Spain’s DeAPlaneta Entertainment has bolstered its kids & family team with Gianluca Ferrara newly installed as its first head of Italy and international toys.
Based in Milan, Ferrara started in this newly created role last month. He’s spearheading consumer products strategy and marketing initiatives for DeAPlaneta brands including Milo, Maya the Bee, Monster Shaker and Hero Inside, working closely with international consumer products director Antonella Ceraso.
Ferrara spent the past four years at Bandai Namco Europe, working as a toy business manager for the Italian market and managing licensed lines such as Dragon Ball, One Piece, Tamagotchi, Miraculous and Harry Potter. Before that, he held a series sales and marketing positions at Italian toyco Giochi Preziosi, which owns kids sci-fi franchises Gormiti and Dinofroz.
This April, DeAPlaneta recruited former FC Barcelona exec Pol Benedi to head up franchising and marketing for its kids brands. He and Ferrara will both have to contend with a cooling toy market in Italy. According to Statista, annual revenue for the category is forecast to decline by close to 1% every year until it reaches US$1.8 billion in 2028 (versus US$1.93 billion in 2021) as kids switch from playing with physical products to digital games and experiences.