case study solution

1. Cease study solution: Barbie Versus Mulan
International doll icon Barbie is the number one doll in the world and has 1,000 YouTube
channels dedicated to her, according to parent company Mattel. Last year it decided to open the
world’s only shop devoted to her, a six-floor pink palace in Shanghai, one of the best examples
of rule three, feeling the future through experience. Mattel has created a full-on Barbie world that
it feels is relevant to how people around the globe perceive the brand. The brand is now using the
store almost as an experiment so that it can learn how to sell more product and then pass this
knowledge on to retailers. “I think at the Barbie store, people make purchases almost like they
are at an event and want to take a memento home with them. It is not wall-to-wall product; there
are activities in the store.”
In future, Bates imagines the store concept may be segmented to work in different markets. “It’s
building blocks. It might be a Barbie spa in Paris or restaurant and bar somewhere else, or a
design-your-own-doll studio in another country. That, coupled with the shopping and maybe the
café. There are lots of ways to do a segmented version of the store to cater for the particular
demands of a country.