Love it or hate it, I think this is one of the more brilliant advertising/marketing campaigns ideas...hats off to Mattel.
FYI...Ken and Barbie called it quits back in 2004. To be more exact, Barbie left Ken for Blaine...the surfer from Australia...ending their 53 years together. To many, this was much more devastating than any Brad and Jen could ever be.
(above: Barbie and Sweet Talkin' Ken, www.barbieandken.com)
Let's face it, Barbie just isn't "cool" anymore. It doesn't really shock me, have you been down the Barbie aisles over the last few years? However, if feel that Barbie is cyclical in nature (sort of like frozen yogurt). She'll be back...newly formed body and all.
This campaign was marking Ken's 50th Birthday (who knew Barbie was a bit of a cougar?), and the epicenter of it all is barbieandken.com. Here fans could vote on whether Barbie should "take Ken back" or not, complete with a Love-O-Meter for measuring purposes...supporters of the famous duo had until Valentine's Day 2011 to make up Barbie's mind.
The results are in and....
BARBIE AND KEN ARE BACK ON!
From what I can tell this is a pretty good example of a campaign that uses social marketing tactics, as it spread across Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter, Youtube, and even Hulu (a kitchy show called Genuine Ken: The Search for the Great American Boyfriend was produced and available on hulu.com). I've got a feeling the target market was us, the kids who grew up in (one of) Barbie's prime decades...though I doubt any of us are going to rush out to the stores and swoop up the new Sweet Talkin Ken, who, by the way, Mattel describes as "the ultimate boyfriend for every occasion, he says whatever you want him to say!" Hmmm...coincidence that Ken wants Barbie back right as he is relaunched as Rico Suave?
Social Savant:
Barbie's YouTube Channel: Ken and Match.com
Barbie and Ken's Facebook:
Barbie posts about numerous sightings of Ken...a la billboards around Los Angeles and his moniker strategically placed at well known eateries. Seeing Ken's face all over the place while at home in December was quite strange.
The romance has continued, see all of the plastic romantical happenings here
When talking about social media campaigns I think this one would be and example of what to do. Dear Mattel...may I work for you?
From what I can tell this is a pretty good example of a campaign that uses social marketing tactics, as it spread across Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter, Youtube, and even Hulu (a kitchy show called Genuine Ken: The Search for the Great American Boyfriend was produced and available on hulu.com). I've got a feeling the target market was us, the kids who grew up in (one of) Barbie's prime decades...though I doubt any of us are going to rush out to the stores and swoop up the new Sweet Talkin Ken, who, by the way, Mattel describes as "the ultimate boyfriend for every occasion, he says whatever you want him to say!" Hmmm...coincidence that Ken wants Barbie back right as he is relaunched as Rico Suave?
Social Savant:
Barbie's YouTube Channel: Ken and Match.com
Barbie and Ken's Facebook:
Barbie posts about numerous sightings of Ken...a la billboards around Los Angeles and his moniker strategically placed at well known eateries. Seeing Ken's face all over the place while at home in December was quite strange.
The romance has continued, see all of the plastic romantical happenings here
When talking about social media campaigns I think this one would be and example of what to do. Dear Mattel...may I work for you?
Oh. My. God. This is incredible. You're dead on. This is absolutely how to campaign using social media. Beautiful.
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