Keeping Bob’s post on brand evolution going a bit, I am going to bring up a recent example of an evolution that is causing a stir. If you are a parent of a Dora fan, you are sure to have heard about the updating of the popular preschool TV character Dora the Explorer.
Mattel and Nickelodeon recently released they are updating Dora to become more relevant to today’s kids. She is growing up and next fall she becomes a tween. She will still be the lovable little explorer on TV, but she is growing up in the world of dolls and electronic learning.
She is also moving out of the jungle and into the big city, goes to middle school, and has a new fashion style. To gain some buzz and start preparing everyone for the shift, the two companies released a silhouette of her new image (see below).
- The original Dora the Explorer on the left, the updated silhouette on the right.
According to an ABC News article, Dora has been around for about 8 years and will now be able to grow older with the audience that fell in love with her. Tweens will still be able to connect with an older Dora. Another reason for evolution, according to the article, is to tap into the multi-billion dollar tween market.
Here is where the brand evolution example ends and the example of a tactical error begins. As you can image the silhouette has created a bit of a stir with parents. I am sure Mattel and Nickelodeon were surprised to see the following words associated with their mystery-solving explorer in news articles (click on the word/phrase to see the full articles from The Globe and Mail, Hispanic Business, and Entertainment Weekly) – “sexy,” “hussy,” “Bratz-style makeover,” and “sends the wrong message to young girls.”
An online petition has also been posted to stop the makeover with the intention of “sending this letter to Mattel and Nickelodeon! Join us for Let’s Go: No Makeover for Dora. Help us tell the execs at Mattel and Nickelodeon to “Let GO” of Dora. Either let her live on as her wonderful self, or create a pre-teen doll that is true to who she was as a child!” It already has over 5,000 signatures.
This silhouette has also provided some interesting ideas of what she might look like and how the two companies got to this new look (click on images to see source).
On Monday March 16, Mattel and Nickelodeon took the shadow off the silhouette and provided a detailed new look to calm parent’s fears and misconceptions.
While the tactics to release the brand evolution may not have been the best, Mattel and Nickelodeon have given a perfect example of a brand evolution and some of the growing pains of evolving.
April 8, 2009 at 11:42 am
[...] A couple weeks ago Bob posted on the topic of brand evolution, I followed up with a post on Dora the Explorer’s transformation mishaps. Here is yet another recent example of a brand evolution gone [...]
July 30, 2009 at 7:39 pm
They should put it on disney now next thing you know shes gonna be high drinking beer and pregnant