How the Most Plastic Brand in the World Somehow Pulled Off Authenticity, and What It Means for Brands Today

Image credit: MATTEL; WARNER BROS. PICTURES via Entertainment Weekly

Think of the last time you saw a brand say something and it made you … cringe. It probably was pretty recently. Think: sustainability pledge from fast-fashion giant. Think: pride campaign from brand that donates to anti-gay causes. Think: gen-z-focused brand calling you 'bestie' and proclaiming 'it’s giving.'

In the age of influencer marketing, AI-generated Drake-songs, and the metaverse, people have a nose for inauthenticity (read: bullshit). Brand intentions have never been more thinly veiled. Gone is the era of Warby Parker and Casper where brands could rely on pastel illustrations and cutesy copywriting to sell a story about itself and why it matters.

Enter the latest Barbie movie, backed by its parent company Mattel. Barbie had been struggling for relevance for years. Even after responding to criticism by introducing more inclusive skin tones, hair textures, and body shapes for Barbie in 2015, Mattel lost $533 million in 2018 and revenue had plunged $2 billion in five years, according to the New York Times. So what’s a brand to do?

If you, like millions of pink-donning theatre-goers this past week, ventured into a theatre to see the latest Barbie movie, you would have encountered a film that was shockingly transparent. The movie features teens berating Barbie for perpetuating 'unrealistic physical ideals, sexualised capitalism and rampant consumerism,' a soundtrack and script that gets suggestive with Ken’s sexuality, and prominent scenes featuring discontinued Barbie and Ken dolls that highlight corporate gaffes of the past. As someone who works with brands day in and day out, who knows the value of presenting a company in its best light, I was shook, as the kids say, and impressed.

By allowing the Barbie movie and its creators to toy with the good, the bad, and the ugly (not literally, of course, Barbie would never be ugly), Mattel’s executives took a big risk in favour of authenticity, and it paid off (literally, this time). There easily could have been an alternate Barbie movie that prohibited mention of controversy and only allowed Barbie to be seen from her most flattering angles. And there probably was. But it seems Mattel knew that when people sense inauthenticity, they run for the hills. Instead, Mattel made a bet that being real, in an age of overstimulation and scepticism, can actually resonate. That and a multi-million dollar marketing budget too.

Precisely what is the message of Barbie, and how can other brands emulate this strategy? For brands today, It’s not about being woke and it’s not (just) about being snarkily self aware; it’s about being authentic. And the reason this is such a worthwhile strategy is because unlike any other approach, it’s not something that can be replicated because it means something different for every brand. It means looking deep into your brand’s soul and coming up with an honest response and point-of-view, from within. Dig deep and ask: what does our brand stand for? Why has this worked or not worked in the past? What is our message to the world? Does the way we show up, visually and tonally, match our actual beliefs?

To the brands that have the courage to ask these questions, bravo! That’s the kind of Ken-ergy we’re looking for!