Mattel and Kidults Star in BSc Program Competition

THE GIANT TOYMAKER CAME TO THE UNIVERSITY IN SEARCH OF IDEAS TO ENHANCE SOME OF THE GROUP'S BRANDS THROUGH A CHALLENGE THAT INVOLVED UNDERGRADUATE MARKETING STUDENTS

In its nearly 80-year history, Mattel has created some of the most iconic toys that have spanned generations. From evergreens Barbie and Big Jim to Hot Wheels models and Masters of the Universe action figures and many more, millions of girls and boys from every continent have played with the American company's products at some point. In September, the Italian branch of the California giant decided to launch a team competition in collaboration with the marketing course of the Bocconi CLEAM program (BSc in Business Administration and Management). The Mattel Challenge involved all eight class groups – with a total of about 350 students – and ended on 6 December with awards for the winning teams. "The teams had to choose one of two briefs to work on, related to two very important Mattel brands, Scrabble and UNO," explains Stefano Prestini, lecturer at the Department of Marketing. "In concrete terms, they had to create the new special edition for each brand addressing the Kidults segment in the Italian market. Each group had to establish the new partnership to be created for this special edition, how to communicate it and where to distribute it." 

A deck of cards that reproduces the most iconic covers of a national comic book star, Dylan Dog, was the winning idea for UNO. The student group Pietro Ravera, Stefano Pavesi, Filippo Grasselli, Pietro Rinaldi and Flavio Azelio Renzacci (with faculty coach Arianna Brioschi) beat the competition. "We thought of a comic because this sector has been growing steadily for a few years now," says Pietro Ravera. "Dylan Dog, whose first issue came out in the mid-1980s, seemed particularly representative for the segment we were targeting. Obviously, we discarded American comics so as not to risk repeating partnerships already made by Mattel." The division of tasks was a strategy that worked, as well as constant discussion: "It was an excellent team effort and the achievement that the jury noted, that is, to have fully hit the target, was testimony to this." 

An Italian brand that couldn't be more Italian, but at the same time is well known in every corner of the globe, was the partner chosen by the team composed of Laura Valente, Daniele Maglionico, Chiara Cerbelli, Edoardo Bigelli, Antonio Stamerra and Mario Innocente (with faculty coaches Sandro Castaldo and Anna Uslenghi) to support Scrabble, a board game that is based on the creation of words using the letters: "We took on board the input we received from the instructors to think of something that would arouse nostalgia in the Kidults, that would take them back to their youth. Vespa was the first name that came to mind," explains Laura Valente, "and we were enthusiastically committed to promoting this partnership." The collaboration includes a box with a picture of a Vespa, the Scrabble colors and some new rules for the game that promote Vespas, but not only, as Laura Valente adds: "Our work also includes a strong presence on social media, for both Vespa and Mattel. What impressed the jury? Certainly the fact that we have fully promoted the concept of Italianness because few brands in this sense can compare to Vespa." 

"The field project carried out with Mattel allowed students, organized in teams, to apply some key concepts learned during the course to a real case," says Sandro Castaldo, Course Director and Full Professor at the University's Department of Marketing. "The selected groups then had the opportunity to present their projects to Mattel's marketing managers, simulating a speech at the company and receiving useful feedback. We enjoyed a great deal of involvement from the students, who worked very hard during the course to earn a place in the finals and present their ideas to management in a really effective way."

by Davide Ripamonti
Translated by Richard Greenslade