Barbie, the famous Mattel doll has always been an icon. However, the icon’s symbolism has shifted quite dramatically over the years. Barbie was once considered the model woman; perfect body, hair, clothes and man. The doll line’s problem began when the idea of “the model woman” and role models for young girls began to change.
With a societal standard challenged, so too was the brand’s image. Today, people claim to even hate Barbie’s brand over its representation of women. With the growing popularity of the Lammily doll along with other anti-Barbie companies, Mattel recognized the threat and is finally taking steps to regain control over its brand and image.
The company’s global Senior Vice President and General Manager Evelyn Mazzocco recently stated, “We want to remind the world what Barbie stands for. Founded by a female entrepreneur and mother in 1959, the Barbie brand has always represented the fact that women have choices. This ongoing initiative is designed to remind today’s parents that through the power of imagination, Barbie allows girls to explore their limitless potential.”
Igniting their campaign to reclaim their throne in the doll market, Barbie has released a new ad campaign with the creatively endearing, yet empowering video “Imagine The Possibilities”.
The video has already passed 6 million views and is gaining more and more traction.
Barbie clearly has realized something powerful in the brand management world. They didn’t throw in the towel and change the doll’s proportions or issue an apology. They instead changed the conversation to focus on Barbie giving women the tools to pursue their dreams and aspire to be whatever they wish to be within the professional world. The scenario is not that Barbie was once anti-woman, but will now work harder to be pro-woman. Barbie is pointing out that they’ve always been a company that celebrates a woman’s ability to be who they want to be, but are now expressing this more clearly and aggressively.
Well done, Barbie!