Culture Club? Mattel Introduces 'Violin Soloist Barbie' in China to Attract Ambitious Parents

Yes, American parents, having your children begin studying Mandarin rather than Spanish in grade school is probably a good way to get them focused on global realities. But as the following article suggests, you have a long way to go.

Mattel, the company that owns the Barbie brand and manufactures those ubiquitous dolls has run into some marketing issues in China. These are not the usual challenges posed by copyright infringement or charges of unfair working conditions - though both have arisen.

No, the real challenge for Mattel is that Chinese parents, by reputation notoriously focused on their children getting ahead, have turned their backs on the global girl's favorite plaything because it distracts their children from their studies and the other more serious strategic life pursuits their parents believe to be the only legitimate uses of their precious time.

Mattel is not alone in this: other western toy manufacturers are also learning that the Chinese market is different in many ways, not the least of which is that all those Tiger Moms and Dads appear to dismiss play and make-believe as detrimental to competing in the global marketplace for talent.

Given the size and potential of the Chinese market, manufacturers are pushing back by traditional means such as lowering prices and changing wardrobes to reflect regional tastes. But also in non-traditional ways such as lobbying the Chinese government on the benefits of play in stimulating creativity and innovation. Despite the eye-rolling this may incur from cynical westerners, the tactic may be having some impact given internal Chinese debates about the national proclivity to copy rather than create. Since 60 percent of American college students are now women, Mattel may find that it has far more global success with this model than it might have believed possible. JL

Laurie Burkitt reports in the Wall Street Journal:

Mattel Inc.  MAT in Your Value Your Change Short position is making a new effort to sell Chinese on the impossibly proportioned all-American doll, with an appeal to Tiger moms who would rather have their children reading books than plugging body parts into Mr. Potato Head.

Barbie closed her swank Shanghai mansion two years ago, after China's parents turned up their noses at her pink ball gowns and Ken's polo shirt-and-sweater ensembles.

New, low-price offerings include "Violin Soloist" Barbie, complete with bow and sheet music.

Mattel is targeting education-minded parents such as Luo Chongzong, who watched her 9-year-old daughter, Yang Siqi, gaze at a 369 yuan (about $61) "Fashion Design" Barbie playset during a recent visit to a Beijing Wal-Mart. "She loves those dolls, but I had to stop buying them because they distract her from her studies," said Ms. Luo, 33 years old. "She'll spend hours braiding her hair, dressing and undressing her," she said.

The world's largest toy maker by sales has even gone to the government. This week it paired leaders of China's Ministry of Education and Ministry of Culture with educational experts who presented research on the benefits of play in effort to boost play time in schools.

"If they allow for more play, half of our marketing is done," said Peter Broegger, Mattel's Asia Pacific senior vice president, in an interview.

The El Segundo, Calif., company is one of many toy sellers adjusting tactics for China. Sales in China's toy market, excluding videogames, rose 18% to nearly 48 billion yuan ($7.84 billion) in 2012 from a year earlier, according to market research firm Euromonitor International.

Still, many Chinese consider toys a waste of time in a country that prizes educational success, said Hong Kong-based consultant Torsten Stocker. "Joy and learning are like oil and water in China," said Mr. Broegger, adding that the company is trying to change that image.

Mattel increasingly emphasizes brainy, using the tagline "Play IQ" for its Fisher Price toys in China rather than the "Joy of Learning" one it uses in the West.

Toys "R" Us Inc. announced last year plans to expand operations online and with physical stores to sell more toy microscopes, building blocks and other educational toys.

Companies like Danish block maker Lego A/S are making China-specific toys and are positioning themselves as educational bridges between school and the sandbox.

Mattel has China ambitions for its other brands too. This year it opened a Shanghai playland for its Thomas the Tank Engine train toys as well as a traveling Hot Wheels racing track in shopping malls for its mini cars. In recent years it has also pared back its offerings, pulling products such as Little People toddler-friendly toys from shop shelves in China to focus on building demand and creating China-specific products, said Mr. Broegger. One switch: In some toy sets it replaces puppies with pandas.

"We went back to basics and we've learned to be patient," he said.

Mattel's China business took a hit in March 2011, when it closed its six-story Shanghai flagship store aimed at hyping Barbie in China. The lavish outlet featured a spa, a cosmetics counter and a cocktail bar.

"Without establishing Barbie as a new cultural icon in China, Mattel set itself up for failure," said Helen Wang, a consultant and author of "The Chinese Dream," a book about China's rising middle class.

Mr. Broegger said that the lessons learned from the Shanghai store's closure have helped, with sales tripling since 2010. He declined to offer specific financial details but said 2013 sales are on track to match the previous two years combined.

One lesson is pricing. "Violin Soloist" Barbie costs 79 yuan, or roughly $13, compared with the $30 international version.

Mattel is increasing its distribution beyond the current 30 cities in China, Mr. Broegger said, declining to offer specifics. He said the company also is revving up a digital identity by jumping into social networking and broadcasting Barbie and Thomas the Tank cartoons on Chinese video streaming sites.

Mr. Broegger said Mattel intends to have a bigger footprint in China, but he isn't prepared to make big promises. "We will expand as we learn," he said.

Mattel is still reviewing labor conditions at its factories here, a spokeswoman said. In October, China Labor Watch, a New York-based advocacy group, alleged that Mattel's factory workers are being underpaid and overworked at six Chinese factories that make Mattel toys with a combined workforce of 20,000.