Mattel secures social proof for Barbie with online reviews

The problem - lack of social proof

Mattel, best known for Barbies and Hot Wheels toys, needed online reviews to generate social proof and bridge the trust gap between them and their target consumers: children and parents.

This case study illustrate the success of Mattel’s partnership with Stars and Stories.

In this article you will find out more about how Stars and Stories contributed to the success of the online reviews campaign for ” Barbie® It takes two! Camping set” .

About the product

Unlike most Barbie® sets, Mattel created this “It takes two!” set to ignite young girls’ sense of adventure in the outdoors. The Barbie® doll comes with a color sleeping bag, a small dog, and a miniature pink backpack full of eclectic accessories to complete the fun.

Strategy and approach to generate social proof

Mattel understood the difficulty of attracting sales when new products have no online reviews attached. They needed social proof.

The action plan consisted of our campaign managers narrowing down our search to find suitable participants from our review community who :

a) have children

b) have children who like to play with Barbies

c) are willing to write reviews on behalf of their little ones

The aim of the plan was to capture the general feelings of the parents and also (more importantly) the children. This is an ideal scenario for future Mattel consumers, as they will take into account the opinions of both parties about Mattel Barbie products before making their final purchasing decision.

Execution and results

In February 2022, we helped Mattel achieve solid review campaign results for their Barbie® “It takes two!” camping playset. We distributed 24 samples across Germany and delivered 20 authentic online reviews within a four-week timeframe.

Parents gave Mattel a 100% recommendation rate, increased social proof and praised the toy set for its fun camping accessories as well as the doll’s overall appearance.

“My daughter loves this barbie very much. [The doll] looks really pretty with her braided hair, dark complexion and small freckles. She brings a sleeping bag, a large backpack, a puppy and lots of little things like sunglasses and camping gear, which can be easily stowed away in the backpack. My daughter has played many adventures with this doll and hasn’t put her down since she received it. What more do you want?”

When I unpacked [the coffee machine] for the first time, I was surprised at how big and powerful the coffee machine looked. Although I knew the dimensions when ordering, it still looked even larger in real life. If you only have limited space in the kitchen, this will probably be a bit difficult. Otherwise, the coffee machine makes a valuable impression with its titanium look… The taste of the coffee is full-bodied and very tasty. Whether it’s an espresso in the morning or a latte macchiato at noon, I’ve never had a coffee that I didn’t like. I was completely won over by the fully automatic coffee machine despite the high acquisition costs. You quickly have a really tasty coffee that is cheaper in the long run and better for environmental reasons than our previous capsule coffee machine.