CONSUMER BEHAVIOR

BY OLIVIA MCDOWELL

PUBLISHED SEPT 15, 2026

The plastic toy doll, Barbie, as been around for decades. But in the year 2023? She was everywhere like a new release.

Barbie Xbox. Barbie clothes. Barbie Airbnb. And that was no accident.

Mattel utilized the release of the Barbie movie to do something much larger than promote a film; they found a way to take a historic toy brand, and make it relevant to an audience that grew up with the toy, as well as newer audiences.

But, I think there is a bigger lesson here:

your audience isn’t always going to stay the same, even if your brand does.

Your Customer Grows Up.

The Marketing Has to Follow.

Barbie’s core consumer has been children for decades.

But, the people who played with Barbie decades ago didn’t forget her.

They just grew up.

That consumer relationship shouldn’t be something you age out of; Mattel outsmarted the system by finding new ways to market Barbie to consumers of all ages.

The company expanded Barbie beyond toys through more than 100 partnerships, including fashion, beauty, gaming, retail, and even travel experiences. Mattel's president and COO explained that the company's larger opportunity was now outside of the toy aisle. The shift gave consumers a brand new opportunity to buy Barbie, just in a different way.

Barbie dolls were no longer interesting.

But a Barbie inflatable for their pool? Count them in.

Nostalgia Got Their Attention.

Relevance Gave Them Reason.

Mattel also took advantage of something incredibly valuable: emotional connection to the brand.

Mattel didn’t have to start from zero, they had to tap into childhood memories, and appeal to consumers by packaging them in products that made sense to buy.

The point? How brands can grow with their audience.

Your brand should appreciate their audience, but they should study those who stopped purchasing and why.

Your brand needs to focus on getting unstuck from it’s original category. It needs to look for new alternatives that expand and grow your audience to target many different people.

Brands can stay relevant by:

• Understanding why past customers became past customers

• Look beyond the original product category

• Create new products, partnerships and experience that allow consumers to interact with the brand differently

• Reach new audiences without giving up brand identity

• Strategically connect with people by using emotional connection - or in this case, nostalgia

Barbie is a strong example of this. Mattel did not completely change who or what Barbie is; it expanded her to give consumers, new and former, a reason to resonate with her.

It’s not always about reinvention. Sometimes it’s about finding new ways to fit your brand into your audiences life.