BMC 3524 International PR (Mar2014 intake): Assignment 1

Word count: 704

Company: Mattel, China

For Barbie’s 50^th anniversary, Mattel launched its flagship Barbie concept store called “House of Barbie” in Shanghai in March 2009. It was Mattel’s attempt at developing the market of its most popular doll into China. The store had six floors, complete with a stairway decorated with 875 Barbie dolls and a Barbie bar that was designed by one of Shanghai’s premier restaurateurs. It also featured a cosmetics department, a fashion runway and a spa. The concept was that Barbie would be a lifestyle symbol and cultural icon for girls and young women (Wang, 2012).

BBC News Business (2011) offers information saying Mattel was hoping to counterweigh decreasing sales in traditional markets affected by the financial crisis at the time. Longid (2011) stated that Mattel did not cite a reason for its shutting down though it had reduced the outlet’s sales targets by 30 percent within the first eight months of the store’s opening in Shanghai. According to Pierson (2011), the closure was a surprising revelation for a store that seemed to embody the spirit of a city that was on an unstoppable material rise.

Mattel unveiled a doll especially for the opening – a Chinese character called Ling, who had black hair and was dressed in a traditional Chinese outfit. According to Wang (2013), local Chinese girls actually preferred the original blonde Barbie to the Chinese Barbie. ­This highlighted a debate of what beauty meant to them and whom they wanted to relate with. Wang (2012) also stated that numerous experts pointed out the fact that Barbie is a Western doll and was dubbed as “too sexy” for Chinese girls. Rauhala (2011) gave information that analysts concluded that Mattel had failed to localize their product to cater to local consumer preferences and habits enough to successfully expand their market.

Based on research done by Wang (2012), one of the mistakes that Mattel made was to open a standalone store before they established Barbie as a strong brand in China. In the U.S., Barbie is an iconic symbol of “femininity” for young girls. Over the years, the Barbie brand was a strong force as the doll assumed many different roles of women. However in China, Barbie is just another doll. She does not have any cultural significance for Chinese girls and young women. Because of that, Chinese consumers do not care about Barbie-branded products as much as Americans do. In an interview done by Wang (2012) with the general manager of Barbie Shanghai, Gar Crispell, it was pointed out that Mattel had wrongly planned the concept of the store. Had Barbie been a cultural icon and an established lifestyle brand in China, the House of Barbie would have done much better.

As stated by Rauhala (2011), Mattel hoped to attract the Chinese demographic by focusing on Barbie-branded merchandise. However, Mattel didn’t understand enough of what Chinese girls and young women want to achieve that. The Chinese concept of “femininity” is not the same as that of Americans’. In China, “feminine” is more related to sweet and soft instead of smart and strong. Although Mattel created a Chinese Barbie, the firm still failed to understand what Ling would represent in order to properly appeal to the Chinese market. According to Wang (2012), Mattel could have made Barbie an aspiring brand that empowered Chinese girls. If Barbie or Ling could become a role model for Chinese girls, Mattel would have had a better chance of succeeding in China.

Apart from that, Mattel wanted to bring a 50-year old brand to a new market that had just been introduced to Barbie. In the U.S., everyone knows Mattel and Barbie. In China, it is still new and relatively unknown (Longid, 2011). According to an interview done with Ben Cavender, a Shanghai-based analyst at China Market Research Group (Longid, 2011), Mattel should have set up their stores in malls instead of occupying a whole building as it would have increased awareness of the brand.

The magic of Barbie didn’t play out nearly as much in China as in her homeland. Chinese culture is significantly different from that of America. Without understanding this, it was no surprise that the House of Barbie closed its doors so soon after its opening in Shanghai.

Reference list:

1.    Longid, F 2011, ‘Barbie Packs Her Bags as Mattel Closes Shanghai Dream House’, Bloomberg News, 7 March, viewed 18 April 2014, .

2.    Pierson, D 2011, ‘Barbie’s flagship store closes in Shanghai’, Los Angeles Times Business, 7 March, viewed 18 April 2014, .

3.    N.a. 2011, ‘Mattel shuts flagship Shanghai Barbie concept store’, BBC News Business, 7 March, viewed 18 April 2014, .

4.    Rauhala, E 2011, ‘In Shanghai, Barbie’s Dream House Crumbles’, TIME, 8 March, viewed 18 April 2014, .

5.    Wang, H H 2013, ‘Can Mattel Make A Comeback In China?’, Forbes, 17 November, viewed 18 April 2014, .

6.    Wang, H H 2012, ‘Why Barbie Stumbled in China and How She Could Re-invent Herself’, Forbes, 24 October, viewed 18 April 2014, .