Join us Sept. 14-16 in Miami to connect with top publishing leaders
Barbie can be lots of things, including, for example, a celebrated director.
Ava DuVernay, the director of the Oscar-nominated film “Selma,” is receiving an honor that so few of us could even comprehend: Mattel is having a Barbie doll made in her likeness. She tweeted this last night:
All my proceeds from #AvaBarbie will be sent from @Mattel to @ColorOfChange + @WitnessOrg. A fun way to support. xo! pic.twitter.com/O4Z5zl5els
— Ava DuVernay (@AVAETC) December 6, 2015
It was DuVernay’s social media following — she has 140,000 Twitter followers — that demanded Matel Toys to mass produce the doll, which was originally supposed to be a one-off doll to be auctioned off for charity.
The toymaker honored her and other women, including actress Emmy Rossum and Instagram’s newly installed head of fashion partnerships Eva Chen, “who have pushed boundaries and expanded possibilities for women” in an event called “Shereos.”
It was DuVernay’s doll that captured attention on Twitter and forced Mattel Toys to fast-track production of it. The brand plans to produce the other women’s dolls in the future.
The #AvaBarbie, as DuVernay is referring to it, elicited excited reaction from fans both young and old with many of them applauding the toymaker for injecting some much-needed diversity into the Barbie line.
Mattel is selling @AVAETC‘s barbie tomorrow. I’m not going to sleep and/or working until I get it. It’s not a game.
— Skiperella. (@Skiperella) December 6, 2015
In spite of the fact that I am 40ish, I will be buying an #AvaBarbie. Because…its @AVAETC! No further explanation needed!
— Dr. K. Farris (@educatedbrngirl) December 6, 2015
Me at midnight tonight! @AVAETC #AvaBarbie pic.twitter.com/mAI9RFbSvs
— Skinny Riperton (@shaebutter76) December 7, 2015
The doll can be bought on Mattel’s website.
More in Marketing
Instacart launches custom AI assistants for retailers
Retail giants like Walmart, Kroger and Amazon have launched AI assistants allowing consumers to ask for recommendations or curated shopping lists. Now, Instacart has made it easier for other retailers such as regional grocers to follow in their footsteps.
AI reshapes agency economics, but their contracts are still scrambling to catch up
AI is changing agency work. Agencies are adding provisions to existing contracts instead of rewriting their MSAs.
Ad Tech Briefing: Regulatory storm clouds gather and scatter over Big Tech, and indies count the cost
The FTC’s Amazon charges presage Google’s second antitrust let-off in a year, while The Trade Desk sheds hundreds.