Mattel Barbie State of Depression
Mattel
Barbie’s state of depression
OVERVIEW
Mattel, the largest toy company based on revenues, is the manufacturer of Barbie, Hot Wheels, Matchbox cars and board games. Barbie dolls (Mattel’s flagship brand) were introduced in 1959. With these dolls attracting 7 to 12 year old girls, different varieties of Barbie dolls were released into the toy market. Mattel dominated the toy market till the late 1990s. But in 2001, when MGM’s Bratz dolls were introduced, the realistic look of these dolls attracted girls and they started abandoning Barbie dolls. Now Barbie faces stiff competition not only from Bratz but from Mattel’s own American Girl. Between 2001 and 2004, Barbie sales fell by 27.5% due to stiff competition from Bratz. MGM believes its brand has supplanted the market leader, and they have the consumer insights to prove it. 'When we ask kids: How old are Bratz Dolls? They think they are teenagers. When they look at Barbie they say, "old" and "it 's Mum '," MGM says. Due to the changing preference of children for interactive toys and computer and video games, the Barbie product line experienced a decline of 12.5% in its worldwide sales. To attract kids, Mattel started selling Barbie dolls with cellphones. It formed a partnership with Single Touch Interactive to sell Nokia cellphones on purchasing from the My Scene Barbie product line and updated its website to make it more interactive. The company also formed an alliance with Apple to introduce iPods in an effort to boost sales.
In 2005, MGA Entertainment sued Mattel in Federal Court, accusing it of unfair competition, intellectual property infringement and serial copycatting and in 2007 Mattel sued MGA Entertainment. Mattel attorney John Quinn began proceedings by asking how MGA could suddenly, overnight, become one of the most innovative toy companies in the world. He went on to accuse MGA of stealing the idea for Bratz from a design that had originated at Mattel. Mattel is fighting for a
Barbie’s state of depression
OVERVIEW
Mattel, the largest toy company based on revenues, is the manufacturer of Barbie, Hot Wheels, Matchbox cars and board games. Barbie dolls (Mattel’s flagship brand) were introduced in 1959. With these dolls attracting 7 to 12 year old girls, different varieties of Barbie dolls were released into the toy market. Mattel dominated the toy market till the late 1990s. But in 2001, when MGM’s Bratz dolls were introduced, the realistic look of these dolls attracted girls and they started abandoning Barbie dolls. Now Barbie faces stiff competition not only from Bratz but from Mattel’s own American Girl. Between 2001 and 2004, Barbie sales fell by 27.5% due to stiff competition from Bratz. MGM believes its brand has supplanted the market leader, and they have the consumer insights to prove it. 'When we ask kids: How old are Bratz Dolls? They think they are teenagers. When they look at Barbie they say, "old" and "it 's Mum '," MGM says. Due to the changing preference of children for interactive toys and computer and video games, the Barbie product line experienced a decline of 12.5% in its worldwide sales. To attract kids, Mattel started selling Barbie dolls with cellphones. It formed a partnership with Single Touch Interactive to sell Nokia cellphones on purchasing from the My Scene Barbie product line and updated its website to make it more interactive. The company also formed an alliance with Apple to introduce iPods in an effort to boost sales.
In 2005, MGA Entertainment sued Mattel in Federal Court, accusing it of unfair competition, intellectual property infringement and serial copycatting and in 2007 Mattel sued MGA Entertainment. Mattel attorney John Quinn began proceedings by asking how MGA could suddenly, overnight, become one of the most innovative toy companies in the world. He went on to accuse MGA of stealing the idea for Bratz from a design that had originated at Mattel. Mattel is fighting for a
References: ▪ ^ Colker, David (December 4, 2008). "Bad day for the Bratz in L.A. court". Los Angeles Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2008/12/bad-day-for-the.html. Retrieved on 2008-12-07 ▪ ^ Colker, David (December 4, 2008). "Mattel given control of Bratz dolls". Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-bratz4-2008dec04,0,6761545.story. Retrieved on 2008-12-07 ▪ Jewish" Barbie Dolls Denounced in Saudi Arabia. ADL online Anti-Semitism in the muslin world. ▪ Wikipedia ▪ Years of Success Catch Up With Barbie. Branding strategy June 2008 ▪ Businessweek. March 2009 ▪ Toy Association Org. March 2009