01/20: Shrewd Marketing: American Girl Dolls
Category: Shrewd Marketing
Posted by: ZodQueen
Shrewd marketing over the past 20 years has made American Girl, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mattel, Inc., a household name for its legions of devotees. With direct, retail, and publishing divisions, American Girl is one of the nation's top multi-channel marketers, according to the company Web site.
Girls line up with their parents to visit the three American Girl Place retail stores. The American Girl dolls, targeted to the 3 to 12 age group, celebrate history - the colonial, pioneer and WWII periods - rather than the fashion, makeup, and boys favored by the Barbie and Bratz brands. The dolls themselves aren't cheap; a starter kit runs about $87, which includes a basic doll and introductory book. Plus, the dolls have pricey accessories. One Depression-era doll, for example, has a $58 bed and a $159 trunk. There are sequel storybooks, clothes galore, DVD's and DVD accessories, plus companion dolls and all their stuff.
Also on tap are hair care sets for about $32 and doll-size horses for $62. The retail stores contain doll salons where, for upwards of $20, stylists will do dolls' hair. The wait for hair appointments can be hours long. Girls become so attached to their dolls that they even buy costumes to match their dolls' clothes.
I first heard about American Girl dolls in the early 1990's through a co-worker of mine at the time whose daughters were American Girl aficionados. Those girls are now adults who recently graduated college. But more American Girl fans are born every minute, and parents have no qualms with their wholesome themes.
By the way, am I the only one who thinks the Bratz dolls look like prostitutes? And people buy them for their young daughters! If the other choices are Barbie or Bratz, then I wouldn't mind if my two-year-old gets the American Girl bug in a few years.
Girls line up with their parents to visit the three American Girl Place retail stores. The American Girl dolls, targeted to the 3 to 12 age group, celebrate history - the colonial, pioneer and WWII periods - rather than the fashion, makeup, and boys favored by the Barbie and Bratz brands. The dolls themselves aren't cheap; a starter kit runs about $87, which includes a basic doll and introductory book. Plus, the dolls have pricey accessories. One Depression-era doll, for example, has a $58 bed and a $159 trunk. There are sequel storybooks, clothes galore, DVD's and DVD accessories, plus companion dolls and all their stuff.
Also on tap are hair care sets for about $32 and doll-size horses for $62. The retail stores contain doll salons where, for upwards of $20, stylists will do dolls' hair. The wait for hair appointments can be hours long. Girls become so attached to their dolls that they even buy costumes to match their dolls' clothes.
I first heard about American Girl dolls in the early 1990's through a co-worker of mine at the time whose daughters were American Girl aficionados. Those girls are now adults who recently graduated college. But more American Girl fans are born every minute, and parents have no qualms with their wholesome themes.
By the way, am I the only one who thinks the Bratz dolls look like prostitutes? And people buy them for their young daughters! If the other choices are Barbie or Bratz, then I wouldn't mind if my two-year-old gets the American Girl bug in a few years.
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