The top five Mattel brands cited in recall-related media coverage since August 1, 2007 include the following: Fisher-Price, Barbie, Elmo, Big Bird and Polly Pockets. Lead paint was mentioned twice as often as loose magnets as a cause for public concern even though both problems resulted in product recalls and 89% of Mattel’s total recalled products were related to the magnet issue. The higher interest in lead paint comes at a time when public interest in Chinese product safety is at an all time high. In the wake of several other U.S. product recalls of Chinese-made goods, such as toothpaste containing anti-freeze and pet food laced with unsafe chemicals, China responded to the Mattel recalls by calling into question Mattel’s product design. Despite China’s efforts, the product design problems message has only appeared in a small fraction – six percent – of media articles covering Mattel’s product recalls.

Finger pointing and additional recalls dominated Mattel’s media coverage in the first half of September, representing 89 percent of Mattel’s total coverage. On September 21, 2007, Mattel issued a public statement clarifying that “the magnet related recalls were due to emerging issues concerning design and this had nothing to do with whether the toys were manufactured in China.” In the six weeks since the statement, Mattel’s average weekly coverage has dropped 76 percent compared to the three weeks prior.

“In corporate crisis situations, disagreement over facts and uncertainty around the solution to the problem often lead to continued media coverage,” said Tony Priore, chief marketing officer of Biz360. “Mattel’s unexpected clarification significantly quelled the media’s ongoing coverage of the recalls. For marketing and communications executives, measuring the severity of important issues in the media and the impact of corporate messages can reveal how effective corporate positioning is and help them better protect their corporate reputation in the future,” he said.

About Biz360
Biz360 delivers media and market intelligence solutions to Global 2000 business decision makers, providing them with a 360-degree view of their marketplace. The company gathers and analyzes the vast amount of traditional and social media about an organization, its brands, its competitors and its products to deliver real-time insights that help our clients shape market perception, respond to competitive threats, evaluate trends and issues and improve the return on their marketing investments.

Our clients include industry-leading, global companies, such as AAA, Aetna, AstraZeneca, Sun Microsystems and Xerox. Biz360 can be reached at 866.424.9360 or www.biz360.com.

Biz360 is a registered trademark of Biz360, Inc. All other trademarks mentioned in this press release are the property of their respective owners.

Media Contact:
Tony Priore
(847) 291-9169
Biz360, Inc.
tony.priore @ biz360.com