Mattel’s Efforts to Strengthen The Barbie Brand and Promote Girls’ Dreams
July 18, 2007
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New member, Start Up Princess Stacey Kannenberg (referred to us from Fairy Godmother Ponn Sabra, thanks!) wrote about Mattel’s new site for parents, We Believe in Girls on her first post on her new blog. She wrote a nice post about Mattel’s new site and what 
Barbie has meant to her and her family over the years. One of her girls, age 6 said “Barbie can be anything…a pilot, race car driver, a princess, a cheerleader..” That is essentially the message that Mattel is sharing on their site, We Believe in Girls.
Mattel realizes that the media has been hard on Barbie over the years… so a strong campaign to promote girls’ dreams and what they can achieve is a good move for them. Also, they are, in a sense competing with themselves with American Girl, a brand they purchased in the 90’s that now leads the doll fan community with their flagship stores in LA, Chicago, and NYC–each with their own cafe, doll hair salon, and theatre! The dolls are educationally-based (each doll has her own book) and not fashion-based so they’ve gained a lot of respect from parents.
Regardless of how you may feel about Barbie..she’s been here for decades and Mattel’s PR Team’s committed to ensuring her future is bright. They have done a great job on the site with inspirational videos that leverage the Barbie brand to share a positive message. I just wonder what their traffic is like over there…will they create an active community? Will parents really visit there and discuss their childhood Barbie memories?
Today’s Magic Wand: Question to Ponder: What does the Barbie brand teach us about marketing and how to tell a story? What story are we telling with our brands (or not telling)?
I like the new Alice in Wonderland Barbie
A very dear friend, Stacey is absolutely wonderful and has an *incredible* powerful network of her own! So, her addition her to SUP is a resource-haven for all who meet her.
Her opening blog post is motivational and thought-provoking and just the beginning of what the blogosphere can expect from her wealth of wisdom
As a mother of 3 young girls, I agree that Mattel is doing a great job with all their efforts of at WeBelieveInGirls.com, American Girls, Barbie & More!