Title	BARBIE'S 60 SUPER STORIES
Brand	MATTEL (BARBIE)
Product/Service	BARBIE
Category	B08. Use of Celebrity, Influencers & Key Opinion Leaders
Entrant	HET PR BUREAU Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
Idea Creation	HET PR BUREAU Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
Media Placement	HET PR BUREAU Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
PR	HET PR BUREAU Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
Production	HET PR BUREAU Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS

Name	Company	Position
Vivian Sneep	Het PR Bureau	Senior Creative
Maren Bruin	freelancer	Graphic Designer
Senna Ceulemans	Het PR Bureau	Medior PR advisor
Vivijan Steenhuis	Het PR Bureau	Senior PR advisor
Nikki Outheusden	Het PR Bureau	Producer

Why is this work relevant for PR?

In March 2019, 60 Dutch female role models joined forces with Barbie and dominated the news. A group of 60 Dutch celebrities, politicians, influencers, entrepreneurs and other inspiring women contributed for free because they strongly supported the message that girls should be able to be anything. The success of the campaign completely relied on earned media tactics. Results: we earned 400 publications, including TV items and an entire weekend special in the biggest newspaper. The Public Library included our book in their collection. Total earned media reach: 76 million in a country 17 million and 0 media spend.

Background

Barbie’s mission is to inspire girls they can be anything. However, research shows that unfortunately girls believe their dreams have limits from the age of 5. From the age of 7 they start to think that boys are smarter and more capable than they are. The gap between what girls think is possible and what is possible, is called “The Dream Gap”. And it’s Barbie’s mission to help closing it. Objectives: * Increase awareness of the brand’s purpose among parents and their daughters; inspire them to fully explore the limitless potential of every young girl. * Make the brand relevant to the target group and have them embrace the brand. * Help girls and parents closing The Dream Gap.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

The problem is the lack of visibility of female role models. In the Netherlands, the share of women portrayed in media is only 19.5% and even declining. But there are a lot of aspirational women who do exactly what they dream of. The idea was to change the (social) media ‘male-female’ ratio by flooding them with different stories from various inspiring women simultaneously. Together they can show girls that everything is possible. A group of 60 inspiring women joined forces including well-known celebrities and influencers, as well as unknown power women like a professor, beer brewer and camera woman. In addition to the (social) media takeover we collected their stories in a book: ‘Barbie’s 60 Super Stories’ which we launched in a PR campaign in the Dutch Public Library.

Describe the PR strategy (30% of vote)

Our strategy is based on a scientific research by Princeton University indicating that girls dream limitless until the age of 5. From the age of 7 they start to think that boys are smarter and more capable than they are. In the Netherlands, the share of women portrayed in the media is 19.5%, contributing to a lack of female role models. We were convinced that we could only make a difference by shaking up the male-female ratio with a powerful PR offensive. The role models literally became our living brand message. They all participated for free which made the campaign very credible. They showed young girls and their mothers (our target audience) that everything is possible (our key message). The book ‘Barbie’s 60 Super Stories’ turned out to be a relevant PR asset because reading bedtime stories is an important part of the shared daily routine of girls and their

Describe the PR execution (20% of vote)

In March 2019, on International Women’s Day and Barbie’s sixtieth birthday, 60 Dutch female role models joined forces with Barbie and dominated the media. The common goal: empowering girls by helping them believe they can be anything, which has been Barbie’s purpose ever since her launch in 1959. 60 inspiring Dutch women openly shared their story showing everybody how they got where they are today. They all participated voluntarily, for free, because they strongly believed the fundamental importance of our message. With a fun social media package, full of visuals, GIFs and quotes, we empowered the role models to promote both themselves and the campaign. To strengthen the campaign we bundled their stories in a book: ‘Barbie’s 60 Super Stories’. The campaign’s success relied completely on earned media tactics and dedication from all participating role models.

List the results (30% of vote)

The media output was almost unanimously positive among both the target group and media which resulted in some nice numbers: * A total reach of 76 million in earned (news & social) media in a country with 17 million inhabitants. * All role models became advocates of the brand. * One of the biggest Dutch newspapers (De Telegraaf) dedicated an entire weekend special of 40 pages to Barbie. * 400 earned publications, plus the campaign was extensively discussed in numerous TV shows. * 99% of the publications were positive or neutral. * Dutch Public Libraries chose to prominently feature the book. * An increase of 42% in sales (against an average increase of 10% during a campaign).