Brand Research Presentation

Nurbek Aizharykov Yura Jung

Rebecca Prowler Nisha Tariq

Zeeni Zaheer

1. Overview 2. Research 3. Target 4. Objectives & Positioning Statement 5. Strategy 6. Recommendation

1. Overview

1945Mattel is founded in

Southern California by

Ruth and Elliot Handler

1959The first Barbie doll is sold for $3

1968Christie, the first true African- American doll with a unique face mold is released

1985Andy Warhol creates a painting of Barbie, furthering cementing her as a cultural icon

1997Share a Smile Becky, the first doll in a wheelchair is released

2006Three Barbie dolls are sold every second around the world

2010The average American girl aged 3-6 owns 12 Barbie dolls.

2016The Barbie Fashionista Line is introduced

History

Mattel was founded as the Mattel Toy Company in 1945 by Ruth and Elliot Handler. The first products were picture frames, and Elliot created doll houses out of the wood scraps.

Barbie didn’t make her debut for another 14 years. The doll was named after the Handlers’ daughter, Barbara. Barbara often played with paper dolls, but she’d give them adult characteristics. At the time, most dolls were baby dolls, so Ruth saw a gap in the market and created an adult doll.

The first attempt at diversity was with Francie in 1967, but the first true African-American doll with a unique face mold was introduced in 1968.

Barbie styles continued to evolve and follow fashion trends, such as disco, mod, and surfer styles. Since the 50s, Barbie has had over 125 careers.

Share a Smile Becky, the first Barbie doll in a wheelchair, was released in 1997. It wasn’t without controversy: a girl with cerebral palsy pointed out to Mattel that Becky’s wheelchair couldn’t fit inside the Barbie Dream House.

• Classic and iconic

• Have received criticism for lack of diversity

• Has a high value among consumers

• Very widely known

Background

Barbie is considered classic and iconic, but has certainly faced criticism for its lack of diversity, especially as the brand’s audiences become more diverse.

It’s very valuable among consumers and is consistently rated as a brand mothers trust more than its competitors.

Barbie is very widely known with nearly 100% brand recognition. It’s estimated that over a billion Barbie dolls have been sold worldwide in over 150 countries.

1. Very established brand image

Problem

Barbie is struggling with two main problems. Because it’s so widely known, it also has a very established brand image in consumers’ minds.

2. Increased competition in the doll marketplace

Problem

The second problem involves increased competition. Doll sales in the United States have increased as a whole, while Barbie sales have decreased every year since 2012. While Barbie is still number one in doll sales, its share of the market has declined.

In particular, Disney Princess sales have increased over the past 3 years as Barbie’s have fallen. It has lost market share to some of its sibling brands that are also owned by Mattel, including American Girl and Monster High. Some of this increase in Disney sales could be attributed to Frozen, which was released in November 2013, and the fact that Mattel lost a licensing deal with Disney to create their Princess dolls.

• Created as a response to criticism

• Line lacks an identity

• Clear naming issue

Fashionista Line

Challenges

The Barbie Fashionista line also has some challenges. It isn’t clear why it was created: was its launch a response to decreasing sales, or to critics? It’s unclear if a lack of diversity and body-positive dolls were truly responsible for the sales decrease, or it was coming from one of the two previously discussed problems.

The Fashionista line lacks an identity. Mattel launched it very quietly and hasn’t conducted a large marketing campaign. It’s even unclear if it’s considered a “real” Barbie. The main messaging is too complicated for children within the 3-8 age range, yet children have a large influence on doll purchases.

There’s also a naming issue. As we reinforced in our research, the name alludes to the doll’s clothing, not body types and skin colors. It’s confusing for consumers.

Considering all of these problems with the Fashionista line and Barbie brand as a whole, our challenge is how to better market the new Barbie Fashionista line.

2. Research

StrategyResearch

Methodology

Participants: 6 mothers with daughters ages 3-8 that play with dolls

Location: NYCAges: 35-42Ethnicities: Asian, African American, CaucasianHousehold Income: $30k-$150k+

Focus GroupRespondents: 520 mothers* aged 25-49Respondents: 25-29 (24%),

30-34 (28%), 35-39 (25%), 40-44 (18%), 45-49 (6%)Location: United States

Quantitative Survey

*Moms with daughters ages 3-8 that play with dolls

Barbie is second most likely to have a group of friends that is ethnically diverse.

It’s clear to see that positioning Barbie as being educational and a champion of diversity might be a space that Barbie can fit in to.

StrategyResearch

Focus Group

Thoughts on Barbie Fashionista

“They’re all in short dresses, outfits aren’t as appealing. when I think of a “fashionista” i think of being dressed up, going to a party. it looks

like everyday wear. the name doesn’t fit”

“Causes people to think about diversity, introduces daughters to the fact that there’s differences.”

“I like this idea, we don’t all look like Barbie dolls. I know growing up I wanted to have blonde hair

and blue eyes, maybe because I grow up playing with Barbie dolls. it teaches children

diversity - who you are makes you a fashionista. I would definitely buy this doll.”



Research

“I would tell them that Barbie is a classic toy that helps promote imaginative play for girls.”

“doll who can be anybody and do anything, you can dress her however you want […]”

“Barbie is a doll that can be anyone.”

“She comes in different varieties and with different accessories to encourage fantasy play.”

“Career/hobby oriented dollswith a multitude of imaginary options.”

“[…] She serves as a role model for children because she shows them that you can be anything!”

“It is a fun way for your children to play and use there imagination.”

“Barbie is a brand of dolls that your child can pretend to be ANYTHING with. […]”

“Barbie is a doll that is meant to inspire creativity and greatnessin girls of all backgrounds.”

“empowering - teaches girls to be who they want to be”

“Endless imagination play”

“[…] She has a lot of accessories and teaches girls about different women they will encounter.”

“She's like an action figure for girls. There are lots of different types of Barbies as far as looks, occupations, etc.”

“[…] Loved by countless generations. Role model for young girls - held a wide range of careers.”

“Barbie is a classic girls doll that allows children to use their imagination. […] The only downside to Barbie is that it can set unrealistic expectations for young children based on Barbie's size/dimensions/look.”

If you had to describe Barbie to someone who had never heard of it, what would you tell them about Barbie?

Here we see a lot of mother’s talking about how Barbie is meant for imagination. It’s clear that the creativity and imaginary functions of Barbie are a distinguishing point for the doll. The doll is often described as roll model as well, showing that Barbie is an authentic place to teach lessons to young girls.

StrategyStrategy

Brand Imagery

American Girl

Barbie

Disney Princess

Ever After High

Monster High

0% 15% 30% 45% 60%

Is educational as well as fun

Research

Barbie is the second most educational and fun brand amongst its competitors.

StrategyResearch

Brand Personality

American Girl

Barbie

Disney Princess

Ever After High

Monster High

0% 12.5% 25% 37.5% 50%

Has a group of friends that are ethically diverse



Competitive SetStrategyStrategy

Hangs& out&all&different& ppl

Diverse&group& of&friends

Easy&to&get& to&know

Hard&to&understand

Help&fix&my&car

Real& leader

Team&player

Athletic

Iconic Teacher

Trendy

Does&the& right&thing

Social&climber

Resourceful

Takes&risks

Reliable

In&vogue

Stands& up& to&bully

Responsible

Friendly

Not&someone& I&want& to&know

Family&oriented

Approachable

Understand& eachother

Kind

Smart

Organized

Consistent

American Girl

Barbie

Bratz

Disney Pricess Dolls

Ever After High

Journey Girls Monster High

19.8%

65.8%

2D&Fit&=&85.6%

Research

For each of the statements listed below, please indicate which dolls, if any, you think that phrase describes.

(Maybe this part can address the challenge that Barbie does’t have the strengths associated with its competitors.)

When asked what type of person Barbie would be, the doll didn’t have as distinct a personality as other the competitors did. Barbie is most associated with being organized, trendy, in vogue, and athletic.

Words that Come to Mind

StrategyResearch

Challenge that it has a stigma associated with it and that its classic, maybe find a quote to further illustrate this.

Competitive SetStrategyStrategyResearch

For each of the statements listed below, please indicate which dolls, if any, you think that phrase describes.

(Maybe this part can address the challenge that Barbie does’t have the strengths associated with its competitors.)

When asked what type of person Barbie would be, the doll didn’t have as distinct a personality as other the competitors did. Barbie is most associated with being organized, trendy, in vogue, and athletic.

Millennial Mothers are Likely to Buy the Barbie Fashionista Line

StrategyResearch

Likely 81% ↑

Not Likely

q38: Having looked at the description about the new Barbie Fashionistas line, how likely would you say you are to buy

one of these dolls for your daughter?

Why Millennial Mothers Will or Won’t Buy the Barbie Fashionista Line

StrategyResearch

Likely

q38: Having looked at the description about the new Barbie Fashionistas line, how likely would you say you are to buy

one of these dolls for your daughter?

Not Likely

Thoughts on the Fashionista Line by Millennial Mothers

StrategyResearch

q41r: How much do you personally agree or disagree with each of the following statements

about the new Barbie Fashionista Line?

I like the lesson the Fashionistas line is teaching young girls

Barbie’s new body types set a positive example for my daughter

The Fashionistas line changes my perspective of Barbie

Honestly, I kind of prefer the old Barbie

0% 15% 30% 45% 60%

3. Target

Our recommendation for the target audience are mothers who fall within the age group of 25-34 years old. We will continue to refer to them as Millennial Mothers. Considering our research we found this group to be most suitable to target.

Millennial mothers buy a majority of dolls

StrategyTarget

q12: From whom does your daughter get her dolls?

From her mother

From her father

From my significant other

From other family members

From friends

Buys them with her own money

From someone else0% 22.5% 45% 67.5% 90%

88% of millennial mothers give their children dolls in comparison to father, significant other, family members and friends. It is the highest which implies that mothers have a lot of influence in the decision making process in the doll purchasing category. And, 57% get most of their dolls from their mothers in this age group.

Most Millennial mothers...

StrategyTarget

“I enjoyed playing with Barbies when I was young”

Agree 82% ↑

Disagree

“I enjoy playing Barbies along with my daughter(s)”

Agree 90% ↑

Disagree

82% of millennial mothers played with dolls when they were young and 90% play with dolls with their daughters today. They understand the importance of playing with dolls and there is already certain brand awareness in them. Barbie is the most heard of brand.

Millennial mothers want to play with Barbies with their daughters

StrategyTarget

q24: If you were going to play dolls with your daughter, which ONE would you most want to play with, with her?

American Girl

Barbie

Disney Princess Dolls

Ever After High

Monster High

0% 7.5% 15% 22.5% 30%

Out of which the Barbie is the second most wanted doll they would play with their children with.

Brand Recognition is Very High Among Millennial Mothers

StrategyTarget

Recognize Barbie 96% ↑

Don’t Recognize

Barbie

96% of millennial mothers have heard of Barbie, which is the highest compared to other brands like Disney princess and American Girl Doll.

StrategyTarget

• 62% overall associate Barbie with “would have a well organized closet,” which shows that Barbie is a doll that teaches important lessons to their children

• In the focus group, one of the moms said that the Fashionista line would be an ideal way to start the conversation about diversity with their daughters

Brand Perception

62% overall associate Barbie with “would have a well organized closet,” which shows that Barbie is a doll that teaches important lessons to their children.

In the focus group, one of the moms said that the Fashionista line would be an ideal way to start the conversation about diversity with their daughters.

This shows that the target has a positive brand perception of Barbie.

Meet Kate and her daughter, Sarah

StrategyBrand Persona

Meet 28 year old Kate and 5 year old Sarah. Kate’s household Income - $65,000/-. They live in Jersey City. She is a college graduate and gave up her career to focus of taking care of her daughter.

Kate regularly reads Parents magazine, watches reality TV, Modern Family, and Grey’s Anatomy.

She goes for yoga classes twice a week. She is active on mommy blogs and is looking out for interesting new ideas to entertain and educate her daughter.

Meet Whitney and her daughter, Tamara

StrategyBrand Persona

Whitney is 32 years old and has a 7 year old daughter Tamara. She is a school teacher and her household income is $40,000/-. She lives in Philadelphia.

Reads Time magazine, watches Jeopardy, The Good Wife, and children’s TV shows with her daughter.

Being a single parent she does not have much time for personal activities. She is already aware of children issues as she deals with them at school on a daily basis. Doesn’t really look at much advice from others, but indulges her daughter’s whims and fancies as much as she can afford.

Children influence their mothers when making doll purchases

StrategyTarget

Influenced 92% ↑

Not influenced

q19: Some moms have told us that their children have a great deal of

influence over which dolls they buy for them, while other parents have told us that their children have no

influence at all. When shopping for dolls for your daughter, how much

influence does she have?

Finally, it is important to mention that 92% of millennial mothers have told us that their daughters have a great deal of influence in purchasing the dolls. Hence, they cannot be forgotten in the equation. And, while creating and a communications plan it must be considered that they understand what the Fashionista line is about. So, the language and tone has to be simple and attractive to them as well.

4. Objectives & Positioning Statement

Communications Objective

StrategyObjective

• Create awareness about the Fashionista line

• Show millennial mothers that the Fashionista line is a way to teach children about diversity and have fun at the same time

Our goal is to create awareness about the Fashionista line and show millennial mothers that Barbie is a brand that mothers can use to teach children about diversity using their imagination, so the fun is not out of the equation.

Behavioral Objective

StrategyObjective

• Buy the Fashionista line of Barbie dolls

• Recommend the brand to other parents

• Encourage children to talk about the brand with their peers

• Create conversations on social media

On seeing the campaign, we would like mothers to buy the Fashionista doll, recommend the brand, encourage their children to talk about it with their friends and create conversation about the brand on social media.

To millennial moms, Barbie Fashionista is a line of dolls that offers your daughter

more options in order to foster her imagination, so she can be creative while

offering you a chance to teach her important lessons about diversity and acceptance.

Positioning Statement

From this data we composed our positioning statement: To millennial moms, Barbie Fashionista is a line of dolls that offers your daughter more options in order to foster her imagination, so she can be creative while offering you a chance to teach her important lessons about diversity and acceptance.

5. Strategy

q17r: And still thinking about dolls, please indicate how much you

personally agree or disagree with each of the following statements.

Perception of DollsPlaying with dolls help my daughter develop a strong character

My daughter plays with some of the dolls I had as a childPlaying with dolls helps my daughter develop a better understanding of the world

Dolls are for fun and needn’t do anything beyond letting my daughter have funDolls give my daughter something to do to help me get other things done

Dolls teach my daughter lessons that aren’t obvious at first blushI notice my daughter prefers playing with dolls that resemble her

Dolls are educational as well as funDolls allow my daughter to exercise her imagination

Young girls today have way more dolls that I did at her ageDolls reflect the real world, and not just fantasy play

I enjoyed playing with dolls when I was youngDolls play an important part in the development of a young girl

I enjoy playing dolls along with my daughter(s)I prefer certain brands of dolls over others

I think it is important that dolls reflect the real world

0% 17.5% 35% 52.5% 70%

StrategyStrategy

q17: And still thinking about dolls, please indicate how much you personally agree or disagree with each of the following statements.

This data is based on our target audience, millennial moms (25-34).Given the sixteen statements about dolls, 66% of the surveyed mom in the age group 25-34 strongly agreed that “dolls allow their daughters to exercise her imagination.” And 63% strongly agreed that “I enjoyed playing with dolls when I was young.”

q17r: And still thinking about dolls, please indicate how much you

personally agree or disagree with each of the following statements.

Perception of Dolls

Dolls allow my daughter to exercise her imagination

I enjoyed playing with dolls when I was young

0% 17.5% 35% 52.5% 70%

StrategyStrategy

q17: And still thinking about dolls, please indicate how much you personally agree or disagree with each of the following statements.

This data is based on our target audience, millennial moms (25-34).Given the sixteen statements about dolls, 66% of the surveyed mom in the age group 25-34 strongly agreed that “dolls allow their daughters to exercise her imagination.” And 63% strongly agreed that “I enjoyed playing with dolls when I was young.”

What are dolls to millennial moms?

Dolls allow my daughter to exercise her imagination I enjoyed playing with dolls when I was young

Past & Present

Strategy

Dolls are moms’ past and the present. They are relevant to the moms as much as their daughters. It’s a shared friend and childhood experience.

Can be controversialHelps my daughter develop a strong character

Helps my daughter develop a better understanding of the worldI have a positive impression of these dolls

I played with this doll when I was youngIs a bit adventurous

Is a bit boringIs a brand I trust

Is a doll I don’t really know much aboutIs a doll I hear a lot aboutIs a well-regarded brand

Is affordableIs classic

Is educational as well as funIs fun

Is innovativeIs modern

Is one of the best dollsReflects the real world

Reflects the real world, and not just fantasy playSpeaks to people like me

Teaches my daughter lessons that aren’t obvious at first blushTeaches young girls positive lessons

They’re easy to find at stores0% 22.5% 45% 67.5% 90%

Brand Association

Q26. For each of the statements listed below, please indicate which dolls, if any, you think that phrase describes. There are no right or wrong answers – we’re only interested in your opinions.

Strategy

Percentage


I played with this doll when I was young

Is a well-regarded brand

Is classic

They’re easy to find at stores0% 22.5% 45% 67.5% 90%

Brand Association

Q26. For each of the statements listed below, please indicate which dolls, if any, you think that phrase describes. There are no right or wrong answers – we’re only interested in your opinions.

Strategy

Percentage


Brand AssociationStrategy

Barbie is classic.

1. They’re easy to find at stores2. I played with this doll when I was young3. Is classic4. Is a well-regarded brand

Strategy

For the past 57 years, the Barbie brand has focused not only on creating pretty dolls for little girls to create memories with, but on staying relevant. Although many criticized that Barbie is unrealistic, the brand has been continuously making efforts to blur the boundary between imagination and reality. For example, the brand has launched countless Barbies based on professions, seasons, designers, movies, etc. This was to stay relevant to reality.

Strategy

This year, Barbie launched the Fashionista line to better emphasize the brand’s effort to truly let Barbie be anyone. The purpose of this launch was to better connect with the real world and celebrate the differences.

Strategy

“It’s still Barbie, but has more than you remember.”

Brand Association

Barbie is classic

& relevant

This year, Barbie launched the Fashionista line to better emphasize the brand’s effort to truly let Barbie be anyone. The purpose of this launch was to better connect with the real world and celebrate the differences.

Strategy

“Imagination comes in all shapes and sizes”

Barbie Fashionista will teach lessons to young girls about the diversity in the real world. Moreover, with more shapes and sizes added, girls will now have more room to explore their imagination.

Strategy

Cultural Trends

Millennial moms were born and raised in a digital era. So they rely on digital platforms to carry out their daily lives.

Strategy

Cultural Trends

1. Social Media

2. Highly connected

3. In-store touch screen displays

(source: Weber Shandwick)

2. Millennial moms are decision-influencers. They are highly connected.According to Weber Shandwick, Millennial Moms have more social network accounts and spend more time on their social networks than moms overall.They have 3.4 social media accounts, on average (vs. 2.6 for moms in general). And they spend an average of 17.4 hours per week with their social networks, 2 hours more than they spend watching TV and nearly 4 hours more than the average mom spends on social networks

3. Millennials are 216% more likely to be influenced by in-store touch screen displays. This can increase awareness about the Fashionista line and make sure the moms know what the line really is.

6. Recommendation

Recommendation

The New Fashionista Barbie teaches children about diversity and will give them more

options, allowing them to further exercise their imaginations through the dolls.

Using digital platforms to communicate.Maintain moms prior association of dolls as a source of imagination and Barbie as a classic brand. BUT in addition change their fixed mindset by emphasizing that the brand is “relevant” through the Fashionista line.

(note: young moms view Barbie brand more positively after learning about the Fashionista line and the lessons it will teach.)

“Imagination comes in all shapes and sizes”

#BeautyComesinAllColors

Recommendation

1. In-store touch screen displays

#BeautyComesinAllShapes

Recommendation

2. Create a hashtag trend: #BeautyComesinAllShapes- Use a marketing tactic for moms to share and use the hashtag- In the focus group, moms were stressed out by accessories because the Fashionista line will cause different doll sizes to have

its own accessories



Recommendation

2. Create a hashtag trend: #BeautyComesinAllShapes- Example of Twitter: How the brand can use it- Instagram: moms using the hashtag

Thank You!

Brand Research Presentation

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