This presentation was designed to provide strategic recommendations for a brand in decline. The deck also incorporates a situational assessment, including a brand identity, positioning, architecture, and portfolio strategy for the Brand. Presentation originally created for NYU Stern's Brand Strategy course. Design by Erica Santiago & Chris Alexander.

1. REIMAGINING BARBIE
Chris Alexander | Greg Bienemann | Elizabeth Kohli
Meg McQuade | Greg Merson | Erica Santiago

2. A new category for the 1950’s

3. Logo evolution
1992 - 1999
1999 - 2004
2004 - 2005
2005 - 2009
1959-1975
2009 - Present
1975 - 1992

4. FRIENDLY MATERIALISTIC EGOTISTICAL
TRENDY IMAGINATIVE
Current Personality

5. SITE
SOCIAL MEDIA
Digital presence focuses on fashion

6. IT’S ALL ABOUT BARBIE
SHOP ‘TILL YOU DROP
Barbie’s self-absorption and consumerism

7. Too many messages = brand confusion

8. A brand in decline
Sales declined 16% in 2014, and have steadily
declined over the past 3 years.
Brand is affected by age compression, a shift to
interactive toys, and toys with stronger ties to
stories and the entertainment industry.
Barbie is perceived as less trendy and less of a
good value today than in 2012.
Barbie is considered more prestigious and
authentic than in 2012. Nostalgia is the main
driver of the Barbie brand in 2014.

9. Monster High
100%
Interest Over Time - Google Shopping US
80%
60%
20%
40%
FrozenAmerican Girl Ever After HighBarbie
Search interest in the brand has flattened

10. DOLLS
ELECTRONICS
ARTS & CRAFTS
APPS
Competition: More than dolls

11. Losing relevance and differentiation

12. A four year old girl is playing
with a Barbie doll; I perceive
her life and family to be...
Barbie is perceived as ordinary and normal

13. The Barbie brand is in decline because of age
compression, a lack of true inclusivity, and an
outdated worldview. We plan to leverage
Barbie’s iconic status with a reimagined
approach and renewed priorities to create a
story that makes her more relevant,
accessible, and exciting, so that daughters are
proactively asking Mom to “buy me a Barbie!”
Lack of inclusivity and outdated worldview

14. THE FUTURE OF BARBIE

15. SHIFTING FROM ME TO WE

16. SHIFTING FROM ME TO WE

17. “I WISH MY DAUGHTER WOULD SPEND MORE OF HER PLAYTIME…”

18. REIMAGINING PLAYTIME AS INCLUSIVE FUN

19. To Mothers and Daughters in the
market for a new favorite toy, the
Barbie family is your EXCITING and
FUN choice, providing
COLLABORATIVE, EMPOWERING,
and ALL-EMBRACING experiences;
experiences that promote HEALTHY
and POSITIVE values while also
creating memories that will last a
LIFETIME.
REFRESHED
BRAND
POSITIONING

20. InclusiveEmpowering Adventurous
Congenial CollaborativeStylish
REFRESHED PERSONALITY

21. All-EmbracingAuthenticity Friendliness
Shared
Experience
Fun
REFRESHED BRAND VALUES

22. Move playtime outside of your
playroom:
BRINGING NEW
BARBIE TO LIFE
Make Barbie about activity and
collaborative, imaginative play and
less about “shop ‘till you drop”
Barbie Parties: Barbie dolls are more
fun when your friends come over
and bring their dolls into your world -
each doll has their own unique
personality and culture
Mom and daughter creating
bonding experience

23. Playtime should mean spending
time outdoors with good friends:
Grab your Barbie and meet your
friends at the park to continue to
build adventures together
Post a photo of you and your friends
with your dolls and Mattel might
feature you on the Barbie app!
#BARBIEBUILDS
BRINGING NEW
BARBIE TO LIFE

24. #BarbieBuilds

25. DIGITAL STRATEGY: STREAMLINED BARBIE APP

26. DIGITAL STRATEGY: SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN

27. DIGITAL STRATEGY: THE STORY OF YOU

28. #BarbieBuilds CONFIDENCE

29. #BarbieBuilds TRUST

30. #BarbieBuilds IMAGINATION

31. #BarbieBuilds COMMUNITY

32. #BarbieBuilds FRIENDSHIP

33. #BarbieBuilds YOUR STORY

34. By reimagining the classic Barbie
brand values with a focus on
COLLABORATION and INCLUSIVITY,
the new and improved Barbie family
will encourage active, social, fun, and
POSITIVE value-based playtime,
inspiring and EMPOWERING a new
generation of Barbie fans, and
making Moms PROUD to purchase
Barbie brand products for their
Daughters.
BRINGING
BARBIE BACK

35. REIMAGINING BARBIE
Chris Alexander | Greg Bienemann | Elizabeth Kohli
Meg McQuade | Greg Merson | Erica Santiago

36. APPENDIX

37. PACKAGING & RETAIL DISPLAY
LOGO EVOLUTION
1975 - 1992 1992 - 1999 1999 - 2004 2004 - 2005 2005 - 2009 2009 - Present
(1959 - 1975
50th Anniversary)

38. They don’t really have exposure to Barbie dolls
because they don’t watch linear TV so they
don’t see ads. They do watch Barbie on Netflix,
but they don’t associate it with a product they
can buy.
-Larry
She’s too young for Barbies. She has one but
doesn’t play with it. She prefers Disney
character stuff to Barbie.
-Marni
I worry about the "message" that Barbie sends
little girls. But I also really loved Barbie so I'm
conflicted! Honestly, I think that as it stands
right now I probably wouldn't buy Abigail a
Barbie.
-Erin
She’s okay with Barbies, views them as just
toys, not role models. She prefers Everafter
High and Monster High dolls because they
come with elaborate back stories, whereas
Barbie is just “Nurse Barbie” etc.
-Gabby
Survey Insights

39. - Aligning under #BESUPER: superhero,
superstyle, superstar
- Emphasis on empowerment,
inspiration, and style
- Many messages, leading to brand
confusion
- Barbie sales declined 16% in 2014, compared to a 2% decline for
other Mattel Girls brands
- Barbie’s brand equity has been steadily declining amongst parents
of girls under the age of 12 over the past 3 years
Brand Sales
& Equity
Brand
Perception
Brand
Strategy
- Barbie is perceived as less trendy and less of a good value today
than in 2012
- Today, Barbie is considered more prestigious and authentic than
in 2012. Nostalgia is the main driver of the Barbie brand in 2014
Today: The Barbie Brand is in Decline

40. ● Female Empowerment
● Age Compression
● Shift to Interactive Toys
● De-emphasis of Linear
Advertising
● Maker Movement
● Open-Ended Playtime
● Mini Madness
● “SMART” Play
● Inclusion of Back Story
Trends in the Toy Market

41. Brand History
1959 Introduced by Ruth Handler, cofounder of Mattel
1961 Ken introduced
1988 First Hispanic friend, Teresa, introduced
1997 “Talk with Me” Barbie introduced
1963 1968 1971 1986 1992 2004 2009

42. ● Introduced in 1959 by Ruth Handler, cofounder of Mattel
● Barbie filled an untapped niche for teen and adult dolls in
America
○ At the time, baby and toddler dolls dominated the
market
● Over the next 55+ years, hundreds of Barbie variants have
been introduced, along with numerous complementary toys
● The Barbie doll has become an iconic symbol of childhood,
and America, across the world
● The Barbie brand today is about more than just the doll; it is
about inspiring and encouraging young girls to express and
explore their individuality
Brand History

43. Barbie The Teenage
Fashion Model doll
debuts at Toy Fair in
New York.
Barbie: Timeless Style
Barbie gets a boyfriend
named Ken. She also
becomes a ballerina, flight
attendant and registered
nurse.
Barbie is an astronaut.
Barbie gets her first
Hispanic friend, Teresa.
The first Barbie in the
(Christmas) Holiday
Series is introduced.
Barbie gets her first
Asian friend, Kira.
Barbie goes high tech.
“Talk With Me Barbie”
gabs up a storm with
the help of a CD-ROM
and computer.
Barbie turns 40.
1959 1965 1990 1999
1961 1988 1997

44. Parents of female children under 12

45. Survey results (backup)

46. Current Consumer
TARGET
MARKET
UNMET
NEEDS
- More children trending towards interactive games
on mobile/tablets
- Barbie not aligned with entertainment industry,
which is driving toy sales
Interplay between 2 dynamics:
- Mom’s thirst for nostalgia
- Child’s attraction to the product
PURCHASING
PROCESS
- Barbie’s core demographic used to be between the
ages of 3 to 12, but is now a more narrow 3 to 6
- Target market is not only shrinking, but getting
younger