...In A Barbie World! A culture that is saturated by consumerism can be referred to as a consumer culture. Barbie can be used as a tool for consumer culture because she is perceived to be the perfect woman, an unattainable achievement. Barbie has the perfect man, Ken; she has her dream house, and car, and even a dream closet. There are life size Barbies bouncing around in T.V. and print media ads that personify this image. Barbie produces a systematic reproduction of consistency; she doesn't evolve but rather promotes change around her. Barbie’s face or body structure hasn’t significantly changed since her creation. The different nationalities that Barbie is produced in are careful not to lend themselves to stereotypes too heavily. Most importantly, the concept of Barbie hasn’t changed throughout the years. Ultimately, she is still a toy. Barbie promotes change by attaching herself to current trends and issues, such as Presidential Barbie, Olympic Barbie, and Sponge Bob Barbie. By presenting current trends in Barbie form, Mattel successfully promotes these trends to parents and children. The perception of perfection that surrounds Barbie is unattainable; however, consumers consistently find satisfaction or happiness in reaching for these goals. We have a car that works perfectly fine, but we want a new one. Our house has more then enough space, but we want a bigger one. Those shoes match absolutely nothing in my closet, but they're new and in style, so I just have to have them...
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...It’s a Barbie World Abstract Barbie dolls have been around for many years and many young girls have gotten a Barbie as a gift at some time in their lives. Barbie is made out of plastic and has unrealistic features to her. Her body proportions are not possible and her look only relates to less than half of the human population. Barbie has the perfect, dream world where she has her dream car, house, an impeccable wardrobe, and of course the man of her dreams. Many girls grow up and admire Barbie for her looks and all the materialistic things she has and will probably grow up wanting to be just like her. This can lead to them wanting to dress in mini skirts and short-shorts at a young age and can lead to prostitution in the future. One simple doll can change the lives of young girls and parents may not even realize it. Keywords: Barbie, unrealistic features, young girls “I’m a blond bimbo girl, in a fantasy world, dress me up, make it tight.” Those are some of the lyrics of Barbie Girl by Aqua who sung a song about a Barbie doll and how she lives this perfect, materialistic world with her true love Ken. Looking back into my child hood. I was never the little girl who played with Barbie’s or had an obsession with having every addition. In other cases though, many girls are influenced by the doll and can have negative effects in their lives. Parents do not realize the effects that a Barbie doll can have on a little girl. Parents may think they are buying the perfect toy for...
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...Are you a Barbie girl in a Barbie world, unlike the song I doubt you and everything around you is perfect. In my opinion girls today are trying too hard to be a life size Barbie. Sometimes girls might think everyone will like them if they are super skinny, tall, and blonde. Believe me you wouldn’t want to be a Barbie in real life; you’re fixing to find out why. Some say it shouldn’t matter, “she’s just a toy”, or “she’s so pretty who cares if she doesn’t look real.” But to me it does matter. If Barbie were real she’d tower a near 7 foot. She’d have a bra size of 39 FF, her tiny legs and feet couldn’t even support her top half so she’d be forced to crawl. You may laugh but, can you imagine walking, no wait, having to crawl through the mall getting stared at by every human there? It doesn’t sound to fun. Her arms are so tiny that she wouldn’t have room for the bones essential for her arms to work. Her neck would be twice the size of the average woman’s and would only have room for the trachea or esophagus so she’d have to choose between eating or breathing! There are 248 organs in the human body but Barbie would only have room for one and a half in her flat stomach. This encourages eating disorders that can lead to death! Doesn’t sound too fun does it? In my mind, a perfect girl is more realistic. She'd be a nice 5 foot 5 inches and have a bra size of 34 C. Contrary to Barbie, she'd have normal sized feet and legs that didn't appear sickly thin. All her organs would fit inside...
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...A Barbie World Are you a Barbie girl in a Barbie world, unlike the song I doubt you and everything around you is perfect. In my opinion girls today are trying to hard to be a life size Barbie. Sometimes girls might think everyone will like them if they were the skinny, acne free, perfect, Barbie. Believe me you wouldn’t want to be a Barbie in real life; you’re fixing to find out why. Some say it shouldn’t matter, “she’s just a toy”, or “she’s so pretty who cares if she doesn’t look real.” But to me it does matter. If Barbie were real she’d tower a near 7 foot. She’d have a bra size of 39 FF, her tiny legs and feet couldn’t even support her top half so she’d be forced to crawl. You may laugh but, can you imagine walking, no wait, having to crawl through the mall getting stared at by every human there? It doesn’t sound to fun. Her arms are so tiny that she wouldn’t have room for the bones essential for your arms to work. Her neck would be twice the size of the average woman’s and would only have room for the trachea or esophagus so she’d have to choose between eating or breathing! There are 248 organs in the human body but Barbie would only have room for one and a half in her flat stomach. This encourages eating disorders that can lead to death! Doesn’t sound too fun does it? Low self esteem is a big problem among girls today. They feel like the main goal in life is to be the tiny perfect Barbie with her toothie, little, smile. Fact is that’s not true...
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...LITR 301 February 18, 2014 Girl Compared to a Barbie Doll Women were considered the subordinate gender that was expected to have this stay at home homemaker attitude. They were supposed to powder their noses and look pretty. Women are discriminated against in society. Women have stereotypical gender roles they are supposed to uphold. As suggested in the poem “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy the Barbie doll is the idealized image of a woman and is considered to have long legs, perfect skin, small waist and a slender figure. The Barbie doll speaks for itself. It says that women should be domestic workers and maintain a feminine outer appearance. These type of values affect young girls because they are taught early that this is what a woman should look and act like. The Barbie doll has a lot of appeal and popularity for the past several years so it is difficult to alter the ideas of womanhood suggested by this doll. These ideas to be like and do as a Barbie doll cannot be overthrown because it has already been deeply planted in our society. In contrast, the short story “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid suggests that women are condemned to patriarchy because of socially constructed gender stereotypes. She criticizes the idealized patriarchal norms and pressures which overshadows the lives of women. Young girls are exposed to the pressures and expectations of how they should live. They are also brainwashed in believing that their role as a women is to become a domestic homemaker and that...
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...Multicultural Barbie and the Merchandizing of Difference” In the article “Dyes and Dolls” by Ann duCille she discusses how many, “manufactures have taken on a global perspective of a nearsightedness that constructs this whole new world as small and cultural difference as consumable (Ann duCille, p267). When Barbie turned the age of thirty Newsweek reported that there were 500 million Barbie dolls sold, on Barbie’s thirty fifth birthday Boston Globe reported that nearly two Barbie dolls are sold every second somewhere in the world; and fifty percent of these dolls are sold in the U.S (Ann duCille, p267). 1990 Mattel Inc discovered a new marketing strategy to make more money by going “ethnic” launching a campaign for Black and Hispanic versions ( A. duCille, p267). According to Deborah Mitchell, say Ann, Deborah ( African American woman) says, “Barbie allows little girls to dream”. “When little girls fantasize themselves into the conspicuous consumption, glamour, perfection, and, and some have argued anorexia of Barbie’s world, it is rarely, if ever, “in their own image that they dream” 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, luxurious haired, buxom beauty (A. duCille, p268). But profit still continues to be the driving factor merchandizing of difference (A. duCille, p267). “As feminist have protested almost from the moment she hit the market, Barbie is not...
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...Excellent variety of products for both boys and girls * Mattel has been in the fore front of the toy industry for 6o years * Strong online privacy policy * Controls fate of Barbie’s main competitor, Bratz. * Has excellent Global Manufacturing Principles * Weaknesses * Battered brand image over recent series of recalls * Losing control of their products and company image due to the outsourcing of their manufacturing to third party overseas manufacturers * They have little pricing power due to heavy reliance on Wal-Mart and Target * Keeping children’s interest when they are growing into the tween demographic. * Opportunities * Online and Video Game Market * Barbie retail store * Social Media * Create new alliances with other companies to help market products * Changing focus from traditional toys (Barbies/Hot Wheels) to electronic toys * Moving production from china back to the United States or a more sustainable country * Threats * Decreasing demand for toys * Economic recession * Raising oil prices * Children are outgrowing toys at an earlier age * MGA Entertainment Inc. Criteria: 1) Long term profitability (10) 2) Rebuild customer trust in product safety (10) 3) Relative time to implement (8) 4) Cost to implement (8) 5) Sustain competitive advantage (7) 6) Appealing to tween...
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...Kimberly Tucker, Chris Salt, Ashley Solomon Case 7: Mattel: Overcoming Marketing and Manufacturing Challenges 11/01/2010 Marketing Management 6800 Section 004 The Problem: The problem surrounding Mattel Inc., one of the world’s largest toy companies, is their mismanagement of international subcontractors and vendors and the production of certain toys (the manufacturing process), as well as their inability to adapt their marketing strategy or product to the constantly changing “demographic and socioeconomic trends” (Ferrell, et. all 466). This is supported by Mattel’s legal battle with Carter Bryant and MGA, their forced recall of certain toys that were manufactured overseas, and the increasing rate at which traditional toys are becoming less appealing to today’s young audience. Essentially, Mattel’s mismanagement and oversight lead to violations in terms of ethical and social responsibilities and safety standards. Issues Relevant to the Problem: Mattel’s problem of mismanagement can be divided into several issues that need to be considered: legal issues, international supply chain issues, and an increase in technology-based toys. In regards to legal issues, Mattel has been involved in prolonged litigation with Carter Bryant and MGA over a breach of an employment contract and copyright infringement. Due to Mattel’s poor management of its overseas manufacturers, in which unauthorized subcontractors and third-party suppliers were hired and unsafe materials used, several...
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...According to Claire Bates, 15 million people get plastic surgery every year just to fit in and look nice, such as liposuction, facelift, cheek enhancement. Marge Piercy’s poem, “Barbie Doll,” talks about a little girl that grew up with confidence until puberty hit her and her classmates made fun of her. She tried as much as she could to make them like her, but she ended up dead in a casket. The theme of the poem is that the people around you will judge you, but in the end, all that matters is that you accept yourself for what you’ve become. Piercy’s use of figurative language and the shifts portrays the theme of the poem. Marge Piercy elaborates the theme by using figurative language. She uses simile to help point out the meaning of the...
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...Assessment activity 3.3 In this assignment I am going to be explaining how and why groups of customers are targeted for selected products, I am going to pick 6 different target markets and for two of them will be business to business markets. Saga over 50’s insurance For the first target market I am going to be looking at Saga over 50’s, they offer life insurance, health insurance, car insurance, home insurance, travel insurance, cruise holidays, tour holidays, savings, bank accounts, saga magazines and cheap UK trips, they are all very important when you look at their target market which are over 50’s, the average pension pay-out is £113 a week, and when you hit 80 you get a 25p increase, regarding the holidays, they are offering cheaper holidays and cheap cruises and 25% of UK trips. Saga Insurance is a good investment. Seniors and older people may find that a fixed income investment comes with less financial risk. It allows them to have a fixed monthly income, this is perfect for retirement. Health insurance- Although the NHS does a wonderful job, many people choose private health insurance to speed up diagnosis and treatment. Private health insurance also gives you much greater choice about where, when and by whom you’ll be treated. Saga target this age group by offering these service because they are discounted and are suited to a pensioners pay out. • Quick referral to a consultant • Access to prompt treatment- at a private hospital of your choice from our extensive...
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...Guerline Donisvitch “Introduction to Literature” Ann Rasmussen April 23, 2009 Barbie Doll The poem begins in a fairy-tale vein, the archaic term “girl-child” being used to underscore the mythic quality of the story. The dolls, stove, iron and lipstick are all traditional play things for young girls, but they are also markers of an identity in the making, the things that young girls grow to identify with their own social roles. The doll presents an idealized image of the body, and stove and irons tell them what kind of work is expected of them as adults. The lipstick perhaps is the most sexualized cosmetic for women, signals to young girls that they will be valued for their physical appearance. The “magic of puberty” introduces the theme of growth. It is a magical time because the body changes rapidly. She also refers to the pain that comes with puberty. When girls are growing older they are really cruel to each other. The “girl child” is told she has “a great big nose and fat legs” even though she is smart, healthy and strong. The girl was made to feel guilty for who she was, for her intelligence and abilities, and also for not being slim and “beautiful.” She apologized to everyone for not being the person they wanted her to be, but all they could see was her body and how it did not match their idea of what a woman should look like. They tried to help her be more of an idealized woman by suggesting how to compensate for her unfeminine qualities. “girl-child”...
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...customer’s needs and wants. Delivering what the customer needs and wants can be segregated into two broad categories: First, product development: According to the case, Mattel’s product development ensures that its portfolio never stagnates. Unfortunately, Mattel has failed to adapt to the evolving demands of children, as they are becoming increasingly technologically savvy and are therefore interested in electronic and interactive rather than traditional toys such as Barbie or Hot Wheels at a younger age. This is evident, for example, from the demise of the ‘ELLO’ building toys for young girls1.The product development disparity between customers’ needs and Mattel’s production is further demonstrated by their lack of attention to their global market, which, according to the text, account for 46% of gross sales. This is evident in the Malaysian Consumers Association having attempted to ban the Barbie brand, one of Mattel’s core products, because of her non-Asian appearance and the lack of intellectual stimulation that Barbie provides; and many other countries are following suit. According to the text, Asian sales account for a mere 11% of Mattel’s gross revenues. Second, Corporate and Social Responsibility: A strong product is no longer enough; customers increasingly demand corporate social responsibility2. With increasing concerns with regards to internet privacy, and the risks associated for children surfing the internet3, Mattel’s move into the virtual realm comes with increased...
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...Unit 4 Mattel’s China Experience Case Study Analysis MT460 Management Policy and Strategy Professor: Dr. Margery Mayer Date: June 18, 2011 In 1944, based in California, Ruth and Elliot Handler founded Mattel after World War II. In the 1950’s, Mattel start advertising on Mickey Mouse Club with their core product being Barbie. Barbie was named after their daughter Barbara’s nickname. In the 1960, Mattel became publicly owned and in 1965, their sales top $100 million the company now qualified as a Fortune 500 company. Mattel is engaged in designing, manufacturing, and marketing of toys and family products across the world. The company's key global brands include Barbie, Hot Wheels, American Girl, and Fisher-Price. The company operates in the Americas, Asia Pacific, and Europe. It is headquartered in El Segundo, California and employs 27,000 people. (xplosivestocks.com) The start or recovery from damage done to the well-known brand due to recalls. After paying $40 million dollars in recalls for more than 19 million toys in China, Mattel was in a crisis. Their stock was dropping, lawsuits, media attacks, lost sales, and increased expense of litigation cost. Mattel was now suffering from a tarnished brand name and customer loyalty. Mattel’s challenges included convincing parents that child safety and product safety is more important that revenue, form an alliance with Chinese suppliers and the government to create honorable quality control solutions, improve...
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...Barbie has recently had her 40th birthday. It all started in the 1950s when Ruth Handler saw her daughter, Barbara, and her friends playing with paper dolls. They liked to imagin the dolls beeing different persons who were working, swiming, playing with friends etc. Ruth, who owned the company Mattel with her husband, understood that pretending how the future would be was part of growing up for kids. She did some research and found that there was room on the market for a doll like Barbie. Mattel had been making lots of toys before Barbie but when Ruth said that she wanted them to make a small doll for kids all the men in the staff had their doubts. Many different designs were done before the first Barbie was introduced on the 9th of march 1959. Barbie was named after Ruths daughter. Barbie was then a teen-age fashion model who was very different to the dolls the kids played with at that time. The buyers were at first skeptical to the doll but when Mattel started to make tv-commercials to reach out to the buyers it was an instant hit. Barbie is still the most popular fashion doll ever created. That is because she is always changing when the fashion and trends change. She wears everything from the Paris fashion to the more youthful look. For example the creaters changed her when the Beatles were popular and they made a copy of Jackie Kennedy when she was popular. In the 1970s Barbie wore very different clothes just to be trendy. She for example wore glittery disco outfits and...
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...Failure of the Barbie Doll in the Indian Market Priti Nemani* INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 97 I. GLOBALIZATION AND THE MULTINATIONAL ........................................ 99 A. Globalization Defined ................................................................ 99 1. The Key to the Kingdom: The Globalized Brand ............. 100 B. Barbie in the Global Economy ................................................. 102 1. Barbie‘s History................................................................. 102 2. Corporate Philosophy and Marketing Strategies behind Barbie ................................................................................ 105 II. MATTEL‘S BUSINESS VENTURES IN INDIA ......................................... 107 A. The Late 1980s: Barbie’s Tango with the License Raj ............. 107 1. The Licensing System ....................................................... 109 2. Limits on Foreign Direct Investment .................................110 3. Mattel‘s Joint Venture ......................................................... 111 B. India’s Economic Liberalization and Mattel’s Second Chance at Success...................................................................................113 1. India, the IMF, and the World Bank ...................................113 2. Mattel in India from 1993-2010 .........................................115 III. UNDERSTANDING WHY BARBIE FAILED IN INDIA...
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