Case Study I - Barbie 7 April 2011
This case study will examine five questions affecting the marketing of Barbie. It will consider the environmental factors affecting Barbie, a SWOT analysis, her position and the implications of it in the BCG Matrix, her target market, and my strategy if I was product manager of the Barbie line.
1. A number of environmental factors impact Barbie. Regarding the environmental factor of competition, Barbie has two major competitors -- dolls from Spin Master Ltd, “perhaps the hottest toy maker in North America” and dolls from Bratz (Zimmerman 1). The new models of these dolls both made it to the market before her last model did. Regarding the economic factor, the average income has gone down
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As the doll market expands internationally, too, Mattel has not always been successful at matching or selling Barbie to local cultures. Many people from other non-Western cultures want dolls that match their culture, and Barbie frequently does not fit them. I could not find any political factors that impact Barbie.
2. For this SWOT analysis of Barbie, I will identify at least one strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat. A significant strength of Barbie is the long history of the brand, which has been in the market for more than fifty years. Because of having that much time in the market, customers are already familiar with it. Children grow up with Barbie, so when they become adults, they will think of her when they think of dolls. Another strength is that the brand now has become more than the doll and include video games and books about her as a character. So that gives the company a broader market. For weakness, Barbie is part of and promotes a certain culture. So in cultures, either within or outside the United States, that hold different values (especially for women), she may not be as popular. For example, Barbie has been in the Saudi Arabian market for many years, but she is still not as popular as a doll that matches the local culture more, named Foulah, created by another company. For opportunities, Barbie is a worldwide brand. So there is an opportunity for the company to use that reputation to increase its market share.
After reading this article, I am happy to know that Mattel has made many changes to their Barbie dolls. The original Barbies were usually WAY out of proportion such as small waists, large breasts, and incredibly long legs. Not to mention that most Barbies were blonde haired and blue eyed. To top it all off, the Barbies were always seen wearing overly fancy clothes. This set the impossible goal for little children to look like this. Setting such an impossible is terrible for children because not being able to reach their goal can cause a child to berate themselves. Children should be able to be proud of their skin and eye color. They also should feel like they are not beautiful if they are not wearing a dress. No one who is a normal kid person
“Come on Brianna ,” Mackenna exclaimed, “let’s hurry and get in line for the Texas Giant.”
Telemachus calls an assembly of the elders, and begins to step into his father’s legacy. He then gives a speech, calling them out on letting their sons take over Odysseus’s household, using his supplies and courting his wife. Telemachus calls the gods to deliver punishment, and Zeus sends him a sign to confirm his words. Telemachus then secretly sets sail to visit other kings for word of his father.
In New York on March 9, 1959, Mattel introduced the Barbie doll to America. The thin, teenage fashion model that has a perfect slender nose, big eyes, a valumptuious bust, a narrow midsection, and curvy hips. It is estimated that over a billion Barbie dolls have been sold worldwide in over 150 countries. Barbie is one of the first toys to have a marketing strategy based extensively on television advertising, which has been widely copied by other toys. Barbie has also appeared in a series of animated films such as Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3. Barbie’s petite figure, perfectly arched eyebrows, and plastic smile has become the desired American image that many teenage
Dolls before Barbie were designed incorporating the ideals of a mans era and the conformity of a women's role in the world. Barbie may have set the stage for the 1960's generation by exposing the youth to verity and free choice. Yet there is another matter in which Barbie may flawed.
Since the emergence of the Barbie doll in 1959, Barbie has been a populous choice among young children, and more specifically young girls because of its monopolization of the toy market. Barbie is a doll that has been outwardly controversial and debated upon for years and most likely will be for many years to come. The idea of the Barbie doll is a toy for which young girls model themselves after and aspire to be like when they mature and grow up. DuCille states, “more than simple instruments of pleasure and amusement, toys and games play crucial roles in helping children determine what is valuable in and around
Motz’s asserts that the dolls give young girls the power the essentially be anything they wanted to be though they “reflect traditional, outdated roles for women”. The Barbie doll gives young women the idea that life can be spent with leisure without much effort. Considering the dolls have a different outfit for every task/event and portray a life of luxury, even while working or going to school. Motz’s says that the dolls are a symbol for modern American success which emphasizes “wealth, beauty, popularity and leisure”. The message these dolls convey negatively impact the identities of American women.
Multicultural competence is the ability to interact effectively with people of different cultures. There are four major components present when discussing multicultural competence: (1) the individual (me) must be aware of one’s own cultural views, (2) know ones attitude towards cultural differences, (3) Knowledge of different cultural practices and worldviews, and (4) having cross-cultural skills (Adapted from class 2 and 3 definitions handout, as adapted from Pope, R.L. & Reynolds, A. L. (1997)). How does one gain this competency though? Is it ever truly obtainable? I would argue that every person, no matter upbringing or background, has the ability to become more multicultural competent. This semester we were
The main reason that Barbie gained so much popularity and is still popular today was because her main purpose and her conception were to fill the void of having a role-playing toy. In the 1950’s and 1960’s, the girls had only baby dolls and paper dolls to role-play with. With the new age of television in many households, Mattel’s aggressive marketing on television, contributed to making Barbie a household name. Some other reasons for Barbie’s success, was because Barbie was marketed with different careers, clothes, accessories and companions over the years. In 1998, Happy Holiday’s Barbie Doll was one of the first dolls to be sold as a collector doll. Mattel has new holiday dolls that come out each year. Now Barbie has evolved into a way for mother’s and daughter’s to bond, by the passing down of older dolls and being able to collect them. Barbie has become
But they do this and many other things to "reinforce [the females] and prey upon them" (Stone 48). Lastly why Barbie is not the best role model for the media age (but the worst) is Barbie Doll Syndrome. The medical term is "The drive, often in adolescent girls, to attain impossible standards of beauty, projected by Mattel's Barbie doll and media, resulting in failure and frustration, issues related to body image, eating disorders, and self-image" (Segen's Medical Dictionary). Yes, this is an actual disease, created by a plastic doll who has destroyed generations of women's standards and has been enforced by men pre-Barbie era. "Barbie has been the number one most destructive force on the self-image of women all over the globe" (Stone
As such, most girls’ childhood stories are filled with their experiences with Barbie such as making Barbie their number one companion by always having her wherever they go, cutting off her long blonde hair, and feeling devastated if a sibling or a playmate ripped Barbie’s head off. Moreover, whether Americans are willing to accept it or not, the Barbie has significantly transformed American culture in so many diverse and subtle ways to comprehend fully. Although some have sweet nostalgic memories about Barbie, most girls’ lives have been negatively affected by beholding Barbie as a major female icon during their childhood (Battistoni 26). Despite being a mere plastic toy, to the young girls, the Barbie life is all they ever want and strive to be in life; hence, most use Barbie as the guiding standard against which they have to measure and assess their lives on all spheres. Nonetheless, since attaining the Barbie blonde status in real life is an elusive endeavor, most girls have subjected themselves to immense pain leading to poor mental health and low self-image. This is because they are convicted
Barbie doll depicts an aspect of fashion pop culture. As generations pass barbie dolls have always been up to date with the yearly trends. Barbie had a bob cut and short hair before 1965 when the fashion of the year was controversial and blonde hair outgrowing her bob cut with clothes that
Why have America's perceptions of Barbie changed since 1959? Introduction //summary of the entire paper Barbie is a well-known doll from Mattel that has achieved worldwide fame in its lifetime of over 50 years(Barbiemedia.com, 2009). Its impact has been commented on by many professionals both economically as well as its impact on society mentally.
Barbies have changed a lot over the years. Not just Barbies, but kids toys and dolls have made drastic improvements and advancements. The first toy can be traced back to ancient Greece in 10th century B.C. Dolls can be traced back even further. Since then, these plastic toys, specifically Barbies, have affected the body images of little girls. If Barbie was life size, she would be 5’9” and weigh only 110 pounds. Her body’s fat percentage would be so low that she wouldn’t be able to walk or even live a healthy life. Barbies are a positive and negative influence on young girls. She shows them that they can do whatever job they want, but on the other hand, she represents what our society thinks is the “perfect” body.
Barbie has been the face that many girls all over the world have looked up to for 50 plus years. Since her debut in 1959, she has undergone so minor design changes and has even added a couple of friends. There were a few authors who wrote articles and poems about Barbie. Among the authors, Hilary Tham who wrote a poem called Barbie Shoes. Tham did mention some prejudices with Barbie shoes that can be compared to today’s society. She used words such as “useless” and “mismatch” which could detail that most Americans put things down in the basement to preserve for their children and grandchildren. Although Barbie shoes are “useless” and “mismatch” they still reintroduce newcomers with a like spark from the old shoes but go buy new Barbie shoes