Barbie’s Back and She’s Here to Help Parents Give Kids ‘Limitless Possibilities’

Her blockbuster movie has come and gone, but Barbie is back with a new campaign that’s all about the humanity and relatability of playing with dolls together, and what that does to help boost children’s development.

The ad, ‘Give Limitless Possibilities’, shows how messy, creative play can nurture everything from self expression to empathy. The marketing team at the Mattel-owned superbrand also hopes the campaign will give new meaning to the brand tagline ‘You Can Be Anything’. Just as Barbie has been able to show that we could become anything from a pilot to a president, this time round, the brand is thinking about opening children to all sorts of more personal qualities.

It’s a campaign that really speaks to parents about what they want for their children, in a fairly universal way. Who doesn’t want to give their kids the best start in life? 

“Barbie has always been more than just a doll. She represents infinite possibilities, a gift that countless parents and adults wish to give the kids in their lives. Our new brand campaign, ‘Give Limitless Possibilities,’ is a heartfelt testament to the dreams we hold for our loved ones,” says  Krista Berger, senior vice president of Barbie and global head of dolls.

From a marketing perspective, while Barbie does a lot to engage children (just check out the sparkly pink content on their YouTube channel!), but speaking to parents means taking a different approach. It’s perhaps no coincidence that this new campaign, with its warm, home video-esque footage, is a nod to the catharsis at the end of the Barbie movie. The montage of real women and their kids - in fact featuring the cast and crew of the film https://ew.com/movies/barbie-montage-explained-real-women/ - proved to be the real emotional zenith and cut through to something extremely human and real at the heart of the brand.

This is all encapsulated in the tagline ‘Give Limitless Possibilities’, which is an evolution of previous campaign taglines, like ‘Imagine the Possibilities’.

The 2015 ‘Imagine the Possibilities’ campaign focused on the career aspirations of young girls, giving them the chance to be veterinarians, American football coaches, university lecturers and high-flying mobile phone-toting business execs. This time around, there’s been a shift in the interpretation of what these ‘possibilities’ may be, as it shows how Barbie can help develop positive personal qualities and values, such as creativity, curiosity, confidence and kindness.

“Through this film, we aim to highlight the power of igniting imagination, empathy, confidence and self-expression within the next generation, continuing Barbie’s mission to inspire the limitless potential in young girls,” says Krista. 

It’s a campaign that’s also even more inclusive than previous outings as it shows the doll being played with girls and boys, and features a diverse cast of kids from a range of backgrounds and kids with disabilities.

The new campaign launches in North America at a fan event in Chicago today (Friday August 30). For the event, Barbie is joining forces with women’s basketball team, Chicago Sky, who will be playing rivals Indiana Fever. The pre-game event includes panels, a Barbie photo booth and plenty of merch giveaways.