Why Barbie Posed for Sports IllustratedAs worldwide sales of Barbie struggle, the blonde-haired plastic toy is making her debut in Sports Illustrated's key swimsuit issue.
ByGeoff Weiss•
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
She's a blue-eyed and long-legged American institution with blonde hair cascading down her back. But the latest cover starlet tapped forSports Illustrated's much-coveted swimsuit issue also has a distinctly plastic sheen -- and she's pushing 55.
In a marketing ploy almost certain to stir some controversy, Mattel has sponsored Barbie's integration into a new ad campaign that will commemorate the 50th anniversary of theSports Illustratedswimsuit issue, arriving on newsstands next Tuesday.
Themed "#Unapologetic," the campaign aims to counter critics of Barbie andSports Illustrated-- both of whom have taken heat over the years for promoting an unrealistic and unhealthy body image.
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"Under constant criticism, posing inSports Illustratedswimsuit gives Barbie and her fellow legends an opportunity to celebrate who they are, what they have done, and being #unapologetic," Mattel said in a statement.
The campaign could also signify an attempt to drum up some much-needed business. Worldwide Barbie sales plummeted 13 percent in the fourth quarter and were down six percent for the year, the company reported.
All told,the partnership will includefour pages of ads in the swimsuit issue as well as a Times Square billboard, video clips, a cover wrap on 1,000 issues, a limited-edition Barbie to be sold on Target.com and more, reportsThe New York Times.
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不出所料,因此反应活动far run the gamut. "Now when you find your husband gazing adoringly at next week'sSports Illustratedswimsuit issue, you can be thrilled to know your daughter can also feeljust as insecure as you do," seethed blogMommyish.
ATimemagazine story took a decidedly different stance, however,playing up the doll's professional achievements-- roughly 150 careers thus far -- and calling Barbie "the most feminist doll around." Noted the outlet: "Barbie has worked every second of every day since she was invented in 1959, and she's broken more glass ceilings than Sheryl Sandberg."
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