I must confess growing up I wasn’t a girly girl, you would have found me in my Spurs kit kicking a football around, hanging out of trees or doing wheelies on my mountain bike. I definitely ticked the tomboy box and wouldn’t have been seen dead playing with the pristine pink Barbie dolls, with their perfect blonde hair and girly outfits.
The marketing team behind Mattel have worked hard in recent years to change this by releasing a relatable and diverse range of Barbie dolls with more body shapes, representing different cultures, interests, disabilities and, showing young children they can be who they want to be, whether that’s an astronaut, doctor, or Olympic skier.
Working in partnership with Warner Bros. they’ve taken their brand one step further by releasing the highly anticipated Barbie movie – and us marketers are on the sidelines watching in awe as Barbie marketing mania has taken hold. I’m even booking tickets to see the film!
So why has the Barbie campaign been such a big hit?…
Money talks
The Hollywood blockbuster cost over $100 million to make, but it’s rumoured they invested over $150 million into marketing – more than the production of the movie itself. I think you’ll agree it’s definitely paid off.
Building hype
Going as far back as 2021, a breadcrumb strategy was used, dropping teasers, causing curiosity and creating conversations worldwide.
Warner Bros. kicked off proceedings releasing an online Barbie poster generator creating free shareable user generated content, which started to stir up a social media buzz.
In June 2021 Warner Bros. officially announced the first day of Barbie Summer via their social media channels. Pink benches took over parks and ‘Barbie pink’ billboards popped up with just the release date in the bottom corner.
In an interview with Marketing Week, Executive Vice President and Global Head of Barbie and Dolls, Lisa McNight explained why fans weren’t tiring of the Barbie build up;
Clever collabs
Leading up to the launch the Barbie brand has been said to have collaborated with over 100 different brands.
Mattel were super clever in turning their product into a movie, which led to an even bigger product line of ‘MercTainment’, not just for kids but adults too!
Here’s just a few:
- Joyhouse Barbie Dreamhouse – a furniture range inspired by Barbie’s Dreamhouse
- Crocs Barbie themed clogs and charms
- Boohoo Barbie range featuring Barbie inspired outfits for sizes 0-24
- Burger King Barbie Meal which includes a burger with pink burger sauce, pink vanilla milkshake, Ken’s fries and a doughnut with pink icing and sprinkles
Since the movie has been released, the bright pink marketing magic hasn’t stopped, with organisations large and small quickly jumping on the Barbie bandwagon to leverage their own brands. We’ve seen savvy social media posts, memes, quizzes and clever ad campaigns immersing us all in Barbie’s world.
I think the Barbie buzz is here to stay for a while, and I’m here for it!
