She may be nearing retirement age, but Barbie has taken on six new careers for 2011 – including architect, chef and veterinarian – that are being showcased as part of a new outreach program by Mattel Canada called “I Can Be.”
Adriana Gut, girls marketing manager for Mattel Canada in Toronto, calls “I Can Be” – which is global in scope but has been adapted for the English Canadian market – a crystallization of what the Barbie brand has represented since its 1959 debut: that young girls can grow up to become whatever they dream of being.
“Throughout her history, [Barbie] has fulfilled a very basic play pattern that clearly has transcended generations and cultures,” said Gut. “The way girls play with Barbie is in terms of dreaming of what life will be like when they grow up.”
Developed by marketing promotions firm Spider Marketing Solutions, media agency Carat Canada and MIR Communications, with PR support from GCI Canada, Canada’s “I Can Be” program is comprised of an online forum for mothers, an in-school program featuring a six-part curriculum that is currently being used by 725 schools across the country, and an ambassador program that features six Canadian women from various career paths, including a veterinarian, a chef and an actor.
The program’s overarching objective, said Gut, is to help young girls from junior kindergarten to Grade 2 realize their inner potential and start thinking and visualizing about what they can be when they grow up.
Intended primarily for moms – with a sweet spot of women 25-40 – the online Be the Voice forum is designed as a community to discuss issues pertinent to raising strong daughters. The insight driving the initiative, said Gut, is that moms feel an emotional connection to the Barbie brand and also want to serve as a positive role model for their daughters.
Gut said that social media is a proven tactic for reaching and engaging the core audience. “Moms have a voice and we wanted to bring that out,” she said. “It gives them a platform for sharing their feelings and thoughts as to how they serve as positive role models for girls and what they feel is important in bringing up their daughters well.”
Online ads and a 30-second equity spot airing on the Corus Entertainment specialty channels W Network, CMT and YTV are supporting the “I Can Be” program. The global spot has been adopted for Canada and features a series of young girls delivering statements such as “She’s one of my best friends” and “She believes in me” before driving to the BeTheVoice.ca site (which is built within the Facebook framework).
Gut said that “I Can Be” will evolve over the coming months. “I really believe there’s a lot of power behind this, and it’s something we’re looking to invest in into 2012 and beyond,” she said.
