Term Paper on "Mattel Corporation Has Been the Owner"
Term Paper 17 pages (4260 words) Sources: 12 Style: APA
[EXCERPT] . . . .
Mattel Corporation has been the owner of the Barbie brand and exclusive marketer of said brand for its entire existence, and in fact the original Barbie creator was also the creator of the Mattel corporation. The Barbie brand has gone through only a limited number of changes over the many years, but recently the Mattel company has introduced a new line of Barbie dolls and accessories that are said to be more modern reflections of the doll. The new Barbie dolls are known as "My Scene" Barbies, and they are marketed toward tween girls (girls ages 7-12) and anyone who has an interest in obtaining dolls that are more reflective of diversity.The "My Scene" Barbie collection was launched in 2002. (Mattel history Website) These Barbies are also more reflective of actual body shape than the dolls have been in the past. Mattel has come under fire for decades with regard to the fact that true body shape and size is not reflective of real people. (Norton, Olds, Olive & Dank, 1996) the noted change that occurred in 2000 expresses the desire of the Barbie to be more reflective of actual physique of a woman, and Mattel totes is as an "athletic figure" more reflective of a real person, with a bendable waste that has a belly button. ("Jewel Girl Barbie Doll Provides First Peek at Barbie Millennium Makeover" Mattel Press Release September 2000) the "My Scene" collection consists of Kennedy (White), Chelsea (Latino) and Madison (African-American), all of whom have the same body with varied skin tones and hair colors.
Some experts also connect the development of the "My Scene" Barbie collection as a reaction to dwindling sales as a result of competition from another doll line, Bratz. (Peer
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More than simple instruments of pleasure and amusement, toys and games play crucial roles in helping children determine what is valuable in and around them. Dolls in particular invite children to replicate them, to imagine themselves in their dolls' images. What does it mean, then, when little girls are given dolls to play with that in no way resemble them? (Ducille, 1994, p. 48)
Ducille argues that representing multiculturalism through limited expressions can be just as damaging as simply not having a reflective item at all, "...the inhabitants of these foreign lands -- from Disney's Princess Jasmine to Mattel's Jamaican Barbie -- are just like us, dye-dipped versions of archetypal white American beauty. " (Ducille, 1994, p. 49)it can also be argued that the Mattel marketed to more than just cultural diversity when it introduced Becky in 1997, a doll confined to a wheelchair, who was essentially just a Barbie sitting in a wheelchair. (Mattel History Website) Ducille also gives evidence to the idea that despite the large spending power of the Hispanic, Asian and African-American populations in the U.S. And elsewhere the marketing of Barbie, had only white dolls until 1990, when the company realized that these large segments of spending power might not even be aware of the fact that there were multi-ethnic Barbies. (Ducille, 1994, p. 49)
When little girls fantasize themselves into the conspicuous consumption, glamour, perfection, and, some have argued, anorexia of Barbie's world, it is rarely, if ever, "in their own image that they dream."2 Regardless of what color dyes the dolls are dipped in or what costumes they are adorned with, the image they present is of the same mythically thin, long-legged, luxuriously-haired, buxom beauty. And while Mattel and other toy manufacturers may claim to have the best interests of ethnic audiences in mind in peddling their integrated wares, one does not have to be a cynic to suggest that profit remains the motivating factor behind this merchandising of difference. (Ducille, 1994, p. 50)
While some attack Mattel and Barbie for offering negative images, regardless of multi-cultural intentions others commend Mattel for constantly seeking to develop the image of Barbie to meet the modern market demand and keep the toy alive for more than forty years, a significant marketing feat in any market but especially the toy market which is frequently a fad market that changes as seasonally as hemlines. (Furnham, 2001, p. 562)
The My Scene Barbies, share shelf space with traditional Barbies, as well as seasonally marketed Barbie dolls and toys from recent multi-market schemes, such as movie figures, from the five or more Barbie movies which have come out in recent years as a response to the Mattel Miramax partnership, which began with the "My Scene" movie in 2004-2005. ("My Scene Goes Hollywood" Mattel Press Release August 30, 2005) the divergent issue of body ideal and reality, regardless of its constancy as an issue is not specifically addressed, by the company with its reflective changes in the body image or the expansion of cultural representation (Norton, Olds, Olive & Dank, 1996) but it is clear that the company is responding to market demands and competition as they have been shown from other competitors that it is possible to sell diverse products, such as Bratz and other more representative dolls and take a significant share of Barbie profits in the process.
It must also be noted that the "My Scene" Barbie collection has been challenged by parents because the dolls are considered by some to be reflective of inappropriate dress. In one very humorous article discussing the issue Golberg complains of the fact that his very young daughter received a whore for Christmas.
My daughter -- not yet four years old -- got a whore. Okay, not a real prostitute. Not even a pretend one. She merely got a doll that dresses like one. Oh, and spare me the eye-rolling about how I've become a curmudgeon. I've been to Las Vegas, I've ambled through the seedier parts of cities, and I've quaffed more than a few cocktails at the right (or wrong) bars; I know what hookers look like. No, I have never sampled their wares, but while I've also never ridden an elephant, I've been to enough zoos to know what they look like. In short, this slattern effigy my daughter opened on Christmas morning (we do Chanuka and Christmas at the Goldbergs') was a gum-snapping, six-inch-heeled, F-me-pump-wearing ho. Fo sho.
(Goldberg, 2007, p. 8)
It is clear that the brand will clearly continue to be a source of popular controversy, despite attempts to be inclusive with culture and body image realism. The issue of the dolls representing an unhealthy role model has been around for a long time, and has clearly not been answered with this most recent market strategy. Yet, in marketing controversy sells, and regardless of parental concern items marketed to children will likely continue to respond to fashion changes, which also do not always reflect the real but rather reflect idealized images meant to include fantasy ideals, which include misrepresented images.
The research findings, of this particular issue are demonstrative of social change and cultural awareness, but it is also clear that Mattel, has historically demonstrated significant flexibility, over the years to meet market demand. The response of the corporation to the threat of other dolls, such as Bratz has been responded to with Kennedy (White), Chelsea (Latino) and Madison (African-American), all of which have the same body with varied skin tones and hair colors. There is no question that the dolls are not representative of anything but an ideal, but they sell at comparative levels and respond to a market need that continues to drive Mattel's dominance in the market.
References
Ducille, a. (1994). Dyes and Dolls: Multicultural Barbie and the Merchandising of Difference. Differences, 6(1), 46-68.
Furnham, a. (2001). Barbie Culture. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 30(5), 562.
Goldberg, J. (2007, January 29). Bad Scene. National Review, 59, 8.
Jewel Girl Barbie Doll Provides First Peek at Barbie Millennium Makeover" Mattel Press Release September 2000 http://www.shareholder.com/mattel/news/20.cfm
Mattel Interactive Company History
http://www.mattel.com/about_us/history/default.asp?f=true
My Scene Goes Hollywood" Mattel Press Release August 30, 2005 http://www.shareholder.com/mattel/news/20.cfm
Norton, K.I., Olds, T.S., Olive, S., & Dank, S. (1996). Ken and Barbie at Life Size. Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, 34(3-4), 287.
Peers, J. (2004).… READ MORE
Quoted Instructions for "Mattel Corporation Has Been the Owner" Assignment:
First Topic of research: Research Mattel Corporation*****s market targeting of multiple markets with the recent Barbie that share traditional shelf space with traditional Barbie dolls. Examine the cultural attitudes that are involved in marketing of the dolls. This shall be 5 pages in length and use four scholarly supporting workings to support the findings on the web site. Each citation will be in APA format and indicated in the body of the work and a corresponding reference section.
Second Topic of Research: Research the topic of geodemographic segmentation such as the young single image of consumerism relative to care purchases. Discuss the concept of consumerism and the aspirations to the image of *****wealth and privilege***** in comparison to the image of *****camper cycling***** types and how the image of *****top guns***** who are ambitious types compare to other types of consumers. The case should reflect the concept of individual decision making and individual perception. This shall be 6 pages in length and use four scholarly supporting workings to support the findings on the web site. Each citation will be in APA format and indicated in the body of the work and a corresponding reference section.
Third Topic of Research: Consider state regulation as leadership in consumer protection. Examine Research online that pertains to Organizational and Household Marketing and specialty stores, chain stores, discount stores, and marketing activities that stimulate consumer buying. House hold decisions in purchasing of consumer products should be compared to services that are intangible in the insurance industry. The state government regulates and takes the leadership role in regulation of insurance sales and marketing practices. Research state regulations for the insurance industry; in the state of Florida. Compare the parameters of the household decision making in the purchasing of unregulated products to regulated products. Consider that clothing may have regulation in fire safety of pajamas for children that ay be comparable to insurance regulation and provide evidence of your research. This shall be 6 pages in length and use four scholarly supporting workings to support the findings on the web site. Each citation will be in APA format and indicated in the body of the work and a corresponding reference section.
How to Reference "Mattel Corporation Has Been the Owner" Term Paper in a Bibliography
“Mattel Corporation Has Been the Owner.” A1-TermPaper.com, 2007, https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/mattel-corporation-been/89777. Accessed 28 Sep 2024.
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