It Only Takes One Short Day for Something Bad to Happen

If you were online in the fall of 2024, like me, you probably saw a lot of Wicked memes. While many of them were harmlessly amusing, a particular viral moment was damaging to the reputation of one well-known company. 

Mattel a prominent American toy manufacturer, found itself in hot water after it mistakenly printed and distributed a link to a pornography website on one of its products traditionally marketed towards children. In collaboration with the theatrical release of Wicked, one of the most anticipated movies of 2024, Mattel created dolls after the film’s main characters. However, a significant detail on the back of the consumerpackaging was overlooked—the website. Instead of directing readers to WickedMovie.com, an 18+ adult website was listed in its place. 

X user Sarah Genao was one of the first to report the discovery online. The post quickly garnered millions of views with others rushing to their local stores to see the blunder for themselves. In follow up posts, Genao provided evidence that other companies did not make the same mistake—just Mattel.  

Mattel responded to the crisis by giving an official statement directly to press sources and pulling the products off shelves. Beyond this, no other communication could be found. From the Guardian:

If looking at this crisis through the Situation Crisis Communication Theory framework, Mattel committed human-error product harm in the intentional cluster. This internally preventable event called for a rebuilding campaign. Two types of rebuilding could have occurred: compensation and/or apology. After analyzing Mattel’s statement, the company didn’t really do either. Instead of compensation, Mattel merely suggested that consumers discard or alter the packaging and offered a vague invitation to contact for more information. Additionally, the company did not apologize for its oversight. A regret is not an admission of responsibility nor a plea for forgiveness. 

I would grade Mattel’s crisis strategy as a D+. From a theory standpoint, it failed to provide the affected with adequate reparations. Additionally, third-party sources were the only form of communication with consumers. At the point in time the crisis happened, Wicked was fatiguing and oversaturating the media with memes and melodrama, further elevating the event in a wider negative light. Mattel’s reputation as a trusted producer of children’s toys could have been better salvaged if it properly apologized and accommodated customers by burdening more of the large financial loss it was already set to endure by offering refunds. 

This is not the last time we’ll be hearing about Wicked. With part two releasing later this year, more faux pas are bound to happen. Companies should take this crisis as a lesson to do their due diligence when collaborating with other businesses because any missteps could reflect poorly on both parties. If an issue does occur, communicators should make sure an appropriate response is distributed or else they will not be dancing through life.