The American Girl Company, formerly The Pleasant Company, is an independent subsidiary of Mattel that sells a collection of dolls worldwide, representing the history of America with 8 main characters.
These "American Girls" are not just dolls. They target children in the age group 3 to 12 years. In the points that follow, one will see all the marketing strategies used to maintain this universe, and how creators and distributors are able, through these dolls, to turn the dreams of little girls into reality.
The girls can choose from 21 dolls, based on the color of their skin, their hair and their eyes, and the shape of their face and haircut. They can also coordinate their activities or their outfits with those of their dolls.
A publishing activity accompanies the sale of the dolls. These books that originally told the story of each doll, are increasingly focused on the real life of young girls and tweens, and have a didactic purpose. A bimonthly magazine is also sold for 8-12 years to "maintain a relationship with consumers and keep the flame of the American Girl burning", and whose mission is "to encourage girls to express themselves and to 'blossom'.
To go even further, TV shows and DVD releases have been covering the adventures of the heroines since 2004, to reach a wider audience. Finally, a line of clothing and accessories was released, that allows the girls to dress and decorate her room like that of her dolls' and so give the girls a sense of being American in everyday life and share the world of their best friends, the American Girls.
American Girl Dolls revolutionized the doll market with a truly innovative marketing approach. The web, community, shopping experiences: they were all successful. The offer covers the entire market of the girl, from early childhood to expression of personality and tweens. The concept "to your image" is the bearer and may find applications in many sectors. "
The company American Girl is on a very competitive market because of the presence of such great leader as Barbie (Mattel)and Bratz (MGA Entertainment). Unlike these competitors, The American Girl Company differentiates itself in other areas. This company does not offer only a doll, but a fun concept and a hook for younger sentimental girls. The company offers dolls for a younger audience, and eats into the market shares of major brands (BARBIE, BRATZ, etc). American Girl dolls are all equipped with a universe of their own, resulting in a story.
The American Girl Company, also has a differential advantage at point of sale, because it has stores bearing the image of its brand.Major brands like Barbie and Bratz do not have clean stores, offering only their products. They provide their products to stores or distributors of toys-known names such as Galeries Lafayette in France.
This strategy based on creating a fictional world around simple toys allows The American Girl Company, customer loyalty, for making their dolls more alive . By wanting to win on all fronts, the American Girl Company,uses a toy that transforms into a set of products and services that convey principles and values.
Tags: American Girl Company, unique brand of dolls, marketing strategy.
[...] From the standpoint of communication, we see that this company does not use advertising unlike its main competitors Barbie and Bratz. The main communication tools used by the U.S. Company are direct marketing and sales promotion. Direct marketing is typically used to broadcast a message to individuals, in order to obtain an instantaneous reaction which creates an immediate or medium term. The tool used is the mail order catalog, and the creation of the website. These processes are used primarily to retain the customers acquired, and to win new ones. [...]
[...] Through this it acquires notoriety that strengthens the loyalty of the parents, who tend to move more towards the toys offered by American Girl Company, which translates into a growing dependence on children. [...]
[...] What does the American Girl Company sell? The American Girl Company, formerly The Pleasant Company, an independent subsidiary of Mattel, sold a collection of dolls representing the history of America with eight main characters worldwide. These "American Girls" are not mere puppets, but the concept revolves around a world for children ages 3 to 12. In the points that follow, we will see all the marketing strategies used to maintain this universe and how creators and distributors are able, through these dolls, to make little girls dream a reality. [...]
[...] This can be explained by the rise of the use of video games. These substitute products pose a considerable threat to manufacturers of toys, including the American Girl Company, because we can see a significant increase in sales of video games by between 2003 and 2004 (market research and NPD, The ESA Entertainment Software Association). There is an evolution of the mentality of society, where more place is given to high-tech toys. The target of the console manufacturers and game designers is the whole family, both parents and children. [...]
[...] These include for example the fact that through these dolls, they travel around the world, are enriched with some stories and adapt through philosophical lessons in the books and magazines. Thus they are discovering a lot especially on their social life. In addition, circuits and marketing practices play a role in the marketing policy. Initially, three department stores sold American Girl products, and were built on a similar design, but with some peculiarities. The first store located in Chicago, opened in 1998, and in the first year, with an effective direct marketing, earned a turnover of more than $ 25 million. [...]
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