Computer Engineer Barbie – Did Mattel listen to their market?
Computer Engineer Barbie – a year ago I would have said “Yeah right!” However, this fall Mattel crowdsourced Barbie’s next career. The choices for Barbie’s next career were architect, anchorwoman, computer engineer, environmentalist and surgeon. The popular choice after a month long campaign is computer engineer. However, little girls chose anchorwoman.
This is an interesting application of the lessons’ I learned from Rob Adam’s class as an MBA student at the Red McComb’s School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin - Validate, Validate, Validate your market. While Barbie does not soothe an urgent customer pain, Barbie is the top selling doll with $1.3 billion in sales annually. Product development for Barbie thought they polled their community of young girls but instead open the doors for crowdsourcing. How did this happen?
According to the Wall Street Journal article, “Revenge of the Nerds: How Barbie Got Her Geek On”, a community of like minded technical women got together and changed the popular vote with over 1800 tweets encouraging the vote. Encouragement came from organizations such as GeekGirlCamp.com and National Society of Woman Engineers. What did Mattel do?
Mattel will be releasing both Anchorwoman and Computer Engineer Barbie and I’m happy about it. As opposed to @BrandAutopsy, I feel that Mattel did give a real community of fans what they want by producing the Computer Engineer Barbie. As a child, I loved my Astronaut Barbie and think she still rocks. I know that I didn’t think about becoming a rocket scientist until I got that Astronaut Barbie at Christmas.
So perhaps by crowdsourcing instead of communitysourcing, Mattel stumbled upon a new market – cool adult hip tech nostalgic women who want Barbie to look geeky without a lab coat. Perhaps Computer Engineer Barbie can inspire a new generation of engineers and mathematicians. Each of my four nieces will be getting a Computer Engineer Barbie. Wonder what sciences engineering Barbie they’ll buy their nieces once they grow up?
Your Chief Marketing Gunslinger,
Elizabeth Quintanilla
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Comments
A Supreme Case
I totally expected your post would discuss the Aqua phenom and Supreme Court case against MCA:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbie_Girl
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mattel,_Inc._v._MCA_Records,_Inc.
Maybe you did mention this and I overlooked. Nevertheless, it serves as a towering example of social web diluting corporate power. Good videos never die.
I'd buy my little girl anything she wanted (that I could afford). Anna has never taken to my discipline. It seems effective with my 2 boys though. She gets sugar, the boys get "timeouts". Bad parenting? Whatever! Efficiency trumps quality at home.
(eq: i posted this response on door64 too)
Neat
I think that's a great idea, although barbie is supposed to be a pretty fashionista doll in general, but I am sure this will inspire many a young girl as it did you. I do believe that girls need to focus on more than just being pretty and girly which is good- but it rocks when you can have brains to go with it.
Thanks-great read:)
Great article! I had been
Great article! I had been watching this unfold during Toy Fair, and I am glad that computer engineer barbie made the grade, but sad that she got knocked off of "Barbie's 125th career" pedestal. (It's going to be her 126th job, while anchorwoman is the 125th.) Regardless, it is a great show of community networking, and Toy Joy will most definitely be carrying her!