Barbie For President As Celebration Of Women
Toy maker, Mattel released its first ever all-female ticket pair of presidential barbies. Though the company has released six presidential barbies since 1992, this is the first time the barbies are sold as a pair, of both a female president and vice president. According to PR Week, despite the timeliness of the release in correspondence to the current presidential candidates; Barbie is remaining nonpartisan. Mattel's global brand communications VP, Michelle Chidoni said the release of these barbies is not a presidential endorsement but rather "a celebration of women, and girls and women embracing leadership roles." Part of the inspiration for this launch was as an effort to counter a recent statistic by the The Girl Scout Research Institute, that found only 39% of girls say they want to be a leader. Chidoni explained that a key tactic in the release of these dolls was to send a doll to every female member of congress."The package was inspired for them to give it to a girl in their life that they think has leadership potential and capabilities," said Chidoni. The Barbie franchise plans to continue with these types of leadership inspired dolls to further their "she can do anything" campaign.
From a PR standpoint, this was a very strategic campaign. Barbie is well known for embracing girl's dreams and boosting their self-esteem, so to release a pair of barbies as president and vice-president shows girls that their potential is limitless. I think it was important for the company to specify that they were not releasing the dolls as a presidential endorsement as that eliminated any possible negative feedback in that respect. I also think sending a doll to every female member of congress was strategic because it put their hopes for young girls into action. By encouraging the members of congress to give the dolls to a girl with leadership skills, that will not only boost that individuals self-esteem but to receive it from a women of such power will give them hope to work for their dreams.
From a PR standpoint, this was a very strategic campaign. Barbie is well known for embracing girl's dreams and boosting their self-esteem, so to release a pair of barbies as president and vice-president shows girls that their potential is limitless. I think it was important for the company to specify that they were not releasing the dolls as a presidential endorsement as that eliminated any possible negative feedback in that respect. I also think sending a doll to every female member of congress was strategic because it put their hopes for young girls into action. By encouraging the members of congress to give the dolls to a girl with leadership skills, that will not only boost that individuals self-esteem but to receive it from a women of such power will give them hope to work for their dreams.
Forever 21 Under Scrutiny For Children's T-Shirts
Clothing store Forever 21 is under scrutiny once again, just months after having to pull shirts with questionable phrases alluding to sexual consent. This time however, the shirts in question are geared toward younger boys. According to PR Daily, Forever 21 stated "it strives to exemplify the highest ethical standards," however angry parents are questioning what the company's ideas of ethics are. A few phrases on shirts in question include "sorry ladies I only date models, ladies man, chicks are all over me, and hola ladies." Yahoo Style obtained a quote from University of Kentucky professor, Christina Spears Brown stating "It sexualizes children at an age when they should not be sexualized. It reinforces a harmful stereotype about boys that says their value and worth is dependent on how many girls or women they can ‘conquer.’ This has a ripple effect that can harm boys, both gay and straight, as well as girls. It indirectly says that girls are only for sexual attention and not for friendship. Anything that says that only models are worthy of attention is never positive for girls." Forever 21 has issued a statement on the matter, explaining they take feedback and product concerns very seriously and have taken immediate action to remove the product in regards to the shirts in question. The company also apologized to anyone who was offended by the products.
I would not want to be a PR professional working for this company right now. This company needs to consult their PR professional before sending any products out for distribution. After receiving so much backlash about their previous shirts that alluded to sexual consent, the marketing team should have played it safe with their new designs. The PR professionals working for this company are going to have a lot of crisis control to deal with if the marketing team and PR team are not on the same page.
Very nice analysis! I really enjoyed your first article. I think it is smart that Barbie is remaining nonpartisan. It's always nice to hear about a positive campaign focused on helping others. I hope these new dolls are a hit!
ReplyDeleteNice Post!
-Bridget Murphy
Taylor-
ReplyDeleteYou had great briefs. I thought they were both very interesting. The Barbie deal is pretty cool. As for Forever 21, I think that's sad. Unfortunately, though, it seems children are being sexualized more and more at younger ages.
Good job!
I agree, it seems as though children today are skipping their childhood and rushing into adulthood; especially in regards to the way they dress
DeleteReally great job! Thorough analysis of each story! I like the newsworthiness of your first story! The campaign was a great idea in my opinion! As for your second story, I agree with Alexis! It's a sad reality, and although PR professionals are analyzing their audiences and tailoring their products to the recent sexualization of younger children, they NEED to be keep their credibility in mind! That should be first and foremost!
ReplyDeleteI agree, although I understand that it is important to keep up with the times and trends, I don't think it is necessarily worth it to sexualize kids that way simply for a profit.
DeleteI absolutely love your first article. I haven't heard of this campaign and feel very excited that Mattel is thinking about the future leadership. The toy company has taken some slack in the past due to the unrealistic appearance of Barbie and the message it was sending to toy users/young girls. They have definitely redeemed themselves with coming out with more realistic Barbies and now with an empowering campaign such as this one. I will be curious to see what the future holds in November and the toy companies response overall. Great article!
ReplyDeleteI thought it was very strategic and well planned that the unveiling of the barbies of various body types came not too long before this campaign. I think its great because it gives girls of every shape, size, and background the confidence to follow their dreams.
DeleteI really enjoyed reading both of the articles you chose! The first article was great to read about because it really shows how far women are coming. It is so important to teach young girls that they can do anything. If they want to be a leader, the fact that they are female should not hold them back in any way. Hopefully this is a sign that we are progressing as a nation. It was very strategic of Mattel to market these political barbies and sent that message. Great job on their part! The second article was really interesting as well. I agree with you completely when you say you would not want to be working as a PR professional for Forever 21 right now. They are definitely going to get criticized for these types of messages, and this is not the first time they have had things like this happen. They should really figure out what kinds of messages they are aiming to send. Great job on your articles!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! I was surprised that Forever 21 was in this situation again because of their recent backlash. It seems as though they feel they are invincible, and by maintaining an edgy/ trendy style people will just follow it rather than realize not all phrases are appropriate for all ages.
DeleteHi Taylor,
ReplyDeleteI loved both of your articles! Both are very interesting. It's exciting to see Barbie running a campaign like that. It's amazing how they have been able to remain relevant and stand up for girls for so many years.
The Forever 21 article surprised me! Clothing with phrases on them like that never seem to do well, and always cause a controversy. I'm surprised that they would sell the shirts after seeing the backlash other companies have received for releasing similar clothing.
That's a great point, that I completely overlooked. Barbie dolls have been empowering girls and women for decades and their continuous success shows that their marketing and strategies are paying off.
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