Tied in Category Cyber Barbie
AWARD CATEGORY New Media
CAMPAIGN BarbieGirls
AGENCY Studiocom
CLIENT Mattel
Barbie dolls have been entertaining young girls for nearly 50 years. Mattel last year wanted to bring the venerable vixen into the digital era.
So it commissioned Studiocom to create a virtual community for the iconic brand.
“Girls in the age group of eight to 12 are really spending a lot of time online,” says Rosie O’Neill, senior brand manager, Barbie Tech, Mattel. “They are into fashion, play and music. This was a way of bringing all three things together and delivering an online play experience. It’s a way of taking a classic brand and infusing new life into it.”
Following Mattel’s content direction, Studiocom developed a technology platform for www.BarbieGirls.com. On the site, visitors can create a customized avatar, design a room, play games, chat live with girls around the world and shop at an online mall using “B Bucks,” the currency used in the virtual world.
The online community also spawned a physical product, a Barbie-branded MP3 player. The 4.5-inch device comes with a USB port to connect into a computer to unlock additional premium content, such as adopting a pet and visiting a salon for a makeover.
“This was about creating an opportunity for girls to do what they like to do best and to do it online,” says Juan F. Santos, chief creative officer for Studiocom, who worked on the campaign. “It makes the brand more relevant.”
Studiocom also worked with Mattel to execute the creative and technical development of the campaign. The site also features a built-in security feature that prevents misuse and protects users.
Mattel launched BarbieGirls.com in April 2007, and cross-promoted it on www.Barbie.com. And word soon spread, Santos says.
In its first week, the site drew more than 200,000 registered users, and after six weeks there were more than 1 million. That number grew to 4 million in four months.
Today, BarbieGirls.com has about 11 million registered users worldwide, thanks to Mattel’s rollout of the site in five languages (French, Spanish, Italian, German and Portuguese). About 40% of the traffic comes from girls outside the U.S., O’Neill says. And it’s growing.
What made the site so popular? Santos says it’s all in the details. The agency dedicated a lot of attention to the site’s design, graphics and play experience to keep things realistic.
“The key is mimicking the offline world in the online world,” Santos says. “Nothing feels out of place.”
And it’s that real-world doll experience that keeps them coming back. An estimated 10,000 to 30,000 new girls register every day, O’Neill adds. — Amy Johannes
IDEA TO STEAL
KNOW YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE
Launching any online community doesn’t guarantee traffic. That’s why Mattel spoke with 20,000 girls to understand their likes (and dislikes) as part of its 18-month-long effort to launch BarbieGirls.com.
“A lot of what made BarbieGirls.com so successful was our understanding of the girls’ marketplace,” says Rosie O’Neill, senior brand manager, Barbie Tech, Mattel. “It wasn’t just about putting up a game, but about understanding what girls like and what speaks directly to them.”
