Inclusive Marketing News #44: New Barbie Doll With Type 1 Diabetes

Welcome back to our weekly recap of marketing news, including exciting social media updates, important disability and inclusion related news, and our favourite marketing campaigns.

In this week’s inclusive marketing news round up, we talk about the brand new Barbie doll with type 1 diabetes, as well as Mattel’s collaboration with Lila Moss, Channel 4 and Savage x Fenty commitments to DE&I in a world where brands are stepping away from it, and much more!

If you want to be like some of these brands, and be known for your amazing inclusive work, or you want to start your inclusion journey, contact us today. You can also subscribe to our LinkedIn newsletter to be up-to-date with the latest news.

Is your company doing anything for Disability Pride Month? Are you missing out on a chance to engage with the LARGEST minority in the world? Don’t miss out and come to our industry event in London at the end of the month! Register your interest to attend here.

Barbie Releases New Type 1 Diabetes Doll

We’re big fans of Barbie and Mattel at Purple Goat, and seeing this new addition to their dolls is such exciting news!

Following the brand’s inclusion values, they created their first ever Barbie doll with type 1 diabetes, as a way to allow more children to see themselves represented in Barbie. And to accurately reflect the lived experience of those with the condition, the doll includes a glucose monitor on her arm, an insulin pump attached to her waist and a purse to carry all her essentials. At the same time, they’ve also collaborated with model, Lila Moss, who also has type 1 diabetes, to create a doll in her image.

It’s not a one and done, Mattel understands the nuance and diversity within the disabled community, and the power of working with those with lived experiences!

Representation On TV Keeps Declining – How Can Brands Reach Their Diverse Audiences?

A new report has found a 5% year-over-year decline in non-white talent portrayed on TV, dropping to 42% overall.

Ashwin Navin, CEO and Co-Founder of Samba TV, talked about how brands have an opportunity to show up meaningfully to their customers, especially with creative messaging that truly resonates across communities.

As we always say at Purple Goat, inclusion in advertising isn’t just the right thing to do, but the smart thing as well for any company out there. The disabled community, for example, is the largest minority in the world, however, its representation on TV is lower than 1%. Brands have an opportunity to engage with this untapped market, but representation isn’t the only thing they can focus on.

To learn more about how we work with brands, look at our inclusive marketing services, or contact us to learn how we could help you!

Mahlia x RAQ – Inclusive Bikini Collection

Singer, Mahalia, has collaborated with Australian-based brand, RAQ, to create an inclusive bikini collection with not one, not two, but 58 bra sizes!

The independent brand has always had inclusivity at its core, and working with Mahalia is a natural fit. This is a great example of good and authentic collaboration, as well as an exciting collection aimed at people of all bust sizes. We hope that fashion brands take this as inspiration when it comes to size inclusivity, which is severely lacking in the industry.

Channel 4 Makes New Accessibility Commitments

‘Inclusive by design’, that’s the theme of the 10th edition of Channel 4’s Diversity in Advertising Award. C4 is continuing its commitment to accessibility and now it will require all ads to have closed captions by spring 2026, and its inventory will have text descriptions and subtitles by the end of 2026.

We worked with the team at C4 on their Paris Paralympics ad (you can check out our case study here), and their commitment to inclusion and accessibility across the company is amazing 👏

Savage x Fenty Doubles Down in Inclusion

The lingerie brand, founded by Rihanna, has always been a big inclusion advocate, and even though many brands are stepping away from DE&I commitments, they are not changing who they are.

They know that you don’t have to give up success as a business by being inclusive. On the contrary, is the best growth strategy. And as Vanessa Wallace, CMO at Savage x Fenty, said, “It wasn’t about being disruptive, it was about being true to who we are and give people the power to define love for themselves.” And that has been extremely successful for the brand!

Trend Spotlight: Dame Un Grrr

@tatendafz

What do we think of this makeup look 🙂‍↕️ also new filming set up 👀#dameungrr #makeuptransition #makeuptransitions #trend #fyp

♬ sunet original – Fantomel

It doesn’t matter if you’re not proficient in Spanish, think of this new trending sound as the perfect transition for your next video!

Campaign Spotlight: Skoda

When we talk about cars, there are definitely stereotypes of certain types of car owners, including those who own an electric car.

However, Škoda has created a fun new ad that celebrates the quirks of British people, challenges stereotypes and shows how making the switch to electric isn’t that scary at all. And it has won the campaign spotlight this week!

Make sure to come back to check our weekly news recap with the latest inclusive updates in the marketing and social media worlds, with a touch of inclusion That’s all for this week, but don’t forget to follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok for more news and exciting content.

Plus, learn more about our story and inclusive marketing services.