case study: barbie basics


For over 50 years, Barbie’s head-turning style and fashion icon status has made her an inspirational role model not only for young girls around the world, but also to well-known fashion designers and high-profile media personalities. In preparation for LG Fashion Week - Spring 2010, and as part of an overall brand building halo program, Mattel Canada and GCI wanted to leverage the strength of the Barbie brand and further engage the fashion community and media by creating an opportunity to experience Barbie first-hand as a fashion icon.

Therefore, GCI identified 15 top-tier fashion influencers and invited them to customize, personalize and play with a Barbie Basics doll in order get them to reconnect with Barbie on an emotional level and reflect their own fashion style when accessorizing Barbie’s little black dress. Each media’s very own styled Barbie was prominently displayed all week in the Barbie booth at LG Fashion Week. This aspect of the program was integral to ensuring media knew that their peers in the fashion world would see their doll designs featured, which also created “friendly competition” between the 15 influencers who all wanted their dolls to look “the best”.

In addition, GCI leveraged Mattel’s partnership with designer David Dixon and the Barbie by David Dixon fashion show by reaching out to media who normally do not get invited to LG Fashion Week, but are targets for Barbie and other Mattel brands and invited them to see the fashion show.  Before and after the show, GCI encouraged these media to visit the Barbie booth, chat with Barbie spokespeople and check out the Barbie Basics influencer-styled doll display, further building on the media relationships and reinforcing Barbie as a fashion icon to other media who are engaged with Barbie.

Results

GCI and Mattel Canada successfully continued to build awareness and positive attention for Barbie as a Fashion icon.  The 15 key influencers were so engaged with the project that many of them tweeted, posted photos and blogged about their experience during the design process. Once the finished dolls were displayed, many of the media came to the Barbie booth to see their doll and check out dolls designed by other influencers. Other successes included:

  • The program garnered 49,191,260 total media impressions, 72 stories, 95% Positive Coverage, 92,189 “Twitter” impressions
  • Coverage of the final, accessorized Barbie Basics dolls was featured in major media outlets including Breakfast Television, CityTV News, National Post and a half colour page appeared in the Toronto Star
  • The Barbie brand experienced double digit retail increases for the entire Barbie portfolio and sustained this increase until year-end
  • Winner of CPRS Brand Development Campaign, Bronze Award
  • Some media not asked to style a Barbie asked GCI/Mattel to include them in future projects

 

 

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awards & recognition

3M Privacy Filters, "Canadians Love to Spy"
 2009 Ovation Award of Merit for Brand Communications, IABC

3M Command Campus Tour, "Save the Walls"
 2008 Award of Excellence, CPRS

Belkin, "A Streetcar Named Inspire"
 2008, Silver Award of Excellence, Special Events Category, CPRS