I was away on vacation when the whole "Malia and Sasha" Ty doll controversy broke last week, but since it was the first of what I fear will be many marketing faux-pas inspired by the First Daughters I thought I'd address the story anyway. In many ways it's a case of like father, like daughters: Just as Pepsi co-opted Obama's optimism-infused rhetoric for their selling purposes (see Elsa Brown's critique of that marketing blunder here), Ty attempted to co-opt the girls' mass appeal for their own.

The move was objectionable not only because it was a transparent and cheap gimmick to cash in on the girls' popularity (denying that the association was conscious only made Ty look more manipulative), but because it.. well, worked. Of course, tween girls are going to respond well to Sasha and Malia merchandise — their lives are practically ripped out of a Disney TV show or Meg Cabot book. Even I have indulged in a daydream or two about what it would be like to be a kid in the White House (not to mention, Obama's kid). But there is a right way and a wrong way to approach this "marketing opportunity" and needless to be said, this was the latter.

So then, what is the right way? Well, first of all inspiration that is just that — inspired by is one thing. For instance, ad agencies are apparently looking for real-life models that resemble the girls. And while, Ypulse friend Mitali Perkins wrote her First Daughter series before the election, tying it in with the reality of Sasha and Malia in the White House would make sense. Sure, it still seems a little calculated, but if the end result is more diversity in advertising that doesn't directly reference the girls themselves then more power to them.

The other important consideration for marketers is the girls' actual preferences. As Targeting Kids rightly points out, Ty didn't even bother asking the girls' parents for permission before using their names for the dolls (insert the aforementioned flimsy excuse here). Of course, there's a fair chance the family would have said "no," but that's their prerogative. The difference between exploitation and endorsement is choice. Case in point, the custom-made J Crew coats the girls' wore to the Inauguration drew such high traffic that the store's site crashed temporarily. Unfortunately, after this debacle, that's the type of Obama publicity Ty can only dream about.

For more coverage of youth marketing, check out the Ypulse Youth Marketing Channel sponsored by Youth Marketing Connection.

Categorized under: Marketing Insiders

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