With the arrival of Valentine’s Day it seemed appropriate to mention the digital campaign that Mattel have recently launched. I’m imaging that the majority of you won’t be Barbie and Ken fans however it’s hard to ignore the clever use of social channels in this fun and well integrated campaign.

The world’s largest toy company have turned to social media to release the new “Sweet Talkin’ Ken” doll and celebrate Ken’s 50th anniversary. The campaign is based around a drive to reunite Barbie and Ken and is centered around a website barbieandken.com which allows people to vote on whether Barbie should take Ken back.

This light hearted camapign shows how well social channels can be used to build character profiles and achieve user interaction and engagement. Mattel have utilised Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare, and across all three social profiles the storyline is consistent and entertaining, fans are interacting with the characters and getting involved with the adventure.

YouTube is also being used to promote this campaign, this video, which appears on the Barbie YouTube channel features Ken creating a profile on online dating site Match.com. Mattel have even launched a web series called Genuine Ken, featuring “Ken-testants” who are competing for the title of “The Great American Boyfriend.” There is also an offline element of the campaign in stunts such as appearances at New York’s Fashion Night Out, talk show across the US and billboards in New York and Los Angeles.

The campaign is well integrated and keeps you wanting more with it’s fun, tongue-in-cheek style. What do you think?

Be Sociable, Share!

•