Alexis Dubree

Mattel, Inc.
Communications Audit Research and Analysis Parts I, II & III
February 23, 2026
Alexis Dubree

Mattel Communication Audit Part One

I Investor Relations – Shareholders and Reporters who focus on financial results (Business, Finance and Trade Reporters)/Financial Reputation

1. 2024 or 2023 Annual Report- Link and review – three words to describe

1. Mattel 2024 annual report
2. Long, wordy and informative.
3. List/content on lawsuits or settlements in annual report

2. From page 89 of the report: “In April 1999, Yellowstone do Brasil Ltda (formerly known as Trebbor Informática Ltda) filed a lawsuit against Mattel do Brasil before the 15^th Civil Court of Curitiba, State of Prana, requesting the annulment of its security bonds and promissory notes given to Mattel do Brasil as well as damages due to an alleged breach of an oral exclusive distribution agreement between unspecified amount of damages. … As of December 31, 2024, Mattel assessed its probable loss related to this matter and has accrued an estimated liability, which is not material.”
3. From pages 89-90: “A number of putative class action lawsuits filed between April 2019 and October 2019 are pending against Fisher-Price, Inc. and/or Mattel, Inc. asserting claims for false advertising, negligent product design, breach of warranty, fraud, and other claims in connection with the marketing and sale of the Fisher-Price Rock ‘n Play Sleeper (the “Sleeper”). … As of December 31, 2024, Mattel assessed its probable loss related to this matter and has accrued an estimated liability, which is not material.”
4. Press Releases – required by law – quarterly earnings or financial – link to three headline and date

3. Mattel Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024 Financial Results — January 2025
4. Mattel Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results — January 2026
5. Mattel Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results and Conference Call Date — January 2026
6. Press Releases for 2025 which contain material information – can impact company earnings- Change in Senior Management – may or may not find if no write not applicable

4. Mattel Announces Development of Mattel Wonder Indoor Waterparks with Partners Martin Aquatic, American Resort Management, and Identity Group — November 2025
5. For the Fans! Netflix Goes Golden Forging Unprecedented ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Master Toy Partnerships with Mattel and Hasbro — October 2025
6. Mattel Announces New Brand Organization Leadership and Marketing Integration; Roberto Stanichi Promoted to Newly Created Role of EVP and Chief Global Brand Officer — September 2025
7. Three most articles on the financial well-being on a business, finance or trade publication

5. Mattel Stock Suffers Sharpest Decline This Century After Holiday Sales Sputter
6. Why Mattel now has a problem with Barbie
7. Mattel Stock Tumbles on Lower Fourth Quarter Earnings
8. Find shareholder meeting announcement – press release

6. Notice of 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders
7. May 26, 2021 at 9:00 AM Pacific Standard Time
8. Location: Virtual meeting found here
9. Find investor quarterly call example – press release

7. Mattel Investor Calendar
8. Mattel, Inc. Fourth Quarter 2025 Earnings Conference Call
9. February 10, 2026 — Q4 2025 Mattel Inc Earnings Call Edited Transcript
10. Webcast recording

II Media Relations – Journalist/General Public Reputation

1. All 2025 Press release and headlines and Dates Please Google news- Categorize the press releases intro the following- product update or new/investor relations info (executive, stock, investor call)/major announcement such as new product/community relations or corporate philanthropy – tell the number of each. go back to major announcement and community relations or corporate philanthropy and assess how much media those received if any.  Determine the most newsworthy announcements- top 3 to 5.

Top four Press Releases

1. Mattel Appoints Paul Ruh as Chief Financial Officer — May 2025
   1. Mattel and Disney Consumer Products Renew Multi-Year Global Licensing Agreement for Disney Princess and Disney Frozen Franchises — October 2025
2. Mattel Announces Development of Mattel Wonder Indoor Waterparks with Partners Martin Aquatic, American Resort Management, and Identity Group — November 2025

Product (5)

1. Mattel and Amazon MGM to Develop Live Action Shani Series Based on the Iconic Doll — October 2025
2. Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine Co-Developing Lily Collins-led “Polly Pocket” Live Action Feature Film with Mattel Studios, Amazon MGM Studios, and Case Study Films; Creative Partners Jordan Weiss and Dan Brier to Write Script — October 2025
3. Mattel Studios Teams with M. Night Shyamalan and Brad Falchuk on Premium Live-Action Magic 8 Ball Series — October 2025
4. Mattel Expands Collaboration with Roblox to Bring New Slate of Games to the Platform, Launching with Monster High Experience October 24 — October 2025
5. Vin Diesel to Write, Produce, and Star in Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots Live-Action Motion Picture from Mattel Studios and One Race Films — December 2025

Announcement (7)

1. Mattel Announces Planned Retirement of Chief Financial Officer Anthony DiSilvestro — January 2025
2. Mattel Appoints Paul Ruh as Chief Financial Officer — May 2025
3. Mattel Announces New Brand Organization Leadership and Marketing Integration; Roberto Stanichi Promoted to Newly Created Role of EVP and Chief Global Brand Officer — September 2025
4. Mattel and Disney Consumer Products Renew Multi-Year Global Licensing Agreement for Disney Princess and Disney Frozen Franchises — October 2025
5. For the Fans! Netflix Goes Golden Forging Unprecedented ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Master Toy Partnerships with Mattel and Hasbro — October 2025
6. Mattel, Inc. Announces Pricing of Senior Notes Offering — November 2025
7. Mattel Announces Development of Mattel Wonder Indoor Waterparks with Partners Martin Aquatic, American Resort Management, and Identity Group — November 2025

Investor Relations (8)

1. Mattel Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024 Financial Results and Conference Call Date — January 2025
2. Mattel Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024 Financial Results — February 2025
3. Mattel Announces First Quarter 2025 Financial Results and Conference Call Date — April 2025
4. Mattel Reports First Quarter 2025 Financial Results — May 2025
5. Mattel Announces Second Quarter 2025 Results and Conference Call Date — June 2025
6. Mattel Reports Second Quarter 2025 Financial Results — July 2025
7. Mattel Announces Third Quarter 2025 Financial Results and Conference Call Date — September 2025
8. Mattel Reports Third Quarter 2025 Financial Results — October 2025

Community Relations (3)

1. Mattel to Participate in the UBS 2025 Global Consumer and Retail Conference — March 2025
2. Mattel to Participate in the Goldman Sachs 32^nd Annual Global Retailing Conference — August 2025
3. Mattel to Participate in the Morgan Stanley Global Consumer & Retail Conference — November 2025

• Press Release format and tone- three words to describe plus are they traditional, modern or hybrid
  • Informative, thorough and positive. Mattel’s press releases would be described as traditional.
• Press Room – three words to describe – plus is it traditional, modern or hybrid

3. Organized, user-friendly. Mattel’s press room would be considered traditional.
4. Phone number or way to contact media relations
5. Email them at Investor.Relations@Mattel.com
6. Asses result for each 2025 Press Release by putting primary words in Google news – how many results and two examples of each

5. Mattel Appoints Company Newcomer to Take on Chief Financial Officer Role — Gifts and Decorative Accessories — 8 results on this topic
6. Mattel Financial Chief Anothony DiSilvestro to Retire — The Wall Street Journal — 25 results on this topic
7. Mattel and Disney Renew Multi-Year Global Licensing Agreement for Toy Story Franchise — Yahoo Finance — 38 results on this topic
8. The maker of Hot Wheels and Barbie is planning huge new indoor waterpark in Illinois — NBC 5 Chicago — 12 results on this topic
9. Article with spokesperson quoted

6. As Controversy Grows, Mattel Scraps Plans for OpenAI Reveal This Year, December 16, 2025 — Futurism. An unnamed Mattel spokesperson is quoted.
7. “The initial set of Mattel products and experiences will focus on families and older customers,” the spokesperson said. “Any products will comply with all applicable safety and privacy regulations.”
8. Article with executive quoted

7. ‘K-Pop Demon Hunters’ gets Mattel doll and toy line, January 28, 2026 — UPI. Mattel executive Nick Karamanos is quoted.
8. “KPop Demon Hunters is a true global phenomenon, fueled by a passionate and fast-growing worldwide fan base,” said Mattel executive Nick Karamanos in a statement. “Our close partnership with Netflix allowed us to move quickly and deliver products on an incredible timeline that meets fan demand. With products spanning multiple Mattel brands, we’re expanding how fans can celebrate the characters, songs and stories they love.”
9. Fact sheets in newsroom – List titles
10. Mattel does not have an official fact sheet. They do have a ‘Brand Portfolio’ page as well as an ‘About us’ menu that lists pages with facts about the company.
    1. Who We Are
    2. Purposeful Play
    3. Executive Leadership
    4. History
11. Photos or B roll – Link

9. Getty Images
10. Shutterstock
11. Mattel store photos
12. Company Overview Fact Sheet
13. Mattel ‘About us’

SECTION THREE Earned Media Analysis

1. For the three press release(s) got the most earned media? Explain why, in your strategic opinion why the top three were newsworthy.

1. Mattel Appoints Paul Ruh as Chief Financial Officer: This press release got the amount of earned media that it did because appointing a new CEO can greatly impact a company, either negatively or positively. Those who have invested in Mattel would be interested to know about a major change to the company.
2. Mattel and Disney Consumer Products Renew Multi-Year Global Licensing Agreement for Disney Princess and Disney Frozen Franchises: This release received a lot of attention just because of the fact that it’s Mattel renewing its partnership with Disney. Both companies have similar target audiences, and Disney partnerships are bound to receive a lot of earned media.
3. Mattel Announces Development of Mattel Wonder Indoor Waterparks with Partners Martin Aquatic, American Resort Management, and Identity Group: This received the amount of earned media it did because going into the waterpark business is a new venture for Mattel, which can naturally draw eyes and interest.

2. Was there a press release (or more than one) that got no media coverage ( earned media) or very little? If so, why in your strategic opinion?

1. Mattel Announces Planned Retirement of Chief Financial Officer Anthony DiSilvestro: This press release only got a few articles at most, and that is because the CEO of Mattel’s retirement was planned and therefore uninteresting to the broader media.

3. Does the organization use a traditional newsroom, a hybrid newsroom with “article” type releases and photo on blocks, or some other way to convey news?

1. The Mattel newsroom falls into the category of hybrid. Each article gets its own block and is paired with a corresponding visual.

4. Would this organization benefit from a more of a certain type of release? If yes, identify or improvements/changes to the newsroom.

1. An improvement would be to allow filtering for different kinds of articles (product, announcement, investor relations, etc.) to make the newsroom easier to navigate.

5. Locate and link the annual report (glossy with photos content) for 2025. If not available, please note what messages you can identify in the report. Name three to five.

1. Mattel only has its 2024 annual report available as of the writing of this document. A few notable messages are:
   1. Mattel is mainly a seasonal company, as most of its sales come during the holiday season. This means the company designs production timelines differently throughout the year.
   1. Climate change is a threat to Mattel, as the increase of natural disasters such as wildfires and floods can cause disruptions to operations.
   1. Economic instability is also a threat to Mattel’s business.

SECTION FOUR Corporate Social Responsibility/Social Good/Philanthropy

1. Annual Impact Report- Link (could be in the annual report for 2025 or a separate report) – could be a standalone document or web content – likely for 2024, maybe 2025. Search with Google as well.
2. Mattel’s last annual impact report is its 2021 report.
3. Website Content discussing corporate Social Responsibility – Link to all if there are multiple sections or pages
4. Philanthropy
5. Review Press Releases for 2024 /25 and list those related to CSR

3. UN Signals Importance of Play by Adopting Official International Day of Play — March 26, 2024
4. Mattel Philanthropy Collaborated with Disney Consumer Products to Bring the Magic of Play to Children and Families in Detroit — December 16, 2025
5.  Social GOOD web link and list (donations, volunteerism, nonprofit partners or programs, and education-related initiatives) – can bullet or list with source

4. Employee volunteerism
5. Nonprofit partners
   1. Save the Children
   2. Make-A-Wish
   3. Boys and Girls Club of America
   4. Barbie Dream Gap Project
6. Toy donations
7. Environmental CSR link and list – Can bullet or list with source and there may be web content depending on the industry

5. Sustainable Design and Development
6. Responsible Sourcing and Production
7. Organizational Ethics weblink and list co-associated with running the business, such as no child labor, DEI, or commitment to director diversity, etc. Can bullet or list with source
8. Mattel ‘Citizenship’ initiative – sustainability, responsible operations, inclusivity.

SECTION FIVE External Affairs/Issues Management/Reputation Management

1. Review company materials, conduct Google news searches, and review the Wikipedia entry for the company. You can use AI inquiry first, but you must use primary sources, which are news articles about the company, as word searches in Google News. List all issues the company must manage and the source.

1. Pressure to keep up with consumer trends means the company must be careful about business operations regarding products — 2024 Mattel Annual Report
2. Competition from other companies in the toy industry — 2024 Mattel Annual Report
3. Market and economic conditions — 2024 Mattel Annual Report
4. Legal proceedings as mentioned in the report, such as the recent lawsuit involving the Fischer-Price toy brand — 2024 Mattel Annual Report
5. Seasonal sales being down causes a threat to the overall business — The Wall Street Journal
6. Balancing inclusivity with not alienating its main consumer-base — Slate

Part Three

Social Media

1. LinkedIn follower and latest post

1. 640k followers
2. Latest post
3. Facebook, followers and latest post

2. 837k followers
3. Latest post
4. X, followers, and latest post

3. 203.1k followers
4. Latest post
5. Instagram, followers, and latest post

4. 972k followers
5. Latest post

Executive Presence

1. Personal LinkedIn followers and latest post

1. Ynon Kreiz has 46,193 followers.
2. Latest post
3. Quoted in News article (not press release), date, headline and publication

2. How Many Toys Will Parents Buy for Their Kids This Christmas? — The New York Times, Dec. 21, 2025
3. “Parents prioritize spending money on their children and will cut on other things before they touch toys,” said Mr. Kreiz, a father of four.
4. Speaker at conferences (external to the company)

3. Goldman Sachs Global Retailing Conference
4. Transcript
5. Press Conferences (May only be Apple)
6. N/A
7. Blog
8. N/A
9. X Social Media Followers for
10. 203.1k followers
11. Any interview with CEO Link to news article, date, headline, publication

7. The David Rubenstein Show: Ynon Kreiz — The David Rubenstein Show, Bloomberg, Dec. 11, 2025
8. Mattel CEO says toy manufacturing won’t come to America, but price hikes will — CNBC, May 6, 2025
9. Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz on Turning Fans into a Business Strategy — The CEO Signal, Semafor, May 19, 2025
10. Turning Mattel around was not child’s play for CEO Ynon Kreiz — LinkedIn News, Dec. 16, 2024

Campaigns and Brand

1. Review 2025 social media, press releases, and company web content to determine a positive, proactive, planned campaign – product, CSR, or any topic not financial and positive. List the time period, name, and purpose of the campaign and the link.

1. 2025 – 2030
2. Mattel Creations x MoMA Collection
3. The purpose of this campaign is to communicate to Mattel’s audience that it is an art forward company that values art.
4. Links:
   1. Mattel Creations and The Museum of Modern Art Announce Multi-Year Global Partnership — Mattel Corporate, October 7, 2025
   2. MoMA and Mattel Creations Announce Multi-Year Global Partnership — The Museum of Modern Art, October 7, 2025
   3. Mattel Creations website
5. Is there any aspect of PR that directly reinforces the brand? Provide an example and explain. (Do not confuse advertising ( brand) or marketing ( customers)  with PR.) Product announcements generally support marketing but are intended for the general public, since they are all potential new customers!

2. Mattel positions its CEO, Ynon Kreiz, as business strategists, which frames Mattel as an industry leader rather than simply just a toy making company, and builds credibility with investors. An example of this is Kreiz being scheduled to speak at the UBS Global Consumer and Retail conference, as well as doing press interviews.
3. Mattel’s CSR efforts are another example of long-term PR, with its “Citizenship” campaign reinforcing that Mattel is a brand that cares about its employees and the environment.

Digital Communication Tools

1. AI Statement of Use
2. Mattel states here that it uses AI tools, in accordance with the law, to take personal information given to it by customers and use it to personalize user experiences.
3. Video
4. N/A
5. Podcast
6. N/A
7. YouTube
8. https://www.youtube.com/mattel
9. Informal newsroom with photos
10. https://corporate.mattel.com/
11. Any digital innovation to include web content presented with visual animation
12. Mattel uses visual animations on its website, such as this page about Barbie, to make the content more interactive and engaging.

Gen Z Employee Engagement

1. Your impression of the company voice in three words.
2. Purposeful, confident and polished.
3. If you were trying to get a job at this company, what would you like?
4. I would like Mattel’s commitment to CSR efforts and its efforts to maintain inclusivity.
5. What suggestions do you have for the company to appeal to Gen Z employees, customers and the general public
6. Mattel’s strategies are mostly traditional. To appeal to Gen Z employees, Mattel could venture into medias such as podcasts to show the company is keeping up with the times and trends.

Strategic Recommendations: Any notes you have about opportunities or gaps that could be objectives in an annual or quarterly PR plan process

• Innovating Mattel’s newsroom to be more accessible and searchable.
• Adjusting brand voice to be slightly more personable.