Mattel’s Second Attempt to Crack the Chinese Market: Will China Embrace the American Barbie Doll This Time?

Abstract

When Mattel entered the Chinese market for the first time, it encountered major difficulties due to lack of localization, overestimation of its brand popularity, wrong pricing strategy, and failure to understand the different perception of toys and Chinese culture in general. They failed to capture the Chinese market with the over-the-top and poorly executed House of Barbie store in Shanghai. Mattel still believes in the potential of the Chinese toy market and is therefore currently looking for a new strategy to re-introduce Barbie to the Chinese consumers.