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Mattel’s Link : Wicked Marketing or Wicked Mistake?

Nov 14

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Mattel’s latest blunder is one for the books: a link to a pornographic website hidden on the packaging of their Wicked dolls. What should have been a genuine marketing move has quickly spiraled into a full-blown scandal. Talk about a wicked way to make headlines…


Mattel's Wicked Dolls on a shelf

Silent Apology: A Strategic Move?


Following a strategy of silent apology, Mattel has opted to send a statement of regret via CNN, rather than issuing a direct apology through its own channels. This move cleverly allows the brand to control the narrative through a traditional, trusted media outlet, avoiding a direct confrontation with outraged consumers on social media. By not giving space for anger to ferment publicly on their own platforms, Mattel minimizes the immediate opportunity for trolls to fuel the crisis further.


https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/11/business/wicked-movie-dolls-packaging-intl-hnk/index.html


However, the sheer absurdity of the error — an adult link on a children's toy packaging — makes the situation impossible to ignore. The media picked up the story quickly, with news outlets circulating the gaffe like a viral hot potato, ensuring a constant stream of comments and outrage. Each time the story is shared, it generates more anger, more trolls, and ultimately amplifies the crisis in a way that Mattel could not have expected. In this instance, the silent apology created a paradox: Mattel’s efforts to keep the situation from spiraling only made it bigger and more public.



Then, could Mattel be a tightrope walker?


Horrible timing...

The timing of the crisis cannot be worse. Christmas,  the Black Friday are coming and the launch of these Wicked dolls coincided with the marketing frenzy surrounding the upcoming movie adaptation of the famous Broadway musical Wicked,  a prequel to The Wizard of Oz starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. With this highly anticipated two-part movie set to launch at the end of November, the toy giant could have capitalized on the hype. Instead, the controversy surrounding the dolls overshadowed the excitement for the movie and shifted focus to an issue that was far from the brand’s intentions.



So horrible that it might not be so bad in the medium term...

Although Mattel has nothing to boast about, the movie promoted by the dolls is now getting a great deal of international social media coverage, as it will be released first in the U.S. at the end of November. The international spotlight on the Wicked dolls ensures that Mattel’s mistake is right at the heart of mediatic coverage and social media attention, which is exactly what Edward Bernays, the father of modern PR, advocated for. His philosophy? The key to successful communication isn't necessarily controlling the narrative, but ensuring a brand remains consistently present in public conversations (Bernays, E. (1928). Propaganda). 


This philosophy is still often used in contemporary communications strategies, where the aim is to maintain constant visibility, sometimes even at the cost of controversy.


So, a fortunate accident or just an embarrassing misstep? 


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