As the saying goes: you can’t be what you can’t see.

Our solution to this societal problem and to Barbie’s reputational issues was to create Never Before Barbie - a bespoke, limited-edition range of dolls aimed at inspiring Australian girls to believe they can be anything.

These Barbies were visible demonstrations of change and could become a role model for girls to aspire to once again.

The dolls were based on six high-profile Australian roles that had never been occupied by a woman, shining a light on the lack of gender diversity in leadership positions across the country and allowing young girls to visualise themselves in these roles.

The 6 roles included: Chairperson of the AFL Barbie, Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police Barbie, Governor of the Australian Reserve Bank Barbie, Head of ASIO Barbie, President of the Australian Olympic Committee Barbie, and First Woman on the Moon Barbie.

It was critical to get people talking about the dolls, not just looking at them.

We believed the best way to do so was to create a groundswell of support on Social channels, where a natural conversation would take place, to then earn the attention of news broadcasters.

Never Before Barbie was launched on Social through two social films, one featuring respected spokesperson Ita Buttrose championing the message. We used parent influencers, such as Abby Gilmore and Daddy Fashion Stylist, to share the message across their Twitter and Instagram channels. They talked about their own girls and what these dolls meant for their future.

The voice of other parents was important to hear – they added to the argument by providing a more relatable perspective.

As the message gained traction, media kits were sent to major Australian broadcasters to share on broadcast and online and with their active social followings.

Never Before Barbie got Australia talking, with the conversation of gender equality front-of-mind for media and Mums nation-wide.

Our social and influencer content worked in harmony with earned PR, helping to create a health debate across various platforms and drive strong earned reach.

In total, the campaign achieved:

- 100 pieces of media and social coverage and 224 syndications

- Efficient social media performance ($0.004 CPM, $0.06 CPE)

- 1.5 earned impressions for every 1 paid impression

- Cumulative media reach of 28,093,041 (Australian population 24.13m)

- Delivering equivalent advertising value of $1,159,371 at an ROI of 5:1

The power of this idea came in what people were saying. Those conversations occurring amongst parents about the world they want their girls to inherit.

“I wish we had Barbies like this growing up…the possibilities” (Leah on Facebook, Aussie Mum).

And these conversations were with Barbie at the forefront of the change.