Anything is possible
I designed an advertising campaign for Barbie for a corporate advertising course with the intent to shift the consumer's opinion about the brand. Fueled by Mattel's past campaigns that focused on Barbie as a role model for young girls, I wanted to take an approach that focuses on the creativity of childhood play to make her personality less rooted in her job title.
At the conception of the first Barbie doll, Mattel faced scrutiny for creating a product that made young children struggle with body image issues. I wanted the average parent who has Barbie in their cart to see her as the lead character in a movie directed and written by their kid. Despite the negative connotation associated with the Barbie doll and its relation to beauty standards, Barbie has also provided a platform for children to storytell over decades. Children bond with their grandmothers and inherit vintage Barbie lunchboxes and 1960's Barbie dresses; the experience of childhood play transcends time, and since Barbie is a part of that nostalgia, she is here to stay.
Final deliverables included an 8.5 x 11" magazine ad, a tabloid double-spread magazine ad, and a billboard advertisement. I crafted the outfits and props to align with each Barbie "story", and did the photography and hand lettering.
Below are some examples from Lego and Scholastic that inspired me.
