Three things Barbie taught us about marketing
Whether or not you saw the movie, loved the movie, or never want to hear the word Barbie ever again - it’s clear that the marketing strategy for the Barbie movie will continue to be analyzed for years to come.
Below are three lessons we can learn from what has probably been the most successful mass marketing campaign in decades.
1. Marketing matters.
No one really knew what the Barbie movie was about, but we all knew it was coming. This was because the marketing budget (reportedly $150M) was bigger than the actual movie production budget ($145M).
Between box office records, social media frenzy, and overall buzz, the Barbie marketing campaign shows us what’s possible when you have a budget - and a talented, creative team to use it.
2. We’re (really) ready to gather again.
The past few years have been confusing with ambiguity around collective willingness to attend events in-person. The movie has not been the only Barbie event people are showing up in droves for - the brand has hosted a ton of events in recent months and continues to do so.
From an expo in Orlando, to the “World of Barbie” in Los Angeles and many smaller events in between, people are showing up.
Whether or not we work in entertainment, consumer packaging goods, or an unrelated industry - a key takeaway is that we’re officially ready to meet-up in real life again.
3. Creative collaboration is the ticket.
In addition to going all-out on traditional advertising and marketing tactics, the Barbie campaign also went all-in for brand collaborations. There’s a Barbie Dreamhouse in Malibu that can be booked on AirBnb. There are fashion collections at Gap, Bloomingdale’s, and Hot Topic. You can buy Barbie furniture at Joybird, and a Barbie cheeseburger at Burger King.
Barbie has seemingly infiltrated every corner of the consumer experience. An article from Vox details more:
“If your brand exists in 2023, chances are you did some kind of Barbie collab: a Bumble event featuring online dating tips from Barbie and Ken; a Progressive Insurance commercial set in the Barbieverse; a redesigned Roku City featuring Barbie’s Dreamhouse and a movie theater marquee advertising the film. A Barbie selfie generator went somewhat viral a few months back. Google any keywords related to the film right now, and watch the search engine’s typically staid colors turn pink, with pink sparkles raining down the screen.”
No matter the industry, exploring collaborations and partnerships can help us take marketing to the next level this year.
A note for the rest of us
Not very many of us work in marketing for mega brands like Barbie. But it’s been inspiring to watch the creativity for the Barbie movie campaign unfold. Besides chasing budgets, planning and showing up for live events, and building creative partnerships - another thing we can consider are the overall experiences we create for our customers and stakeholders. It might not be pink, but how can we create unique and engaging interactions with the people that matter most to our businesses?