Mattel brings Barbie and Ken together in social media campaign

Mattel, the world’s biggest toymaker, has created an inventive and expansive social media marketing campaign to re-unite the Barbie and Ken dolls.

Mattel, which launches a ‘Sweet Talking Ken’ doll in a matter of weeks, has set up the site barbieandken.com, which asks the public whether the dolls should be reunited after a split in 2004. The site is a hub that is surrounded by various social media tools, including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

The impending date of Valentines day provides gives the campaign intensity as well as a natural termination point.

Mattel has even created personal histories for the dolls to enhance what is essentially a vast, virtual game of role-play. In a mock press release, the toy company says that ‘having explored the singles scene after his starring role in Toy Story 3, Ken now knows Barbie is the only doll for him’.

Given that Mattel is essentially selling an idea, the success of the campaign is striking: Ken has over 7,000 Twitter followers and over 34,000 people ‘like’ his Facebook page. Ken and Barbie’s page needs 10,000 ‘likes’ in order for them to get back together.

The humorous publicity drive uses the dolls as vehicles to sell and promote a brand with immediacy and without aggression, and – given the rate at which social media users are responding – Mattel is doing a fine job.