How Barbie Lost Her Groove

Order Description
Read the article titled
“How Barbie Lost her Groove,” by Nash and Duvall (2005). Compose a persuasive response that includes the
following elements:
 Explain why Mattel’s managers were able to slowly change decision making over time and what kinds of cognitive
errors contributed.
 Explain and comment on any factors related to organizational culture and innovation within Mattel’s setting that
might have influenced the company to move in a more positive direction.
Your response should be two pages in length, not including the title page or reference page. You are required to cite at
least one article from the (not including the referenced case study article). All sources used must be
referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying in-text citations in the proper APA format.

Answer

For years, Barbie has been the iconic doll almost every young girl adored.  In some cases, many aspire to accomplish beauty that is comparable to the doll.  However, in recent years Barbie sales have been met with yet another successful doll.  Bratz dolls maintain a statement that is more hip, rebellious, gaudier makeup, wider range of ethnicity, and physical features that are only achievable through plastic surgery (Nash & Duvall, 2005, p.38). 

Bratz dolls were the first of their kind to successfully challenge Mattel’s Barbie doll; due to providing features that were not offered by Barbie dolls such as ethnicity and attitude.  It took fourteen months for Mattel to respond to the newly developed Bratz dolls.  Finally, Mattel released the My Scene dolls, that offered vibrant but simple makeup styles, modern stylish forms of clothing, and ethnicity.  Despite this, Bratz dolls sales reached $700 million in 2004; thus, securing a foothold in the doll industry.  Later, Bratz went on to have its own television series and win the People’s Choice Toy of the Year Award (Nash & Duvall, 2005, p.38). 

Today, new rivals have begun making their mark on the doll industry.  New rivals such as Integrity Toys’ “Janay and Friends,” Tolly Tots’ “Girls on the Go,” and Disney’s Princess line of dolls are now formidable market competitors, earning each company a substantial amount of profit.  With all this in mind, it is difficult to understand how Mattel led in doll sales for forty years until recently.  After dominating the market for so long, why are competitors suddenly able to achieve more than the Barbie doll?  The truth is, Mattel never attempted to outdo the classic Barbie (Nash & Duvall, 2005, p.40). 

            Mattel has upheld a specific image for the Barbie doll because that is what made the doll so iconic.  However, as the imagination of so many young girls grew, it was apparent that the Barbie doll simply offered only a window of possibilities.  For example, Barbie demonstrated simplistic makeup that would be seen on the definition of a “lady.”  Furthermore, while Mattel did offer Barbie dolls in different ethnicities, the ethnicities was only implied through two other optional skin tones rather than any other features such as eyes, etc.  Once Barbie served as a tool to distinguish who a young woman should grow up to be, now young girls would rather the doll reflect who they are.  This is not because Barbie is necessarily racist, but due to the fact that young multiracial girls had a harder time relating to the classic Barbie.  Therefore, the release of the Bratz dolls was an eye opener for Mattel (SEEDS, 2014, p.34).