Dive Brief:
- In a branding move, Mattel has expanded the look of the iconic Barbie doll for the first time in its 57-year history.
- Barbie will now come in three new body shapes – curvy, tall and petite – as well as different skin tones, facial shapes, and eye and hair colors.
- The move comes at a time when marketing is becoming more socially conscious, and there’s an active movement against the objectification of women in advertising, a criticism that Barbie has faced in the past.
Dive Insight:
Mattel has been actively rebranding Barbie, one of its flagship toys, for some time now. Last year the brand made a strong push into social media, particularly in using YouTube influencers for marketing campaigns. And in November it ran its first ad featuring a little boy with the doll promoting the limited edition Moschino Barbie, breaking long-held stereotypes about what genders can play with what toys.
In a separate ad, "Imagine the Possibilities," encouraging girls to envision themselves as doctors, coaches and college professors scored 35% higher than average for changing brand perception, according to Ace Metrix data.
Evelyn Mazzocco, head of the Barbie brand, told Time in an exclusive interview that when she took on her role that she surveyed Barbie's haters. "I wanted to remind myself every time I came to work about the reality of what is going on with the brand," she explained to Time.
Given the reality about changes in social attitudes, as well as Mattel losing the Disney Princess contract to Hasbro this year, shaking up the Barbie brand with a new look for the iconic doll was something the Barbie team couldn't afford not to do.
Some might argue the move is too little, too late, but Mattel's President and COO Richard Dickson told Time that their goal is to get Barbie's fans to love the doll even more, and if they can even change some of that negative perception to neutral, that's a step in the right direction.