Tweens are pre-teen children between childhood and teenage years. Bratz dolls capitalized on opportunities not addressed by Barbie, such as marketing an "edgy" style to tweens seeking maturity. Bratz dolls had more realistic proportions and features than Barbie. While Bratz successfully marketed to tweens, negative perceptions of their sexualized appearance could impact MGA's brand management. External pressures around body image and gender roles may force MGA to change marketing strategies.

1. BRATZ AND BARBIE
A Case Study
MAHIN HASSAN

2. What differential or sustainable competitive advantages
should Bratz dolls capitalize on?
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3. Who are tweens?
Tweens, or pre-teens, are in between childhood and pre-adult teenagers.

4. Bratz have already capitalized on the existing differential, sustainable advantages and
gap areas that Mattel’s Barbie didn’t cater to.
• Cultural sea change known as “age compression.”
• Adult products and teen attitudes embraced by children as young as four.
• The tween girl seeking maturity and independence.
• Marketing the “sassy” style and attitude to tweens.
• The saucy clothing, over the top make-up and edgy style made a statement.

5. SWOT Analysis
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6. BARRIE pre 2001

7. Strength
• Barbie represented the traditional qualities of women and the line later expanded
to include diversity among the other dolls.
• Mattel was the first doll maker to introduce an African American doll to the
market, Christie.

8. Weakness
• Less representation of the modern societal and cultural landscape.
• Mattel did not at first perceive Bratz as a direct competitor.
• Unrealistic and unattainable body images for young girls.
• One key issue is that Mattel was unwilling to compartmentalize the marketplace
for dolls—and was unable to recognize the tween market as separate, significant,
and unfulfilled.

9. Opportunities
• Tweens have strong influences on their parents and family purchases.
• Build consumer relationships with children as young as eight years old in an effort
to create lifelong customers.
• Study the developmental stages of childhood, social, cultural and ethnic trends.
understand tweens and what motivates them.

10. Threats
• Competitors
• Not catering to the needs, desires and reality of todays tweens.
• Being unrealistic in terms of physique, ethnicity and cultural diversity.

11. BRATZ SWOT ANALYSIS

12. Strength
• MGA was one of the first firms to acknowledge the buying power of the “tween”
marketplace.
• More realistic image of what many American tweens experience, mostly in urban
settings.
• Tweens could relate themselves to bratz.
• The Bratz dolls had a more realistic height, if Bratz dolls were an actual person they
would stand at 5’6” compared to the average American 19 year-old girl who is
5’4”.

13. Weakness
• The Bratz dolls have exaggerated features, oversized head, eyes and full lips.
• Sexualized appearance, that create apprehension in the mind of most parents.

14. Opportunities
• Successful marketers must listen carefully and give tweens product according to
their wants.
• Marketers must be very focused on how and where they advertise online
through the correct mediums.
• Working for the parent’s approval on certain tween choices can be crucial to a
firm’s success.

15. Threats
• The sexualization of tweens.
• Competitors.
• Changing market scenarios and people’s lifestyle.

16. Barbie
VS
Bratz

17. • Physical features of each doll.
• Different fashion style.
• Unlike career-minded Barbie, Bratz are interested in going out to a club or hanging
out with their friends.
• Bratz dress edgier nightclub-style clothing, lots of jewelry and accessories and
intense makeup as opposed to Barbie.

18. Is MGA doing a good job with marketing the Bratz dolls to tweens?
Should they focus on any other markets (why or why not)?
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19. • Yes Bratz is doing a good with marketing the Bratz dolls to tweens and it can be
seen in their-
• Development and planning strategies
• Identifying the demands and gap areas and catering to them.
• Doing a thorough research on the current market conditions and their customer
base.
• Introducing products that are relevant to todays time and era.
• The results of their thorough research and effort could be seen in the sales turnover.

20. Can negative implications concerning the Bratz dolls
ultimately affect the brand management for MGA?

21. • Yes, it would affect the brand management of the brand in some aspects if it has
a strong psychological affect on children who are much influenced by the
portrayal of the dolls.
• External forces like awareness campaigns being carried out today, with
movements against Body Shamming, Gender Inequality etc.
• Because awareness amongst the parents will provoke them to rebel against the
change in their children’s psychological behaviour.
• These factors will definitely stir the internal brand management of the company
and thus forcing them to change strategies according to the market conditions.