Marketing to the Homeless?

I have no idea why American Girl is doing this... Do you?

From Drew:

Another American Girl blunder?

Posted: 24 Sep 2009 04:47 PM PDT

You might remember the American Girl PR nightmare from spring of '07 when a mommy blogger wrote a scorching letter to AG because they refused to do her daughter's non-AG doll's hair -- teaching her a have and have not life lesson of epic proportions. This story ended up on many major news shows and creating a huge hullabaloo all over the internet.

Interestingly, AG chose not to respond to the situation. (I do believe the individual store reached out to make amends.) Now, I suspect they are about to end up back in the spotlight...and we'll see how the public reacts.

American Girl released some new dolls (as they do on a regular basis) and one of them is Gwen Thompson. Like all of the AG dolls, Gwen comes complete with a book about her life. But here's the twist. This doll, which retails for $95, is homeless.

In a stereotypical fashion, Gwen's story is that her father abandoned the family and Gwen's mom subsequently lost her job. They now live in a car.

Her clothes are not tattered or dirty. She's not tattered or dirty. She goes to school and is friends with another AG doll, Chrissa. I am sure there are some homeless kids who can maintain personal hygiene and school, but really -- how many?

Somehow to me, it seems a bit obscene to sell homeless dolls for a C-note. Especially, if we're not really telling the truth about what being homeless is all about. I'm guessing the mommy bloggers are going to have a field day with this.

But (of course) I think there's also a branding issue here. American Girl is making a lot of money on these dolls. More power to them, I say. There's nothing wrong with creating a product that people are willing to pay a premium for. That's one of the reasons branding matters. And many of their dolls face challenges (the depression, bullying -- you name it) but somehow this feels different. It feels a little dirty.

In a blog announcing this batch of new dolls, notice how all the other dolls come with plenty of accessories. Furniture, craft tables, changes of clothes, etc. Chrissa even has a pet llama. But, Gwen comes has no add-ons.

It will be interesting to see if AG decides to jump into the fray on this one. It would be so simple to fix...donate a portion of Gwen's sales to homeless shelters or a children's charity. Or use their position to teach their young patrons about compassion and community action by organizing them to make a difference and fight homelessness together.

But somehow, I have a feeling that's just not going to happen. I wonder why many believe their brand is about entitlement?

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