Promo - May 2008 - (Page 32)

T I E D I N C AT E G O R Y Cyber Barbie AWARD CATEGORY New Media CAMPAIGN BarbieGirls AGENCY Studiocom CLIENT Mattel Barbie dolls have been entertain“This was about creating an ing young girls for nearly 50 years. opportunity for girls to do what they Mattel last year wanted to bring the like to do best and to do it online,” venerable vixen into the digital era. says Juan F. Santos, chief creative So it commissioned Studiocom officer for Studiocom, who worked to create a virtual community for the iconic brand. “Girls in the age group of eight to 12 are really spending a lot of time online,” says Rosie O’Neill, senior brand manager, Barbie Tech, Mattel. “They are into fashion, play and music. This was a way of bringing all three things together and delivering an online play experience. It’s a way of taking a classic brand and infusing new life into it.” Following Mattel’s content direction, Studiocom developed a technology platform for www.BarbieGirls. com. On the site, visitors can create a customized avatar, design a room, play games, chat live with girls around the world and shop at an online mall using “B Personalization is key at Bucks,” the currency BarbieGirls.com . Visitors to the site can customize their used in the virtual world. experience to their lifestyle by The online commuon the campaign. decorating their online room or nity also spawned a phys“It makes the brand choosing from 2.64 quadrillion combinations to dress up ical product, a Barbiemore relevant.” their avatars. branded MP3 player. The Studiocom 4.5-inch device comes also worked with with a USB port to connect into a comMattel to execute the creative and puter to unlock additional premium technical development of the camcontent, such as adopting a pet and vispaign. The site also features a builtiting a salon for a makeover. in security feature that prevents misuse and protects users. Mattel launched BarbieGirls.com in April 2007, and cross-promoted it on www.Barbie.com. And word soon spread, Santos says. In its first week, the site drew more than 200,000 registered users, and after six weeks there were more than 1 million. That number grew to 4 million in four months. Today, BarbieGirls.com has about 11 million registered users worldwide, IDEA TO STEAL KNOW YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE Launching any online community doesn’t guarantee traﬃc. That’s why Mattel spoke with 20,000 girls to understand their likes (and dislikes) as part of its 18-month-long eﬀort to launch BarbieGirls.com. “A lot of what made BarbieGirls.com so successful was our understanding of the girls’ marketplace,” says Rosie O’Neill, senior brand manager, Barbie Tech, Mattel. “It wasn’t just about putting up a game, but about understanding what girls like and what speaks directly to them.” thanks to Mattel’s rollout of the site in five languages (French, Spanish, Italian, German and Portuguese). About 40% of the traffic comes from girls outside the U.S., O’Neill says. And it’s growing. What made the site so popular? Santos says it’s all in the details. The agency dedicated a lot of attention to the site’s design, graphics and play experience to keep things realistic. “The key is mimicking the offline world in the online world,” Santos says. “Nothing feels out of place.” And it’s that real-world doll experience that keeps them coming back. An estimated 10,000 to 30,000 new girls register every day, O’Neill adds. —Amy Johannes 32 may 2008 / WWW.PROMOMAGAZINE.COM / Promo http://BarbieGirls.com http://www.Barbie.com http://BarbieGirls.com http://BarbieGirls.com http://BarbieGirls.com http://BarbieGirls.com http://WWW.PROMOMAGAZINE.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Promo - May 2008

Promo - May 2008 Contents Editor's Note Eyeballs All the Same... NBC Makes 'Law & Order' a Mobile Game Recession Rewards Comfort Virally Toaster on Wheels Commentary Ay Caramba! The 2008 Interactive Marketing Awards Winners How Bulletproof? Q&A: What a Ride Resource Center The Agency Center Blogging 101 Index of Advertisers

Promo - May 2008

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