Who is the CEO that started their company in a California garage in 1945, was an avid risk taker, a glutton for data, obsessed with releasing new products every year and aggressive in adopting technology? Nope, it’s not a Silicon Valley tech pioneer, but the incredible Ruth Handler, the founder of Mattel, Inc. Talk about thinking outside the toy box! 😀
This past weekend, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times celebrated the release of #barbiethemovie with stories on the legendary creator of the iconic toy, and I must say, Ruth Handler is my new marketing idol, innovation inspiration, and feminist icon all rolled into one! 🙌
#Marketer: Ruth turned the toy market upside down. She was a TV advertising trailblazer when others were still figuring out newspaper ads! 📺 Forget selling toys just before the holidays, Ruth said, “Let’s make every day a play day!” 📅 And who says parents make all the decisions? Not Ruth! She marketed directly to kids, and it was genius. 🎯
https://lnkd.in/e4eNkaCi
#Innovator 💡 Talk about a lightbulb moment! Ruth came up with the Barbie idea while her daughter, Barbara, was playing with paper dolls. Little Barbie Handler and her friend went on a wild imagination spree, dressing the cutouts in different outfits, dreaming up careers, and personalities! Sounds like a Stanford University Graduate School of Business case study on innovation to me! 📚 https://lnkd.in/eg73AnJ4
#Feminist 💪 Barbie wasn’t just another baby-doll encouraging girls to play mom; she was the ultimate role model! She went to the moon before Neil Armstrong even got close, and she’s been president – something no real-life American woman has done yet! Breaking barriers like a boss! 👩🚀
https://lnkd.in/eBmEZy2Y
I’m raising my tiny Barbie-sized coffee cup to Ruth Handler – the ultimate maven of marketing, the queen of innovation, and a true feminist trailblazer! 👑
See the full post on LinkedIn and share your thought via comments here.
Tech Surprises 
Leave a comment