Asia balks at Bratz's 'hooker chic' image

Bratz, a range of streetwise dolls with attitude, have taken the US and Europe by storm since bursting on the scene four years ago. The funky newcomers suddenly made former favourite Barbie look out of time and out of touch -- despite an image and lifestyle makeover hastily convened by owner Mattel, leading many commentators to wonder if Barbie had a future at all. In Asia, however, it is a different story. Here, both sales and media noise point to Barbie as seemingly more in tune with what young girls want. Bratz, meanwhile, caused a stir when it first arrived, but the reaction since then has been distinctly muted, the opposite of its reception in the US and Europe. There has been virtually no marketing since then -- the range of different distributors across markets, each with a say in marketing at local level, has made it difficult to co-ordinate a cohesive promotional push. Dolls as a rule don't spend too much on advertising in Asia, but while Barbie represents a nostalgic vision of America that many girls and their mothers are familiar with, Bratz needs to get its message out, coming from a modern America which few families in Asia can identify with. Despite the apparent conservatism in Asia, compounded by mothers who have much more of a say over purchases than their counterparts in Western markets, there is no reason Bratz shouldn't find a home in Asia too, tapping into a cultural shift where girls grow up faster, which could be adjusted to suit local circumstances. Bratz's price tag makes the dolls a choice for affluent families in Asia, increasingly similar to affluent families worldwide. One way to gain traction could be to concentrate promotional efforts on certain markets, rather than approach Asia as whole. Indeed, a new range of Japanese Bratz, a potentially lucrative and welcoming market, could point the way forward. While Barbie continues to fly off the shelves in Asia, bucking the global trend, Bratz will have to do more than turn up and expect to be loved if it wants to become part of modern Asia too.