Marketing Has Been Barbie-fied and It’s Worked
Recently life feels like it’s Barbie’s world, and we’re just living in it.
When toy manufacturer Mattel launched the first ever Barbie doll on 9th March 1959, they had no idea of the history they’d be making. With bangs, blonde hair and a black and white swimsuit, the figure standing at 11 inches (29 cm) tall, would go on to become the poster girl for American teens and women around the world.
When toy manufacturer Mattel launched the first ever Barbie doll on 9th March 1959, they had no idea of the history they’d be making. With bangs, blonde hair and a black and white swimsuit, the figure standing at 11 inches (29 cm) tall, would go on to become the poster girl for American teens and women around the world.
At the height of its popularity in the ‘90s, Barbie was the shining star of culture with many different versions, accessories and occupations, as well as having her very own side-character companion in Ken. Little girls and boys everywhere were keen to get their hands on the toys and create worlds of their own for them to live within, but not everyone saw themselves represented by the brand. As other brands saw the opportunity to jump in, more inclusive competitors came along and stole the spotlight, and by 2014 the Barbie brand was no longer at the forefront of everyone’s minds.
But speaking in July of 2023, it’s back on the tip of everyone’s tongue. Why? The Barbie movie commissioned by Mattel and directed by Greta Gerwig – and featuring lead actress Margot Robbie – has given Barbie quite the resurgence. With over 100 brand partnerships, pop-ups, endless merch and bright pink billboards, the marketing around the movie has been iconically pink and caught the nostalgia of every person who ever saw Barbie in a box and longed to see her life play out. It’s pretty genius, if you ask us.
With everyone jumping on the Barbie train – including Google pages, which currently turn a shade of pink and pop up with sparkles when Barbie is mentioned – it’s meant that brands that aren’t part of official collaborations are jumping on the trend to stay relevant. Of course, there’s also the Barbenheimer conversation – pairing together Barbie and Oppenheimer (two movies with the same release date) – as people reflect on the polar opposite marketing efforts and themes of the films. The phenomenon has even wracked up its own Wikipedia page to commemorate the occasion, making us ask if we’re living through history as we speak!
Regardless, the real star of this resurgence is the marketing team behind the movie and the brand in general. With that being said, we reached out to marketers to ask for their opinions on the phenomenon of what’s happening. Here’s what they had to say:
Raphaël Bouquillon
Managing director, US at MG Empower
The way Barbie has been resonating with audiences today is a virtue of how it’s both shifted its brand narrative and also taken risks with being irreverent with its messaging. The Barbie from 10 years ago didn’t have the inclusive, empowering and relatable voice she has today. So, for all marketers looking to activate with the brand, it is key to express Barbie, not just through the iconic nostalgia it commands but also in a way that connects with audiences today.
We were lucky to be part of the massive wave of Barbie activations while working on the Barbie™ x Tangle Teezer hairbrush collaboration. Rather than just celebrating Barbie as the storied blonde she started as, we made sure to cast in the campaign and invite a wide range of talents to the event, representing everyone that can be inspired by the empowerment message of Barbie, coming in all hair types.
This new, more inclusive messaging is clearly being communicated in their strategy. By activating across multiple spaces, products, and brands, they’re creating bold touchpoints across a range of communities, therefore building wider, more meaningful associations and connections with the brand, keeping the movie at the forefront of minds.
What we as marketers can learn from this approach, is that it is indeed possible to revamp outdated brand messaging, without losing original identity. It reminds us that it’s not necessary to disregard everything that came before, but instead, recognise where your shortfalls are, listen to your new consumer and then take real action. Barbie has proved how powerful brand reinvention paired with intelligent marketing intervention can be.
Beth Noonan
Director at M&C Saatchi Fabric
You don’t have to look far to notice that it’s not just Barbie who now finds herself ‘in a Barbie world’. Everywhere you look, the iconic Barbie pink tints shop windows, street installations, brand partnerships… even London itself. It’s a marketing take-over at a scale that we haven’t seen in a long time, and it’s working.
With a film as iconic as the Barbie movie, with such high expectations and a star cast, the release was always going to generate impressive coverage. The marketing team could have sat back on that assurance, and let the film speak for itself. But instead, they have leant into the heritage brand’s credentials, connected with people emotionally and as a result, dominated the news agenda with remarkable success. The scale of marketing has gone beyond promoting the release, it has turned the Barbie IP into a lifestyle brand for the summer, making it relevant to consumers’ passions across fashion, travel, music and beyond.
What’s more, the brand has reached the masses by tapping into all the things people love; there’s something for everyone’s passions. We’re seeing partnerships with beauty brands, jewellery brands, fashion brands, food products and beyond and it's translating into blanket coverage across media silos. Landing a legendary pink Doctor Who Tardis on the shore of the river Thames, the brand managed to successfully collate three famous British icons, reaching the heart of the British public by playing on local nuances and collective national passions.
At M&C Saatchi Fabric, we specialise in building people-first communities with brands at their heart, connecting people to one another through brands. Barbie is the ultimate example of this; the brand has created an unmissable cultural spectacle for the summer of ’23, and consumers can’t help but join the party.
Rosie Goddard
Head of brand and marketing at Milliways
Barbie is an instantly recognisable cultural icon and who wouldn’t want to be involved with the positive, pink halo effect that surrounds everything to do with the Barbie brand?
Humour, satire and an ability to tap into meme culture have felt core to Barbie’s virality in the lead up to the film’s launch and is a tactic that aligns closely with our own brand's approach.
All too often, sustainability-led marketing can feel dry and solely stats focused, and in an oversaturated media landscape, we’re constantly on the lookout for relatable and memorable ways to deliver a serious message. In this instance, by showing up in conversations that people are already having to highlight the fact that conventional gum is made from plastic.
With the Barbie film being released during Plastic Free July, the line “Life in plastic, it's fantastic" from Aqua's unbelievably catchy 1997 hit 'Barbie Girl' felt too good an opportunity to miss, so we subverted this to, “We’re not plastic, it’s fantastic” to kickstart our campaign.
The hype surrounding the Barbie film has been unparalleled – delighting us in unexpected ways at every turn, and we knew that the London premiere would have no shortage of fanfare. We decided to jump on the bright pink bandwagon and take our very own drag Milli-Barbie to the epicentre of Barbie Mania in Leicester Square – to interact with and educate a hyper-engaged group of super fans.
Most brands don’t have the budget to (quite literally) paint the town pink, so tapping into significant pop culture moments and joining a wider conversation can introduce your brand to new audiences and help create content in the process.
Daisy Domenghini
Managing director at VaynerMedia EMEA
All of a sudden, everything is pink.
It feels like Barbiecore comes back into fashion every six or seven years or so. But last summer, when stills from the upcoming movie featuring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling were released, the internet went into overdrive. Brand Barbie, despite an admirable push towards inclusivity, had been fading fast. Suddenly, it was more relevant than ever.
A lot of brands getting that kind of organic hype would chalk things up as a huge success. However, for Warner Bros. and Mattel, it was just the beginning.
We passionately believe that today brands are built on social. Now, that doesn’t mean that we only make social media content or that any other medium is pointless - not at all - they’re all spaces for creativity and different audiences. But as an insights engine, as a place where brands can listen to how people view their brand, social is unparalleled. You can build more from the millions of 'hot takes' on social than you can from the wisdom of a solitary creative director.
Were Mattel and Warner aware of how people were responding to the fashion, the gender roles, and the question of whether a Barbie movie would land well with audiences of different ages and interests? Could they use that information to continue marketing the movie?
The answer to all of the above has been an emphatic yes. The marketing teams behind the new Barbie Movie launch have led a masterclass in understanding consumer attention and using it to choose brand partnerships.
It’s clear that everyone working on the Barbie Movie understood that to make it work they had to have to accept a lot of people were going to turn their noses up. They’ve been in on the joke. Is it garish and ridiculous? Yes. Is it fun? Hell yes. Is it too pink? ... Is there such a thing?
Now, even before the movie has launched, we’re seeing there are hundreds of ways for the brand to reach new audiences.
How to keep it going? Well, keep listening to audiences. The more you make, the more you get feedback on and the loop continues.
Becky Akers
Creative director of PROPER Snacks
It’s no coincidence that we’re seeing Barbie everywhere. The phrase ‘Barbie world’ has been taken literally.
The movie has strategically partnered with influential figures and brands globally across multiple sectors, curating a ‘Barbie world’ for audiences - showing up at multiple touchpoints in their day-to-day.
You can see this with our PROPER x Barbie The Movie partnership. We’ve launched limited-edition popcorn packs, wrapped iconic London buses and created a floor-to-ceiling pink pop-up, The PROPER CORN-ER Shop x BARBIE in Shoreditch.
Barbie shows up whether you’re shopping, sightseeing or commuting.
In the lead-up to the film, the team has solidified the nostalgic, fun and fabulous feeling of Barbie, whilst adapting it to today’s more inclusive views on beauty, diversity and gender.
They’ve leaned into nostalgia, whilst partnering with brands, artists and figures who reflect a new ‘era’. These brands reflect a set of values that resonate with a newer, more relevant target audience, whilst captivating the original generation of Barbie lovers too.
Barbie and its partner brands are tapping into the playful Barbie World and hosting immersive experiences, limited-edition products, and launching global social media trends.
Barbie and PROPER Snacks’ collaboration plays into the snack brands’ bold, playful positioning and Barbie’s bright, fun tone for an exciting yet authentic, partnership.
Product-led partnerships and new launches are clearly the marketing champions of the Barbie campaign. There is something for everyone; even those who won’t make it to the cinema.
In the age of streaming, Warner Brothers cater to those who’d rather stay home in their own Barbie World by launching collaborations with PROPER Snacks and Oodie to launch Barbie-themed products.
There’s also been a huge push for Barbie-themed user-generated content on socials: through competitions, digital filters, and viral tracks on TikTok.
We’re seeing a continuous stream of fresh Barbie-related content – both in everyday life and on social - that keeps the brand and film launch at the forefront of everyone’s minds.
