Marketing Barbie's Latest Makeover

Iconic Barbie, the doll beloved by boomers and still on toy-store shelves after more than 50 years, is getting a needed makeover. Despite her high fashion forays, and several museum displays devoted to her fashionista variations, Barbie has been criticized for her unrealistic, ultrathin body type and shaped feet that fit only in high heels. 

Facing increased competition from many other dolls, sales of Barbie dolls dropped 20% from 2012 to 2014, prompting parent company Mattel to add new diverse product variations for 2015 (a wider range of skin tones and hair styles).

In 2016, Mattel has introduced even more faces and shapes to update the Barbie product line. Barbie now is short or willowy, slim or curvy, to appeal to a wider target market and better reflect the diversity of the toy buying public.

Some of Mattel's Barbie ads in the past year have emphasized the aspirations of girls, aiming to associate the brand with dreams of career possibilities. Other ads focused on fashion and expressing individuality. Will Barbie's latest marketing makeover reverse the sales slide?

Hot Holiday Toys 2014

Those "hot holiday toy" lists have been out for weeks. There are some obvious selections (Frozen merchandise) and some not so obvious, ready for gift-givers to browse and buy. Promotions and publicity now--the bigger, the better--will build brand awareness and recognition, even preference and early purchasing, in advance of the holiday shopping season that accelerates in late November.

Toy review site TTPM says: Disney Frozen dolls, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figures, and Doc McStuffins (at left) will be hot this year, among others.


Walmart says Frozen plus: Air Hogs RC Zero Gravity Laser Racer, Airstorm Firetech Bow (think Hunger Games), Barbie, Hot Wheels, and others, including the Vtech smartwatch (at right) for kids.

Toys 'R' Us toy list includes Legos, Little Live Pets Bird Cage with "live" birds, FurReal Friends toy pets, and Transformers, among others.

And if you're shopping in the UK, Hamleys has the My Friend Cayla doll (which looks things up on Google for your children), Doh Vinci modeling set (a la 3D printing), and the Xeno the Cheeky Interactive Baby Monster (at left).

Amazon categorizes its top holiday picks, including "retro," "Mom picks," "classic brands," and "in the movies." 

Get 'em while they're hot! Or at least while they're in stock.

Marketing Marbles (the Brain Store)

In my previous post, I wrote about marketing toys to Dads and Moms. This post is about Marbles, the Brain Store, headquartered in Chicago and headed by CEO Lindsay Gaskins and cofounder/chief merchant Scott Brown. After a disappointing start selling educational/brain development games through a mall kiosk in 2008, Marbles rebooted as a full-fledged store retailer in a busy downtown Chicago shopping district and has been expanding ever since by filling a need for people of all ages to exercise their brains.

Instead of jam-packed areas of gender-defined merchandise or aisles devoted to toy categories such as dolls and crafts, its "BrainCoaches" (aka store employees) help customers of all ages select from an edited assortment of games, toys, and accessories for specific brain-building interests, such as word skills, critical thinking, visual perception, memory, and coordination. Each of the 250 products has been selected, tested, and merchandised with one of these brain development areas in mind. (Some of Marbles' products were, in fact, created in-house or at Columbia College.)

Customers are invited to participate in a BrainSessions profile (at the in-store kiosk or online) that pinpoints strengths and suggests areas to be further developed, along with recommendations for specific toys or games that are suitable for strengthening those skills. "I think the experiential nature of the store has benefited us greatly," Gaskins says. In fact, the third Thursday of every month (except November and December) is Game Night at Marbles stores, a few hours where kids, adults, and multigenerational families can enjoy trying different games.

The company is not yet profitable but with sales exceeding $600 per square foot, the retailer is ringing up healthy revenues. It's gaining a following on Facebook and maintains both a Twitter account and a company blog.

I heard about Marbles from a friend who found its web site and was happy with the box full of products she ordered for her grandchildren's birthdays. Despite the challenging economy, positive word of mouth and repeat business is helping Marbles grow, month after month.

Previewing Top Toys for Christmas, 2012

Although Halloween is still 29 days in the future, Christmas is right around the corner for marketers in the toy industry. Already we're seeing lists of the top toys for Christmas 2012. Here's a preview:

Time to Play magazine says that a new Thomas the Tank Engine toy will be the must-have for kids 2 and up. Never fear, there's a digital device for age 3 and up, the LeapPad2, a tablet computer for toddlers--complete with apps. A few others among the magazine's picks are Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures and new MEGA Blocks kits.

Toys 'R' Us is offering its own list of 15 hot toys, ready for reservation so gift-givers don't find themselves without this year's trendy toy. With a 20% deposit, you can reserve your Furby or LeapPad2 or Lego Ninjago Epic Dragon Battle kit. Or a 1D collectors' set of figures from the hot new boy band, among other toys.

Target has its own list of 24 top toys, including Disney's Bounce Bounce Tigger and Lego Friends kits (for girls), plus a few toys that overlap with other lists.

Finally, CNN Money picks 7 toys made by small businesses that it believes will be in high demand for Christmas 2012, including

Illumivor Mecha-Shark (left) and

Perplexus Twist, a solve-it 3D toy.

Legos for Girls are Selling Well

My first blog entry of 2012 was about Legos Friends, a line of Legos blocks and figurines designed specifically for girls.

Despite some worries about this product line reinforcing gender stereotypes, Legos Friends are selling well--at a rate that's double what Legos projected, which the CEO says is "astonishing."

In a period of economic uncertainty, with purchases of many non-essential items languishing, Lego's profits are actually up by 35%. Its market share has risen by a full percentage point, which in the multi-billion-dollar toy market represents a lot of money.

Now Lego is ramping up to stock store shelves with Lego Friends for the big holiday-buying season ahead. The market has spoken.

The Season for Silliness in Toys

Babble.com has compiled a list of the most ridiculous toys ever created (snarky comments and all). How were these toys test-marketed before the big launch? How many companies had focus groups of children check out the toys during the development process? Who made these marketing decisions? Of course the list also includes perennial favorites that aren't silly, such as beads. Ho ho ho!

clipped from babble.com

Bakugan: Must-Have for Boys

This week's BusinessWeek says there's no "must-have" toy for Xmas 2008, although the closest thing to a blockbuster may be Bakugan magnetic balls, for boys 5-10. Other news sources have been touting Bakugan's blockbuster status for a few weeks.

Have you tried to buy Bakugan toys? Talk about popular: Amazon's sellers are nearly sold out and customer comments indicate that prices have been rising as the holidays draw nearer.

Then there's the Wal-Mart "Site to Store" secret. I was in Wal-Mart yesterday at 9 am to buy Bakugan. Employees in the toy section sent me to the hidden "Site to Store" pickup area, part of a stock room off the main selling floor. IF the store has any Bakugan items in stock, you can buy ONE of each kind at a time. That's exactly what I did. Better hurry--inventory is limited. Bakugan seems to be muscling its way past Pokemon.

clipped from www.google.com Results 1 - 10 of about 1,690,000 for bakugan. (0.07 seconds) clipped from www.bakugan.com