Barbie
Barbie Is More Than Just A Doll
Barbie is serious business! appealing to the masses and been around for so many generations, it’s important to look at what makes Barbie so successful. An early adopter of Girl Power, Barbie has blown it’s competition out of the water, even Cindy had to admit defeat. The success isn’t however as simple as producing a doll, are and have been plenty of those about over the years, we have taken a good look at what we believe the learnings are and outlined them as strategies to use in your own businesses.
Barbie has been there and literally worn the t-shirt, they have produced a product that was needed and kept Barbie relevant with the times, which extends the business further and further into the future, better still Barbie now can be classed as Iconic, which future proofs her further. You only have to look at ‘Kidults’ (adults who are buying things built for kids) ti understand why all great brands have continued, I’m guilty with Lego, Super Mario etc. so why wouldn’t another adult continue to buy Barbie too.
“Barbie’s full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts”
The History
Barbie, an iconic fashion doll brand, was introduced by American businesswoman Ruth Handler and the toy company Mattel, Inc. The story of Barbie's creation and evolution is a fascinating journey through decades of cultural influence and changing societal norms. Here's an overview of the history of Barbie: Barbie's concept emerged in 1950 when Ruth Handler noticed her daughter, Barbara, playing with paper dolls and envisioning them in grown-up roles. Ruth realized there was a gap in the market for a more mature, three-dimensional doll. Barbie made her debut at t toy fair in New York in 1959 in an iconic black and white swimsuit.
Since then Barbie has evolved and the following learnings can be made:-
Business Learnings
Invested In The ‘Reality’
Barbie gained immense popularity and soon saw a range of outfits and accessories. Ken, Barbie's boyfriend, was introduced in 1961, followed by Midge (Barbie's best friend) and Skipper (Barbie's younger sister) in 1963. The concept at the time was to add to the Barbie range through up-sells and add ons, this was made possible by adding in the additional characters, what nobody would predict is that Barbie would become a icon in her own right. The additions in the early days helped with reality and offered more to the end user than anything else on the market.
Learnings: Barbie wasn’t just a doll, she was a doll with real life attire. So rather than having a doll and playing dress up, you now had a doll to play life. Barbie was quickly surrounded with a product eco-system! All of the additional products helped to form a super product which you can relate to in your business. Something will be the big shiny thing that everyone talks about to you but it can be other products and services that add in that actually make you additional revenues.
Ever Evolving Barbie
Barbie evolved to reflect changing times and cultural diversity. The "Malibu Barbie" of the '70s reflected the California beach culture, and the '80s saw Barbie in career-focused roles like astronaut and doctor. The ranges kept coming and kept evolving, even to this day putting a Barbie from 1965 against a 2023 doll you can see how far Barbie has changed. The Barbie brand knew what the trend was and better still was able to produce that ‘look’ quickly.
Learnings: Your business like Barbie needs to keep up with the times and evolve, just because it works today doesn’t mean it will tomorrow. By being seen as the leader or industry expert you automatically get noticed and almost become first choice. Customers are busy people so it makes sense to make it as easy as possible to be found and respected so they can easily follow you.
A Real Diverse Barbie
The 1990s saw the introduction of more diverse dolls, including African American and Hispanic Barbies, as well as the launch of the "Barbie Fashionistas" line, featuring dolls with various body types and skin tones. Barbie had recognised and was well ahead of the game with diversity, by producing dolls in a completely different way opened up a wider audience with relatable dolls and more collectables.
Learnings: Your product doesn’t always have to be the same, different versions of it can exist, just like Barbie creating a version for other audiences can be profitable too. Imagine a training course that was built for a specific industry using the same content you already have or a cake that is for Weddings and Birthdays. Your audience can be expanded by personalising the journey and with little extra effort needed..
“As of July 2023, the Stefanie Canturi Barbie was the most expensive Barbie ever sold, having reached an auction price of more than 300 thousand U.S. dollars in 2010. The price was also pushed up by the doll’s diamond necklace.”
Barbie Brought To Life
Barbie ventured into movies, animated TV shows, and video games, making her a multimedia icon. Notable films include "Barbie in the Nutcracker" (2001) and "Barbie Princess Adventure" (2020). Unlike other toys Barbie had resisted the opportunity to bring her to life in this way, Barbie was having it’s own success without the need to give her a set voice or personality, so was the next natural step in capturing a on-screen audience.
Learnings: Bring your business to new audiences, not necessarily on the big screen but look to other platforms. The fear of being on the next platform stops you connecting with your potential audience and cost you opportunity. Instead of standing still have fun and look to find your audience in all the many places they maybe.
You should also be brave and give your businesses the voice it’s been missing, don’t be all mysterious, instead be proud of who you are and let the world listen.
Focus On The Positive Message
Barbie's image shifted to emphasise empowerment, diversity, and inclusivity. Barbie took on roles like entrepreneur, scientist, engineer, and more to encourage girls to pursue their dreams. Barbie had been the embassador of the perfect body in the perfect world for so long that Mattel had to think about changing perception. Barbie was still Barbie but now with a spice girl attitude of Anything is possible.
Learnings: Use your business to promote positivity and your just cause, your business can really stand out against your competition by being brave and strong enough to let the world know why you are here. However, if you don’t have a just cause then don’t pretend or make one up, but maybe invest time in seeing what good you can do in the world and get behind that instead.
Collaborations
Barbie continues to collaborate with fashion designers and brands, creating dolls inspired by high fashion. These partnerships expand Barbie's influence and relevance in the fashion industry. Millions of not just girls but women rank Barbie as an influence on what they would like to be like, whether the world Barbie lives in, her body or the clothes she wears. Barbie taps into the fantasy of human behaviour and delivers a message of almost why not!
Learnings: Can you find other businesses that you could collab with or that would compliment your offering? giving your brand a different angle can open up another audience or find people that were previously interested but didn’t buy.
“In 2023, the Barbie brand was valued at approximately 700 million U.S. dollars”
______
The win for Barbie is simple, they kept the winning formula in the doll concept, which to this day children still play with. They have dressed and re-dressed in new outfits to match the world at that time and diverted in bringing through a new generation of doll not to replace Barbie but add to the collection. Barbie have used a just cause or message of Anything is Possible to promote a positivity to all that invest in the brand to use in their own life. Barbie is as relevant today as it’s ever been, that takes some doing, Barbie evolves but stays true to her product and message, it’s a real lesson in longevity and relevance.
