Barbie is not just a doll, a movie or a video game developer. It’s now also a phone brand… well almost.
The Mobile World Congress has just opened its doors and the Barcelona show didn’t wait long to shower us with unusual announcements. The latest comes from the manufacturer HMD (long behind the revival of Nokia mobiles) which announced the upcoming release of a phone in the colors of the famous Barbie doll.
A retro flip phone
The collaboration between Mattel and HMD will take the form of a classic flip phone, with a retro style in keeping with Barbie’s venerable age. Without revealing too much about the design of the device, HMD specifies that it will feature “a touch of pink and, of course, glitter“.
Both companies are betting on the return of “dumb” phones that offer “a welcome digital detox” And “a little rest amidst the constant digital noise“. According to figures from HMD, the flip phone market would have “doubled in Europe» between 2022 and 2023, a sign that it is time to invest in this market with recognizable brands like Barbie.
The company isn’t saying much about the phone itself, except that it will be made official next July. It will also be an original product and not a model already released, but re-labeled. “Barbie is not the kind of brand where you just offer a generic product», Explained the head of marketing of HMD to The Verge.
HMD targets younger generations
The characteristics and price of the phone have not been the subject of any announcement, but undoubtedly its positioning will place it far from the iPhone 15 Pro Max, Galaxy S24 Ultra and other smartphones costing 1000 and a few euros.
If the target of such a product was not clear, HMD wrote it in black and white in its press release, it is about reaching the younger generations who have already gone to see Greta Gerwig’s film en masse. ‘last summer. “Classic mobiles are coming back into fashion with Gen Z and millennials trying to limit their screen time for their mental health», Points out the manufacturer.
If the famous doll will have the right to a smartphone in her name (after a computer bearing the same logo), this is not the only collaboration that HMD will embark on in the months to come. The company refuses to say more, but is continuing its diversification strategy after the gradual abandonment of the Nokia brand that began a few weeks ago.
Source : HMD
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