每日英語跟讀 Ep.K417: Mattel Opens Its Vault to Revitalize Dormant Brands

Barbie is about to reunite with some old friends. Mattel, the maker of the popular fashion doll, is dusting off three dormant lines that have not been on toy shelves in decades: Major Matt Mason, Big Jim and Pulsar.

芭比娃娃即將跟一些老朋友團聚了。廣受歡迎的時尚玩偶製造商美泰兒，正重新推出三款沉寂已久、數十年未出現在玩具貨架上的系列：馬特．梅森少校、大吉姆及Pulsar。

The reappearance of three action heroes is part of a strategy hatched by Ynon Kreiz, Mattel’s chief executive, to capitalize on the company’s intellectual property by reviving old brands for new generations.

三個動作英雄重現，是美泰兒執行長克雷茲規劃策略的一部分。克雷茲希望利用公司的智慧財產權，為新世代重振老品牌。

Mattel will reintroduce the toy lines under an umbrella label called Back in Action this week at Comic-Con International, the pop-culture fan fest in San Diego.

美泰兒將在本周使用名為「重出江湖」的主題標籤，在聖地牙哥國際動漫節上重新推出這些玩具系列。

“This is our toe in the water,” said PJ Lewis, vice president of global marketing at Mattel. “Back in Action helps us maintain the validity of our IP and decide what’s next.”

美泰兒全球行銷副總裁劉易士說：「這是我們的嘗試。『重出江湖』幫我們保持智財權的有效性，然後再決定下一步。」

Kreiz’s strategy has helped Mattel turn around its sagging fortunes since he took over in 2018. The company reported a 19% jump in sales in 2021, to $5.5 billion, and despite supply-chain bottlenecks and the rising costs of raw materials, it has forecast growth of 8% to 10% this year.

克雷茲2018年接掌美泰兒以來，他的策略幫美泰兒扭轉每下愈況的命運。據該公司財報，2021年銷售額成長19%至55億美元。儘管供應鏈出現瓶頸，原物料成本不斷上漲，但該公司預測今年成長幅度將達8%至10%。

Part of the toymaker’s recent success derives from the expansion of legacy brands. Barbie will feature in a live-action movie starring Margot Robbie, one of a dozen films in the works for various Mattel brands, including a live-action Hot Wheels movie produced by J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot production company and one for Masters of the Universe, in partnership with Netflix. Other brands headed to the big screen include Thomas the Tank Engine, Magic Eight Ball and Polly Pocket.

這家玩具製造商近來的成功，部分源於傳統品牌的擴張。芭比娃娃將成為真人電影主角，由瑪格羅比主演，這是美泰兒各個品牌正在製作的十多部電影之一，其中包括由J.J.亞伯拉罕的「壞機器人」製作公司製作的真人電影「風火輪」，以及跟Netflix合作的「太空超人：啟示錄」。其他被搬上大銀幕的品牌還包括湯瑪士小火車、神奇八號球以及口袋波莉。

But how will Mattel generate interest in brands that have been off toy shelves for decades?

但美泰兒如何讓人們對消失在玩具貨架上數十年的品牌產生興趣呢？

Major Matt Mason, an astronaut action figure, was introduced in 1967 and saw success until children began to lose interest in space exploration. He resurfaced in pop culture in 2019 when Tom Hanks signed on to produce and star in a forthcoming movie about the spaceman. Big Jim arrived in 1971, followed by Pulsar in 1976, but they too have been out of the public eye for decades.

馬特．梅森少校是1967年推出的太空人可動玩偶，在孩子們開始對太空探索失去興趣前取得成功。他2019年於流行文化中再次亮相，當時湯姆漢克簽約製作並演出這部即將上映、關於這位太空人的電影。大吉姆在1971年問世，緊接著是1976年的Pulsar，但它們都已離開公眾視野數十年了。

Mattel’s strategy for reviving a dormant brand is to engage hard-core fans first, said Richard Dickson, the company’s president and chief operating officer. If they take to it, the next step is to come up with tie-in content and create a toy line for children.

美泰兒總裁兼營運長迪克森說，該公司重振沉寂品牌的策略是先吸引鐵桿粉絲。如果他們接受，下一步就是想出搭配內容，為孩子們創造一個玩具系列。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6498720