In seven pages this paper discusses Mattel toy manufacturing in a consideration of company history, corporate strategy, current weaknesses and strengths and possible change. Ten sources are listed in the bibliography.
Name of Research Paper File: TS14_TEmattel.rtf
Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
the closest competitor; Hasbro. However, when we look at the history and development of the company we can also see how the company has a strategy of seeking to be
the first mover and gain a competitive advantage in the sector through innovation. The company was formed in 1945 by Harold Matt Manson with Ruth and Elliot Handler, working
out of a garage in Southern California (Mattel, 2002). The main product of the company was not toys but picture frames. The scraps left over form the picture frames were
the key to the future of the company, Elliott used them to make dolls house furniture, and after Harold sold house share to the Handlers they decided to concentrate on
the dolls house furniture. Therefore, we see that the development of the company was in fact an emergent strategy (Thompson, 1998). The line was expanded by 1947 with the
introduction of the Uke-a-doodle, this was the first of what was to become a line of musical toys (Mattel, 2002). In 1948 the company was incorporated, and from here the
company continued with the growth (Mattel, 2002). In 1955 we see the strategy of strategic alliances and association marketing develop. It was in this year that the company form an
association with the popular Mickey Mouse Club thought that television show. This was also a new stage in the development of marketing of toys that had not been seen before.
The success of the burp gun, a type of cap gun with a mechanism that had been patented by Mattel, was a result of this type of marketing (Mattel, 2002).
This was advanced marketing for the time, as it was also increasing brand awareness, as well as making the association with Disney and the values of Disney through the adverting