Mattel Taps Jonathan Adler as Creative Director of Fisher-Price
April 04 2016 - 12:50PM
Dow Jones News
Mattel Inc. is bringing in designer Jonathan Adler as creative
director for its Fisher-Price baby gear and infant toys, as it
seeks to reverse a prolonged sales slump at the brand.
Mr. Adler, a ceramicist turned interior designer who has
produced collections for Barneys New York and other retailers, has
reached a three-year partnership with the company. Terms weren't
disclosed. He will continue to run his own design studio and chain
of stores.
Mr. Adler has designed a premium priced collection of
Fisher-Price baby furniture, gear and apparel that will start
selling in September. His design influence also will be applied to
everyday Fisher-Price products that will be widely available in
early 2017, which will be priced in line with current Fisher-Price
items.
"Your kid's stuff is going to be in your life and your living
room all the time. It's the landscape of your house," said Mr.
Adler, who is based in Manhattan and known for his modern design
sensibilities. "It needs to look chic."
The partnership with Mr. Adler fits with Mattel's broader
attempt to design baby gear and furniture that younger families
would feel more comfortable having out in their living rooms. It
won't be a complete departure from the bright colors that
Fisher-Price products have been known for historically.
"We're evolving the brand with the changing tastes and demand
from families," said Jean McKenzie, who took over Fisher-Price last
year after running Mattel's American Girl division. "The high
contrast colors, the use of bold patterns, that's an evolution.
It's not a complete shift."
Fisher-Price can use the help. The largest division of Mattel,
Fisher-Price sales were $1.85 billion in 2015, down nearly a
quarter from its peak in 2007. From 2011 until 2015, sales in
Fisher-Price's core business, which include baby gear and baby
toys, fell in 15 out of 16 quarterly periods.
The slump coincided with churn at the top of Fisher-Price, with
four leaders in the last six years. More than two thirds of the
units top marketing and design leaders also have left during the
time, estimates one former senior executive. Fisher-Price, which
was started in 1930 and still sells some early toys such as its
noisy Corn Popper, was acquired by Mattel in 1993.
The problems in recent years have primarily stemmed from price
increases that retailers felt were too aggressive, costing the
brand vast amounts of shelf space. The sharp declines in the
business unit were part of broader struggles at Mattel that cost
former Chief Executive Bryan Stockton his job in early 2015.
Fisher-Price has recovered somewhat under new Mattel leadership,
including Chief Executive Chris Sinclair and his top lieutenant,
Chief Operating Officer Richard Dickson, who oversees Mattel's
brands. Mr. Dickson has been focused on mending relations with
retailers and has worked on fixing prices that were too high for
what was being offered.
Fisher-Price isn't the only Mattel brand getting a makeover. To
help boost sales of the company's iconic Barbie doll, Mattel
recently started selling three new body sizes—curvy, petite and
tall.
The Fisher-Price partnership isn't Mr. Adler's first work with
Mattel. During a previous stint overseeing Barbie, Mr. Dickson
tapped Mr. Adler to do the interior design of a life-size Barbie
Dream House in Malibu, Calif., for the iconic doll's 50th
anniversary in 2009. Mattel also produced dollhouse furniture based
on his designs.
Other consumer brands have joined with high-end designers to
boost their cachet. Target Corp. is one of the more prominent at
working closely with name-brand designers, from its early days with
architect Michael Graves to its latest with the Finnish design
house Marimekko. Diet Coke also has worked with fashion designers
like Jean Paul Gaultier and Marc Jacobs on packaging designs.
Write to Paul Ziobro at Paul.Ziobro@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 04, 2016 12:35 ET (16:35 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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