Mattel Inc., the world’s largest toy company, has launched a digital marketing campaign in hopes of reuniting one of American’s most famous couples — Barbie and Ken.  After a controversial split on Valentine’s Day in 2004, the two plastic celebrities have led separate, but successful, doll lives. Since 2006, though, Ken has been revamping his “mind, body and soul” to rekindle the flame. This time around, the Malibu stud hopes to win over Barbie in time for Valentine’s Day, with a little help from the socialverse.  The campaign, which marks Ken’s 50th anniversary, is centered around barbieandken.com, where users can vote on whether Barbie should “take Ken back” or not. The site features a Love-O-Meter, gauging voters’ feelings on the topic.  Heavy on social marketing, the campaign utilizes Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and YouTube to spread its message.  The campaign comes just in time for the release of a new “Sweet Talking Ken” doll that Mattel describes as “the ultimate boyfriend for every occasion,” because he “says whatever you want him to say!”  Barbie and Ken both have extensive social footprints — Barbie is somewhat of a social veteran, but Ken has only recently kicked up his online game.  On Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare, fans can follow Ken’s adventures as he attempts to woo Barbie back into his arms.  His tweets are currently heavy on promoting his romantic efforts, including a text campaign, where users can text THUMBS UP or THUMBS DOWN to 51684 to vote on whether the two love birds should get friendly again. He also keeps his stream focused with his manly man style, tweeting about his favorite sports team, the Lakers, and his most recent reads in Men’s Health and Esquire.  Ken gets reminiscent on Foursquare, recalling memories and dropping charming lines. He left a tip at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, for example, that says, “Barbie could spend hours looking at the timeless art, and I could spend hours looking at Barbie.” Awww.  Facebook seems to be the hub for Ken’s activity. Posting photos and YouTube videos, name-dropping his favorite places and brands, and mentioning Barbie here and there, Ken updates his page about once per day. When he does, though, he makes it count.  Across all three social profiles, the storyline stays cohesive and entertaining, and fans tend to interact with Ken as if they would any other “person.”  Barbie’s YouTube channel currently features a video screencast of Ken creating a profile on online dating site Match.com, only to find that Barbie is his perfect match.  Reinforcing that Ken is a tech-savvy doll, the video uncovers that Ken uses a MacBook, browses on Google Chrome and actually pays attention to Facebook ads.  To tie all of its online efforts together, Mattel has also put on a few offline stunts, including a “Catch Me If You Ken” outing at last year’s Fashion’s Night Out event in New York City that featured a pack of smoldering hot Ken doll models. Most recently, Ken was spotted at Magnolia’s Bakery — as it turns out, he was busy designing a special treat just for Barbie. The custom cupcake is available for purchase throughout Valentine’s Day.  We can’t forget Ken and Barbie’s appearance in Toy Story 3 last year, either — the flames were definitely there. The only question now is if Barbie and Ken fans around the world want to see the couple together again — it seems Mattel, at the very least, is eager to see them reunite.  Ken has taken out billboards in New York and Los Angeles (as pictured above), appeared on Canadian entertainment show ETalk and reportedly bought a spot in Us Weekly, all to confess his love.  Mattel also launched a web series called Genuine Ken, featuring host Whitney Port and eight “Ken-testants” competing for the title of “The Great American Boyfriend.”  Hosted on Hulu, the first episode of eight aired on January 18 — with three episodes down, the Ken-testants have already been tasked to showcase their talents, design a bachelor pad and conquer a wave to prove that they possess Ken-like style, athleticism and panache.  Ken’s endeavors wouldn’t be complete without input from Barbie. Her Twitter and Facebook accounts are flowing with updates about Ken’s efforts, positioning her as an on-the-fence doll playing hard to get.  It looks like Mattel has a lot more in store — the barbieandken.com website claims, “Stay tuned as Ken fights to win Barbie’s heart back, one grand gesture at a time.”  We certainly can’t wait to see more. What are your thoughts on the campaign?  Images courtesy of Pixar, Dollhead, Hudson Media and Mattel
Will 2011 be the year that Barbie and Ken reunite? Read on to see how Ken is wooing Barbie back with his social media prowess.