Barbie Collector

To keep Barbie fresh and new, and reaffirm its position as a lifestyle brand, leading toymaker Mattel partners with preeminent high-fashion designers, such as Anna Sui and Diane von Furstenberg, to create limited edition collector’s dolls wearing the fashion icons’ designs. Mattel charged Formula with developing and executing public relations strategies that would generate exposure for each new collector’s doll, and thereby keep Barbie top of mind as the No. 1 fashion doll in the world.

Challenges:

• Position Barbie as an “ever-changing” fashionista that keeps up with the times, and a must-have item for fashion lovers – not just a play thing for little girls
• Position limited edition Barbie dolls as viable collector’s items to increase product sales
• Create and leverage relationships with young Hollywood stars in order to generate favorable media coverage

Strategy:

• Partner with designers for high-end launch events to introduce each Barbie to select media outlets and consumers, resulting in increased sales of each doll
• Work with national magazines such as Teen Vogue, Allure and Jane to secure front-of-book promotions that combine the doll with high-fashion events such as New York City’s Fashion Week, cementing the marriage of Barbie to fashion
• Launch an aggressive media relations campaign with the release of each doll, positioning the latest designs as examples of the many fashion faces of Barbie, the ultimate fashionista
• Leverage the popularity and newsworthiness of each designer to garner additional media coverage in fashion and celebrity outlets
• Proactively seed select celebrities with appropriate dolls and related merchandise to grow the legion of Barbie fans and secure third-party endorsement

Results:

• Secured media coverage positioning Barbie as “fashion-forward” in major dailies including USA Today, Los Angeles Times, New York Post, Daily News, Houston Chronicle and Boston Globe
• Successfully forged solid relationships with celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Jessica Simpson, Denise Richards and Hilary Duff, and leveraged these “fans of Barbie” to garner media coverage in celebrity weeklies including People, Life & Style and In Touch
• Secured media coverage in fashion publications in which Barbie would not normally appear, such as Daily Front Row, Vogue Latinoamericano, Vogue UK and Women’s Wear Daily, as well as toy trades including Doll Reader Magazine
• Partnered with publications such as Seventeen Magazine and OK! Weekly for fashion-focused front-of-book promotions featuring giveaways such as designer clothing, tickets to New York City’s Fashion Week, and more
• Successfully executed launch events for collector’s dolls including the Monique Lhuillier Bride Barbie doll, Carolina Herrera Bride Barbie doll and Anna Sui BoHo Barbie doll

case studies home ...