Company SWOT Analysis:

1. Poor management led to lack of performance
2. Lack of focused leadership as it was a family-run business
3. Some of it’s chemical lab toys are allegedly included in a list of the most wildly irresponsible vintage toys

Following are the Opportunities in A. C. Gilbert Company SWOT Analysis:

1.  Opportunity to build on the strong brand name in the US market and expand to other verticals in the toys category
2. Opportunity to enter new markets around the world
3.  To leverage on its brand name and introduce more toys related to movies like James Bond (like they did in the past) for the target segment

The threats in the SWOT Analysis of A. C. Gilbert Company are as mentioned:

1.  The fad toys change at a relatively fast pace in this market and this poses a continuous threat.
2. Threat of new entrants is high as the market can be entered easily
3. Poor publicity due to limited marketing

Below are the top 2 competitors of A. C. Gilbert Company:

1. Lego
2. Mattel