“Yes, Barbie Changed Everything”
The luminary cast of the Barbie movie, with Margot Robbie gracing the screen as Barbie and Ryan Gosling lending charm to Ken, indeed shone brightly. Yet, the spotlight-stealing Marvel wasn’t the celebrity cast, but the masterminds behind Barbie’s marketing magic, ensuring that Barbie’s world became our world. With a rumored budget north of 150 million dollars, the marketing gurus, Yadira Harrison, and Shannon Jones, armed with brushes dipped in shades of pink, transformed the marketing landscape into a Barbie spectacle.
But Barbie’s journey wasn’t a smooth ride down the Dreamhouse’s elevator. When she first arrived in the toy scene, Barbie provided a break from the baby doll monotony, offering girls a chance to envision more than just motherhood. However, the “more” Barbie offered soon found itself mired in critique, with the doll accused of perpetuating unrealistic standards for women. Fast-forward to 2015, Barbie’s sales plunged to an all-time low. Headlines screamed the potential of her demise with CNN reporting, “Is Barbie dead?” She was viewed as out of touch, a relic from a past era struggling to resonate with a generation of girls who didn’t see themselves in her. This sparked a comprehensive brand makeover, embracing inclusivity and diversity in its grand design. But this didn’t bring its novelty appeal back to where it once was.
Jump to the present, and the Barbie movie scoops over 155 million dollars on its opening weekend alone, while Barbie doll sales see a rise of 30% since the pre-screening buzz. The success story penned by Barbie serves as a testament to the potency of a diversified marketing strategy, a blend of the digital with the enduring charm of analog marketing.
A slew of innovative collaborations painted the town pink: Gap and Forever 21’s 90s-inspired Barbie collections tapped into a wellspring of nostalgia. For those seeking a larger-than-life Barbie experience, an actual Barbie Dreamhouse in Malibu was listed on Airbnb, and a giant CGI Barbie was spotted next to the Burj Khalifa. Honestly, the roll call of collaborations is as extensive as Ken’s wardrobe!
While we’ve previously discussed the pitfalls to avoid in branding, let’s flip the script and journey through the Barbie universe, an exemplar of a stellar branding strategy that’s not just out of the box but catapults out of this world!
Barbie’s Marketing Magic: Leveraging Virality in the Digital Playground
As expert marketers, we don’t just see our audience as passive receivers. Instead, they’re active protagonists journeying towards the meticulously crafted resolution – our call to action. Our narratives don’t just tell a tale; they illuminate the role the audience plays in the grand scheme of things. When crafted and executed with precision, these narratives can kick-start movements, weaving marketing messages so magnetic and enjoyable that they practically invite the world to partake in the story.
Barbie didn’t just reinvent herself in the movie; she also schooled brands worldwide on harnessing the power of user-generated content. The film’s slogan, “She’s Everything, He’s just Ken,” became a viral sensation faster than Ken could say “Plastic is fantastic,” sparking an avalanche of user-generated content across social media. The posters’ meme-tastic charm was undoubtedly a key to their success. Here, the pursuit of perfection took a backseat to fun – both in creating and sharing. Witty copywriting took the slogan’s appeal sky-high, with Twitter alone contributing over a million user-generated memes.
Then Barbie decided to hitch a ride on the AI bandwagon. The launch of the “Barbie Selfie Generator,” a collaboration with the AI-based photo editing app PhotoRoom, allowed fans to turn their selfies into custom Barbie posters. Used over 13 million times, the sassy text options like “This Barbie is out of your league” and “This Ken is over it,” allowed Barbie to speak Gen Z’s language of quirk and sarcasm while satisfying millennials’ craving for personalized content.
The fact is, adults and children aren’t so different when it comes to experiencing the simple joys of life. The Barbie digital strategy acts as a playful nudge, reminding us that “play” is a universal language, both potent and persuasive. Barbie isn’t just about dolling up; it’s a call to relive the straightforward joy of wit we embraced as kids, all while you inadvertently join their marketing squad.
Often overlooked amidst the rigors of adult life, “play” is the secret sauce that makes our connections with others more human and relatable. By employing digital tools that effortlessly juggle both short-term and long-term SEO goals, they’ve provided robust press support and stayed on top of media trends. In doing so, they’ve laid the groundwork for a receptive market for the movie and broader brand goals. Remarkably, they achieved all this while keeping things playful and engaging.
Barbie’s Marketing Magic: Engaging the Subconscious
While Warner Bros. may have strategically sprinkled pink and film breadcrumbs across the globe, we discerned something far more profound in the aftermath of the Barbie movie – a mirror effect. Post-screening reviews echoed a familiar refrain: “I did not expect that.” The film’s marketing strategy was a sight to behold, but the true tour de force was the inventive direction that completely reinvented Barbie’s narrative.
The campaign didn’t just transform; it smartly played with nostalgia and perception, taking audiences on a whirlwind tour of their childhood dreams and expectations of Barbie’s world. This nostalgic extravaganza was not about revealing less through more, but rather about inducing viewers to project their own narratives onto Barbie. Thereby engaging their subconscious in an artful dance of interpretations and reflections. Amidst the onslaught of pink and over-the-top glamour, one might have been quick to dismiss the film as superficial entertainment. Yet, behind this surface lay an intricate narrative that spoke to the adults’ inner child.
This play of perceptions highlighted the crux of the film’s narrative: the diversity and complexity of womanhood, moving beyond the constraints of one-dimensional stereotypes. The Barbie movie, thus, became a paradigm-shifter in the art of storytelling in branding, demonstrating the power of subconscious engagement, all under the guise of Barbie’s vibrant, pink world.
Branding is a multifaceted, experiential journey, and it extends beyond tangible aspects like logos, fonts, and colors (though brand colors do matter, as evidenced by Barbie’s infamous “Pink Billboards”). It infiltrates the mindscape of the audience, shaping how we perceive, feel, and engage with a brand. In the context of the Barbie movie, we see this experiential aspect of branding in full swing. The film doesn’t just visually present Barbie; it stirs cognitive resonance, challenging our preconceived notions and prompting us to reevaluate our understanding of our resonating processes projected onto a doll. This unique interplay of perception, emotion, and personal reflection truly underscores the transformative power of effective branding.
Barbie’s Marketing Magic: The Dollhouse Effect through Partnerships
Immersing us into a world where “we’re all Barbie,” the marketing wizards behind Barbie turned the concept of brand immersion on its plastic head. Sure, brand collaborations are old news in the realms of fashion and beauty, but the deluge of Barbie-branded partnerships over the past 6 months takes the cake, the bakery, and the whole sweet street!
From the expected to the extraordinary, the Barbie team orchestrated over 100 jaw-dropping collaborations and merchandising tie-ups across the globe leading up to the film’s release. Leaving no stone unturned from predictable collabs to more flamboyant ones. Do we really need a pair of Barbie-branded sparkly platform boots? Yes. Yes, we do.
In a strategic masterstroke, Mattel transformed its doll into a movie star and the movie into a smorgasbord of branded products, embodying the spirit of “MerchTainment”. This phenomenon, identified by Highsnobiety’s former editor-in-chief Thom Bettridge in 2021, sprung to life amidst Barbie’s universe. This nurtured a collective perception, persuading fans they had been residents in Barbie’s world long before the film’s premiere. What once seemed extravagantly pink rapidly became the everyday norm. Shopping malls, dog treats, cereal boxes, kitchen utensils – all were doused in Barbie’s signature hue. The humdrum of everyday life transformed into a vibrant tapestry, awash with shades of Barbie’s unmistakable pink.
Translating Barbie’s Marketing Magic to Your Business
In the grand spectacle of Barbie’s branding journey, the spellbinding allure is not restricted to the dollhouse. The magic is woven into the fabric of authentic storytelling, creative disruption, and audience engagement. With a keen eye on Barbie’s playbook, businesses can learn to navigate their unique paths. From harnessing the power of nostalgia, and creating resonating narratives, to carving partnerships that amplify brand presence – the opportunities are boundless.
However, the golden rule remains: Be unique. While you may ride the wave of trends, avoid becoming a carbon copy of your competitors. Dissect the motives, locations, and methods of visual and holistic references to elevate your brand. Your brand is more than a logo; it’s an odyssey, an impression, a narrative. So, just as “Barbie changed everything” in the world of marketing and branding, may this insight inspire you to change everything in your brand’s journey toward greatness.
But if you find yourself seeking a guiding star in your brand’s odyssey, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at theteam@oppotus.com. Unravel the secrets of resonant brand strategy with the help of our expert team. Allow us to arm you with the tools to meticulously sculpt brand perception, weave compelling marketing narratives, and captivate your audience. Together, we’ll nurture unwavering customer loyalty, propelling your brand towards a story of success as enchanting as Barbie’s. Your success story starts with a single step, a step toward us. Let us illuminate the path to your brand’s greatness.