Mattel’s Boy Toy
by Melissa Chau ~ October 8th, 2011. Filed under: Uncategorized.
Barbie shocked the world with what was called the “breakup of the Millenium”. So when she left Ken, her boyfriend and favourite accessory, behind 24 hours before valentine’s day in 2004, it sparked lots of talk and rumours a all around the world. Barbara Millicent Roberts has been one of the most popular toys on the market since 1959 , but ever since MGA launched their Bratz series of plastic dolls, Mattel finally had tough competition.
Statistics have shown that sales of Barbie dolls had fallen by as much as 30% in the USA and 18% worldwide mostly due to MGA’s Bratz dolls outselling them. The breakup was used in 2004 as Mattel’s marketing ploy. A smart move on their part for sparking lots of talk. Shirts, books, billboards and ads were made; finally putting Barbie back into the spotlight. 7 years later, after “re-vamping” Ken’s image, giving him a more “beiber-ish” appearance, Barbie has fallen for Ken, again…..sparking more interest in the dolls.
Ken was never just Barbie’s boy toy or favourite accessory, but instead he was Mattel’s secret weapon to getting back into the market despite new competition. The breakup and reconciliation of the iconic couple was on of the best and smartest brand-marketing strategies ever.