This was before the Ipads turned toys into games and Barbie was suffering from fierce competition by ‘cooler’ and sassier dolls such as Bratz and Winx. Barbies were considered to be dull, childish and not edgy enough by the new generation of girls aged 7-11. We had to create a promotion that could send Barbies to ‘planet cool’ in one shot. I came up with what was considered a revolutionary approach at the time, that is, stop considering girls as children and face the fact that nowadays girls are more grown up and ready to explore the world rather than play with dolls. Barbies turned into the cool older sisters that could take the girls out to concerts, fashion shows and cities across the world to live the coolest experiences. 

The idea was simple: for every Barbie you bought, you received a special “pass” to be activated online, in order to enter the competition. Every week you could win a different event. It was one of Mattel’s most effective promo, Barbie sales went up 30% and the initiative was carried on for 4 years and exported internationally. In most Countries, there has been a version of Barbie pass, including Barbie Fashion City and Barbie Live in Australia.