Mattel is using Monster High, the No. 3 fashion doll line behind Barbie and Disney Princess, to address school bullying. To assist in the effort, Mattel executives teamed up with Lauren Parsekian and Molly Thompson, creators of the Kind Campaign, a grass-roots movement that offers an empowerment solution to bullying.
Friends from Pepperdine University, Ms. Parsekian, 24, and Ms. Thompson, 23, started their campaign two years ago and have been touring the country to bring their message — it’s cool to be kind — to middle and high school girls.
“This October, we will begin our third national tour,” said Ms. Parsekian, who recorded their journey in 2009 for a documentary, “Finding Kind.” “By my estimate, we have been to over 300 schools and organizations in the country.”
Their effort drew the attention of radio and TV news outlets, including personalities like Dr. Phil and Ryan Seacrest, and Mattel.
“It really resonated with us at Mattel,” said Lori Pantel, vice president for girls marketing at Mattel, who heard the women doing a radio interview with Mr. Seacrest. “We liked their solution-based approach to what was becoming a serious problem in American culture.”
The partnership is a good fit for both sides. For Mattel, it offers a chance to strengthen the Monster High brand, which embraces a gang of imperfect teenagers and their freaky flaws. “It’s amazing how quickly our fans have engaged with our brand,” Ms. Pantel said. “They tell us, ‘Thank you for making a doll and stories about not being perfect.’ ”
With the Kind Campaign, Mattel can add depth to those stories. The Monster High brand already includes the dolls, a clothing line, a series of books, a TV special and a Web site, which features animated webisodes that have been viewed more than 80 million times.
For Kind Campaign creators, the partnership offers an opportunity to tap into that Monster High fan base. The two women meet thousands of girls each year on their tours, but with Monster High, they can reach millions more.
“People think we have such a large staff, but it’s been a struggle,” Ms. Parsekian said. “Reaching a million girls can take a lifetime.”
As part of the collaboration, Ms. Parsekian and Ms. Thompson were “monsterfied” and appear in a webisode to teach the students of Monster High to respect one another. For the webisode, Mattel executives were eager to replicate an actual Kind Campaign assembly, Ms. Thompson said, including the “truth booth,” a type of confessional the campaign uses for girls to speak privately to the camera.
“They have been great about listening to our experiences and what girls are going through,” Ms. Thompson said.
The webisode appears on the Monster High Web site, and fans in select cities got a chance to see it in theater when the Kind Campaign kicked off its most recent national tour.
To observe Bullying Prevention Month in October, Mattel is sponsoring community events in three markets that include the webisode, a screening of “Finding Kind” and a forum moderated by Ms. Parsekian and Ms. Thompson. The first event was on Oct. 1 in Santa Monica, Calif., to be followed by events on Oct. 13 in Seattle and Oct. 15 in Atlanta.
Mattel would not disclose its marketing costs for the partnership, but Ms. Pantel said it was important for the company to invest in the content and stories that are the core of the Monster High brand.
“We balance profit with a sense of social responsibility,” she said. “I don’t see any reason why we can’t reach both goals simultaneously.”
The creators of the Kind Campaign said they were not concerned about collaborating with a corporate sponsor because they shared similar messages of diversity and respect.
“For any grass-roots organization, corporate involvement can be taboo,” Ms. Thompson said. “We wouldn’t get involved in any partnership that didn’t feel right.”
“It was an organic fit,” Ms. Parsekian added.
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