Preview

The Case Study Of Barbie's Success Story

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1001 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Case Study Of Barbie's Success Story
CONSUMER BEHAVIOR case by aaa fmg19d BARBIE’S SUCCESS STORY

Friday 12 August 2011

THE CASE
The case examines the evolution of the Barbie doll over the years from its launch in 1959. It explores the product development strategies adopted by Mattel for Barbie and the reasons for the success of Barbie. The case also explores changes in Barbie 's image along with the changes in American society. The criticism leveled against Barbie by feminists has also been described. The case also examines the challenges that Barbie could face in the future with the launch of Disney Princess.

Issues addressed Gain insights into the challenges faced by traditional playthings, such as dolls, in the Internet age.

Friday 12 August 2011

Question 1
Analysts observed that Barbie, the icon of American culture, reflected changes in American society. Analyze the changes in Barbie’s image over the years.

Friday 12 August 2011

Friday 12 August 2011

Friday 12 August 2011

Friday 12 August 2011

Consumer behavior brand equity model

Friday 12 August 2011

Location
• • • Barbie’s Global Shift: Many branches in the USA. Manufacturing pre 1950s took place in Japan. Manufacturing post 1950s in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico and Thailand.

Location

GNP per capita % annual % children aged US$ (UK=21,410) growth in GNP 10-14 who work

Comment

China Indonesia Malaysia Mexico Thailand
Friday 12 August 2011

750 174 3670 578 2160

6.4 4.7 4.0 0.9 5.2

12 10 3 7 9

Known internationally for its disregard for human rights. Huge economic potential. Politically unstable, losing a long term president and civil war in late 90s. Slower economic growth after rapid growth of up to 10% in late 1990s. Joined NAFTA in the late ’90s, creating a tariff-free market with the USA. No. of children working has dropped recently – government laws are now phasing it out. Minimum wage approx. £80/month.

Reasons behind Barbie’s Global Shift
Most of
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Barbie's Negative Influence On Young Girls
    • 731 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Barbie's Negative Influence On Young Girls

    Since March 9th, 1959 the United States has had a very influential piece of plastic, called the Barbie. Barbie was created by Ruth Handler, of Mattel Inc. after discovering a doll in Germany named Bild Lilli. The Barbie doll was named after Ruth Handler’s daughter, Barbara. The Barbie was introduced to the United Sates at a time when the word “teenager” was becoming a popular trend on television and in movies. A teenager is the time between childhood and adult life. Mattel took the opportunity to release Barbie at this ideal time. It was released as a teenage fashion model. Although the Barbie was pricey, many girls loved the idea and the Barbie doll became a very popular toy. With becoming popular Barbie had a huge impact. Barbie has negatively influenced body image, stereotypical female rolls, and enforced commercialism. Although, it has modernized…

    • 731 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Our Barbies, Ourselves Summary
    • 479 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Our Barbies, Ourselves Summary

    In an article in Interview Magazine, Emily Prager discuses her opinions of Mattel's toy doll Barbie being designed by Jack Ryan, husband to Zsa Zsa Gabor, and designer of military missiles. The concept that a doll for young girls was designed by such a person greatly shocked Prager." Suddenly a lot of things made sense to me" says Prager. The element that Ryan designed Barbie may explain some of the key aspects of the doll itself. Although Barbie was created as a toy for girls, the sexual nature of the doll suggests it was created for the pleasure of men and envy of women. Prager compares the figure of Barbie to the kind of women who would be seen in the Playboy mansion or be a frequent guest on explicit television shows. This is the image of a mans perception of a women and the fantasy there in. The proportions of the doll greatly suggest that Ryan had created either a doll modeled after his wife or merely the fabrication of his fantasy of the ideal women. Millions of women have gone along with this fantasy and have been entranced by the unrealistic standards of appearance and false qualities of life. Sadly, more and more women have accepted these standards as their own and have even resorted to changing who they are to become what they believe to be real. This may be a major contributing factor to the rise of women seeking breast implants and or plastic surgery. Yet there could be a further explanation and meaning behind Barbie. During the time of development and release of Barbie, the feminist movement was in full swing. The concept that Barbie may have been manufactured as a weapon against these feminist groups is plausible as the image of Barbie…

    • 479 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Rhetorical Analysis Essay
    • 1076 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Rhetorical Analysis Essay

    I’ll admit it; I absolutely loved playing with Barbie’s as a child! I must have had like twenty of them. She had everything: a dream house, Ken, plenty of friends, and a slender body with all the right curves, everything I dreamed of having when I grew up. “En Garde, Princess!” by Mary Grace Lord, challenges why every girl loves Barbie. Her article appeared in the online magazine Salon under the “Mothers Who Think” department on October 27, 2000, before the launch of a new doll line called the Get Real Girls, which were created by Julz Chavez. In this article Lord uses repetition, ethos, comparison and name calling to convince the reader that Barbie will soon encounter a fierce competitor, a better role model, which may finally dethrone her as the best selling doll of all time, or at least “punch a few holes in her sales” (423).…

    • 1076 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Jennifer Latson: The Origins Of Barbie
    • 189 Words
    • 1 Page

    Jennifer Latson: The Origins Of Barbie

    Jennifer Latson wrote a paper about the true origins of Barbie. The famous Barbie doll that we grew up with had a somewhat dark origin that began a long time ago. Born in Germany in 1952, the dolls original name was Lilli, she was unlike Barbie due to her unusual curves and toes that, “She doesn’t even have a foot.” Despite this, Lilli was so popular in Germany that she became a plastic doll for all the kids to play with. Lilli also had her own comics, but she was sexualized in these comics. In one comic she was naked with only a newspaper covering herself, and another comic had a policeman say she couldn’t wear a two-piece bikini and Lilli asked which one she should take off. Regardless of these things, she became a popular doll, inspiring…

    • 189 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Toys Will Be Toys The Stereotypes Unravel Analysis
    • 145 Words
    • 1 Page

    Toys Will Be Toys The Stereotypes Unravel Analysis

    Carol lawson is the author of the newspaper article “Toys will be toys: The stereotypes unravel”; she is a reporter and cultural news employee of New York times.The article discusses about the recent approach that toy companies and industries have instituted after the downfall of the gender stereotyped barbie doll with a voice box that repeats “math is tough”.The concept of gender bending is introduced into the market to expand business through creating toys the separates the boundary of masculinity and femininity.The manufactures are attempting to get the boys to like troll figures that are popular among girls and girls to like the action figures; but, not through eliminating gender stereotyped toys.Instead, it further reinforced sex based…

    • 145 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Role of Women in the Paleolithic and Modern Period Essay Example
    • 1606 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Role of Women in the Paleolithic and Modern Period Essay Example

    * The Barbie doll celebrated its 40th birthday in 1999, but what has this toy done to the culture of the young girls who play with her in today’s society? Over the past 40 years the society has seen the ups and downs from the effects of Barbie. Barbie has given our children positive motivation to become something better in life. She has also shown us the negative impact on our children’s lives as well, from dieting issues to self-esteem. Today, women can be seen as someone who should be put on a pedestal or in a store front window, but what does this do to the women of the society?…

    • 1606 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Barbie Stereotypes
    • 580 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Barbie Stereotypes

    Who is this mini plastic devil that has crawled out from the bowels of hell with the sole purpose of poisoning the minds of our young and impressionable? Her name is Barbie and that is exactly the impression of her that young, new, millennial parents would have you believe. They would have you believe that an inanimate object is to blame for the poor self image the girls of today have. It is not as if the media has already taken everything they deem desirable about a women’s body and have objectified it in all manners possible for a profit. It is not as if the film industry stereotyped what “beautiful” was long before Barbie was even hitting shelves in 1959; insert Marilyn Monroe here. No, they want to make an 11 inch doll the scapegoat to one of the biggest problems this generation has, the negative female body image. What about boy’s toys? Are they not as influential on boys as dolls are on girls?…

    • 580 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Dangers of Barbie Girl
    • 1387 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Dangers of Barbie Girl

    Toys started out as children’s entertainment, but have toys always just been for entertainment? Or can they affect the way a child develops, or interprets the world around them? The toys you play with as a child send messages that can influence your idea of what is socially acceptable. Toys teach you how to become who you are because of the roles they play. Media plays a major role in that, if you have a certain toy that comes out in a TV series, you play with the toy the way the media portrays the toy to be used. There are many different examples of how toys reinforce social norms. For example, Barbie is a doll that many young girls praise for her beauty and the social life media puts on her. Barbie is only one of many popular toys that subliminally sends a message of female gender roles to young children. Even though Barbie just seemed like a doll to play with, she makes it desirable to grow up to the cult of domesticity, which reinforces the traditional lifestyle that has been imposed upon women.…

    • 1387 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Is Barbie Harmful?
    • 963 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Is Barbie Harmful?

    Blonde hair, blue eyes, business woman, rock star, princess and doctor, can you guess who? It’s Barbie. To be beautiful is to possess qualities that give great pleasure or satisfaction, and for most, Barbie is the epitome of beauty. For years Barbie has been a doll that has been living in the hands of girls of all ages. Some girls start getting Barbies as young as three years old and continue to collect these dolls sometimes into early adulthood. But are these dolls a positive influence on young girls? Barbie is harmful because she gives a false perception of beauty that effects the self esteem, health, and ethnic concerns of young girls.…

    • 963 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Dollhouses Weren T Intended For Play
    • 753 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Dollhouses Weren T Intended For Play

    Barbies are one of the dolls in today’s world that can be seen as both a positive learning tool and a negative way of how girls see themselves. To children, especially young girls Barbies are seen as role model, the Barbie is something that children can look up to. Barbies have a wide range of jobs; including: astronaut, nurse, veterinarian, police officer, chef, surfer, princess, fashion designer, rock star, olympian, and many more. Instead of Barbies only teaching the idea of running a household, the doll has opened up a whole new field of different things that a young girl can aspire…

    • 753 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Humanities Final Paper
    • 1547 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Humanities Final Paper

    Venus de Willendorf is a statuette that first appeared during the Upper Paleolithic period. The exaggerated carvings of the body parts were how the artists of that time viewed women, fat and fertile. History often takes from the past to reinvent the future. Today’s society has the Barbie doll. Ruth Handler created it in 1959. Its long legs and slim figure has been worship by so many, that real women have undergone intense cosmetic surgeries to resemble the doll. Both figurines have gained notoriety based on the representation of women of their era, displayed their own meaning of beauty and cultures’ perception of it.…

    • 1547 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Barbie Affected American Culture
    • 1042 Words
    • 5 Pages

    How Barbie Affected American Culture

    In matters from career, to family and friends, to fashion, she is right there changing along with girls and the world. In the 60’s, Barbie wore sophisticated and elegant styles inspired by the Frist Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. At the end of the decade, Barbie underwent dramatic changes in face sculpting and the new Twist ‘N Turn waist, and bendable legs. In 1961, different hair colors were released, including a shade of red. Barbie also gets her boyfriend, Ken and in 1962, Ken gets a makeover. Barbie got eyes that open and close making her the first doll to do so. Barbie represented an astronaut in 1965 and once again in 1986 and 1994. In 1970’s, Barbie wore everything from the prairie look, the granny dress, to glittery disco styles. Malibu Barbie also hit the beach in the 70’s. The first Olympic athlete Barbie was introduced in 1975. Super-Size Barbie came out in 1977 as 18” tall. In 1980’s, the first Barbie convention was held. Also the first black and Hispanic Barbie’s were introduced. This decade also began the Happy Holidays series. In the 90’s, Barbie’s wardrobe reaches new heights with originals from Dior, Nicole Miller, Vera Wang, and many more of the worlds’ best fashion designers. Barbie also launches her first official website and new CD products that allows girls to design their own fashions. Friendship Barbie was introduced in 1990 to commemorate the tearing down of the Berlin Wall. Army Barbie, introduced in 1992, represented a medic Sergeant enlisted in Desert Storm. In 1999, Barbie walked by herself for the first time. In the 2000’s, Barbie introduced new series like Barbie Fashion Model Collection and the Hollywood Movie Star Collection. Barbie makes her first starring role, Barbie in the Nutcracker. Barbie also inline skates by herself this decade. Barbie undergoes a change and gets a belly button for the first time also. After 51 years, Barbie has had more than 125…

    • 1042 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Barbie Doll Analysis
    • 995 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Barbie Doll Analysis

    Society can take over the way people see themselves. In Marge Piercy’s poem, “Barbie Doll,” a young girl was judged for her looks and being herself. Due to this young girl’s strong mind set, she tried to stay true to herself, but could only handle so much pressure. Throughout her entire life, she was being compared to a symbolic perfect Barbie Doll who had the beautiful cosmetic fixed face that everyone imagines girls to be, and the irony of how pretty everyone thought she was on her deathbed demonstrated how the standards in society make people second guess who they really are.…

    • 995 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Barbie Trace Back To The 1950's
    • 883 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Barbie Trace Back To The 1950's

    I remember getting my mother’s old Barbie dolls and wondering why her long blonde hair was different. Since Barbie’s were created there has been several different versions of these dolls. Controversies came in an uproar about the skinny, white, long blonde haired Barbie. So, the Barbie company created African-American or brunette and men Barbie dolls. Other issues people had with the dolls were this mistreatment of the dolls. For an example, “Malibu Barbie, shimmery and golden. My parents couldn't afford the Dream house, so my doll lived in a pinewood box. I hand-sewed her bed and sofa with jagged, tangled stitches. I gifted her hand puppets and sock dresses, then chopped her hair into uneven patches. I grew a year older and gave her up to my brother and his friends, who ripped off her head and crammed her body with firecrackers. Her limbs, caked with black soot, scattered in the front yard, discovered by the dog weeks later.” (Ibarra, 34) Personally I don’t think they way children treat their toys should be a huge controversial issue. Children are going to do whatever they want with their toys. Some kids may throw their Barbie’s around or they may treat them like their “Babies”. (Omni, 16, 76.) Omni made an article about a lady named Barbara Bell who had some different view toward her responses from the disrespect of the Barbie’s. “Hearing of her experience, Bell's colleagues suggested she channel Barbie. So, Bell started the Barbie Channeling Newsletter. For $3, she sends readers Barbie's answer to a personal query along with a copy of the newsletter. “"I go into a light trance," says Bell, 44, whose nickname is also Barbie, "”and the words come flying out. There are 700 million Barbie dolls in the world with no voice that's real." Do Barbie’s or dolls in general have a mind of their own to show…

    • 883 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Why Barbie Is a Good Influence
    • 920 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Why Barbie Is a Good Influence

    “Seen through Rose-Tinted glasses:” The Barbie Doll in American Society. By Marilyn Motz; supports the highly debated topic that the toy Barbie produced by Mattel is a bad influence, on young girls. Motz is claiming that the young female child envisions herself as Barbie, and with Barbie resembling an older more mature woman. Something that Barbie’s age group cannot obtain, in till they grow older and more mature themselves. However, Barbie is just a toy, her resemblance, her actions, as a doll is, solely up to the child. Adults looking into their daughter’s childhood are simply over thinking what a three to eleven year old can produce inside her mind.…

    • 920 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics