Analysis of Mattel's Barbie campaign - You Can Be Anything. The case study evaluates the campaign's strategies and tactics to deal the the backlash of public sentiment toward Barbie that began in the 1979s. Then we evaluated the success and failure of the campaign.

1. Binh Nguyen
Do’Nyal Webb
Erin Malone
Allie Locklear
PRCM 2500

2. “My whole philosophy of Barbie
was that, through the doll, the little
girl could be anything she wanted
to be. Barbie always represented
the fact that a woman has choices.”
Ruth Handler, Barbie Creator

3. In a Barbie’s
World…
 Before Barbie, girls played with
two-dimensional cardboard
fashion dolls or baby dolls.
 When Barbie debuted at the 1959
New York Toy Fair, she was the
first fashion doll with a three-
dimensional adult form.
 FUN FACT: The men who
dominated the toy industry told
her creator, Ruth Handler, that
nobody would want to play with a
doll with breasts. They were
wrong.

5. Backlash
 1963: Barbie is sold with a diet
book that recommended ‘Don’t Eat’
 1970: Berkeley feminists set Barbie
on fire
 1992: Mattel gets blasted for a
talking Barbie that says “Math
class is tough”
 2000: Reports claim PVC used in
some dolls could leak toxic
chemicals
 2007: Mattel recalls over a million
dolls worldwide
 2014: Lego takes overtakes Mattel
as the biggest toy company in the
world
 2014: Barbie is taken over by the
Frozen Elsa Doll

6. Research
Body type/
race/Breaking
gender norms
Mattel vs. Lego
Publics involved
Publics effected

7. Strategies
 Storytelling technique
 Building a brand and creating a
valuable relationships with their
customers through their
developed stories
 Listening to what Moms want
 “We are absolutely listening to
the cultural conversation and
we wanted to start a
conversation with moms” –
Evelyn Mazzocco, Global
Brand GM of Mattel
 Moms want to buy Barbie dolls
now
 They want their children to
experience this memorable
and wonderful moment
that they experienced
when they were younger

9. #Tactics
 Mattel utilizes
#YouCanBeAnything
via Barbie’s social
media channels
The hashtag
introduces new
advertisement
videos, Halloween
promo, Barbie’s
new DreamHouse,
and a Barbie
experiment
supporting the
campaign as a
whole

14. New Dolls
Ashley
Graham
Zendaya
Different
colors, shapes,
sizes, and
colors
Social Media
Events
Beyond the
Campaign

15. What can
Barbie be?
 Mobile games
 Involve the dolls
 In app purchases
 Partner
advertisements
 Rewards programs
 Creates an established
mailing list
 Opens new avenue for
feedback
 Give out more updates
 Chance to offer
consumer more
benefits
 Scholarship