Mattel, after a lousy quarter, is cutting its global workforce by more than 2,000. But, Bloomberg reports, there is growth area in its product line.
That's the 59-year-old Barbie.
During Q2, sales were up 12%. That's primarily because of how the company repositioned and repackaged her. Incidentally, so many of us aging employees, contract workers, and business owners are doing the same thing: rebranding so that we don't have to retire.
The new pitch for Barbie is that she is a useful tool for child development. The time spent with Barbie, versus with a digital gadget, provides the opportunity for the child to play. And play, as we all remember from Psych 101, is an essential part of maturation.
Think tanks and plain-vanilla consultants will be penning case studies how Barbie has managed to return as relevant in a digital marketplace. Those over-50 struggling with finding, holding, and moving on to better work can learn from all this.
Coaching, auditing, lecturing, and writing/ghostwriting thought leadership content on ageism.
For individual coaching – sliding scale fees. Complimentary initial consultation. The displaced over-50 get back to work. Mature professionals who are working advance their careers. Contact Jane Genova janegenova374@gmail.com.
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