No Touch, No Feel, No Sense

“For Mattel Inc. and its flagship icon Barbie, chasing the ever-changing tastes of American girls is turning out to be more difficult than expected.

“Amid a rare quarterly loss reported Monday, the El Segundo, Calif., company reported flat world-wide sales for the Barbie brand. That reflects a 12% decline in the U.S., repeating a pattern the company struggled with last year...

“Mattel's struggle to breathe life back into the buxom blonde, more than a year after problems in its Barbie business surfaced, shows the ongoing challenge the toy industry faces in attracting the fickle attention of young girls. In many of last year's Barbie lines, for example, the company sought to modernize the doll with more electronic features.

“‘We're seeing an ever evolving and changing girl,’ said Chuck Scothon, senior vice president of Mattel's girls division. ‘I think there's more competition for girls' attention,’ he said, citing items like consumer electronics.

“Yet some of Mattel's attempts to address the competition posed by iPods and other electronic items has only confused its young customers. The recent Magic of the Rainbow, a fantasy doll marketed under the Barbie brand, doubled as a remote control, came with a CD-ROM game and featured wings that fluttered at the push of a button. ‘Girls asked -- is this a doll?’ said Mr. Scothon. ‘We put too much in.’ …

“Mattel is looking to make Barbie over with a series of changes to simplify. ‘We're looking for a simple doll and a better aesthetic as opposed to being overly innovative,’ said Mr. Scothon…

“Mattel also is hoping to find a rainmaker in its Web site, BarbieGirls.com, a meet-and-greet online world that has attracted 11 million users. So far the company has struggled to convert the free site into an active source of revenue. A $60 MP3 player that unlocked additional online features proved a disappointment at retail, and Mattel is phasing it out.”

(“Corporate News: As Barbie Sales Slow, Mattel Looks to Simplify Its Iconic Line.” Nicholas Casey. Wall Street Journal: April 22, 2008. p. B.3)

WHO IN THE WORLD thought of turning Barbie into a remote control? Oh... a middle-aged man. Of course!

Throw more technology at the problem; that always works!

Certainly, we can't have a male executive getting to know what little girls like to play with.