Company Case 5 GoldieBlox: Swimming Upstream against Consumer Perceptions Synopsis While pursuing a degree in engineering, Debbie Sterling recognized the lack of women in that field. As she researched possible reasons for this, she discovered that societal perceptions about gender roles and appropriate activities for boys and girls are influenced by the toy industry. While the blue aisle is full of building-oriented toys that challenge the mind, the pink aisle is geared toward princess and fashion play. Sterling decided to do something about this by changing people's perceptions about gender roles. She created GoldieBlox, a new toy company that is out to change how people think of toys for girls with the message that success comes not from playing with dollhouses, but from building them. Discussion Questions 1. Of the factors that influence consumer behavior, which category or categories (cultural, social, personal, or psychological) best explain the existence of a blue toy aisle and a pink toy aisle? Why? 2. Choose the specific factor (for example, culture, family, occupation, or attitudes) that you think most accounts for the blue/pink toy aisle phenomenon. Explain the challenges faced by GoldieBlox in attempting to market toys that "swim against the stream" or push back against the forces of that factor. 3. To what degree is GoldieBlox bucking the blue/pink toy aisle system? 4. If GoldieBlox succeeds at selling lots of its toys, will that accomplish the mission of increasing the presence of females in the field of engineering?