Product details

Mattel Inc, which manufactures and markets the most popular American icon, the Barbie doll, was expanding the merchandise of Barbie to improve sales and to regain customer attention. The brand was affected in recent times by the changing needs of the ''tween'' girl market. As the ''tween'' girls segment switched over to other playtime alternatives like video games, the Internet and TV at an early age, Barbie sales dropped considerably. To keep the brand in tune with the changing needs of the market, the company began extending the brand into an array of new product lines like apparel, cosmetics, DVDs and movies. The case details the changing needs of the ''tween'' market segment, which had in recent times become a point of interest among marketers because of its size and complexity. The case throws light on the brand merchandising strategies of Mattel Inc, and how the Barbie brand was extended to related and unrelated products. It helps discuss whether the upstream transition of the brand Barbie into product lines like cell phones, videos and digital cameras is feasible, and whether Barbie would be able to regain its fame through these brand extensions. A structured assignment ''505-044-4'' is available to accompany this case.