Mattel picks Ogilvy for EMEA social brief

Mattel has appointed Ogilvy as its lead social media agency for EMEA to work across brands like Barbie, Hot Wheels and American Girl.

Ogilvy's London office will serve as the central hub for a number of markets in the region – including the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain – following a competitive pitch, The Drum has learned.

The agency declined to comment on the win.

Ogilvy offices in other EMEA markets will handle some local work for the brand too. Mattel will also work with other agencies on execution.

It's understood that the Ogilvy team will collaborate with Mattel's marketing department to support some of its biggest brands in creating relevant and impactful social media campaigns.

The appointment comes as the US-based toymaker's turnaround strategy is starting to yield fruit, with Barbie sales helping revenue top expectations, thanks to a purpose-driven makeover.

Mattel is poised to celebrate the doll's 60th birthday this year, and the brand has been focused on promoting areas such as diversity, STEM and LGBT rights. It's been going big on social media too and Barbie now has over 1.4 million Instagram followers.

Earlier this month, Mattel put its seven-figure European PR account up for review, including corporate communications and consumer work for its brands.

The first new work from Ogilvy will come later this year.