Millions of girls have grown up from holding their first Barbie doll to their third or fifth. Similarly, these many years consumers have seen many avataars of Mattel owned toy Barbie dolls, even an Indian one wearing a saree. And now finally after all these years, women across age-bracket will finally get to see their dolls in a movie featuring actors Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling which is set to release on July 21. Interestingly, the movie has already caught the fancy of brands, which have begun to use this as a perfect marketing opportunity. “Movie marketing post pandemic has found a newer way to connect, especially in hollywood. It has either gone grander to create a rich story or has gone sharper to create a focused story. We have seen three movies in two weeks that have created three different ways of connecting. There is also a conscious attempt from studios to localise at least some bit of marketing, so they are open to alliances that stand for only one geography,” Naresh Gupta, CSO and managing partner, Bang in the Middle told BrandWagon Online.
Produced by Warner Brothers along with the toy-maker Mattel, no stone has been left unturned when it comes to promoting the film. From regional to international connection all is being tried to drive people to theatres. As a step of the marketing process, the two companies have gone ahead and captured anything which has pink or have created pink products. This includes brands like Gap offering Barbie merchandise, Forever 21 bringing 50 shades of colour pink, Google getting turned pink for keyword ‘Barbie’ and barbie-themed parties being organised. The other brands which did a collaboration includes Aldo, Beis, Crocs, Uno, XBox, Typo, Pacsun, Boohoo, Primark, PI, Nyx makeup, Glass House Fragrances, among others.
According to industry estimates, Barbie has been made on a budget of $145 million with another $100 million being spent on marketing. Mattel, the toy-maker which had a flat year in FY22 in terms of net sales which stood at $5.4 million, finally may be able to break that with this movie. The Barbie team has even made an effort to market the film by collaborating with Airbnb, as it has opened a Barbie’s Malibu dream house. “Brands go where their audience is. In the case of Barbie, the film itself is based on a much loved and universally known character. Everyone from the age of 8 to 80 can identify with Barbie! That instantly gives brands the ‘every age-group cut-through’ that they are looking for,” Hayden Scott, creative head APAC, Virtue Worldwide – The Agency Powered by VICE explained.
Interestingly, the marketing initiative on this is not just restricted to brands offering clothing or toys but also pink food. Quick service restaurant brand Burger King has collaborated to launch a special Barbie meal in Brazil. The Barbie meal includes a cheeseburger with bacon bits and a smokey pink sauce, a pink milkshake and a pink doughnut. Similarly, Baskin Robbins has launched a Barbie themed ice-cream named ‘Dreamy Mermaid Sundae’.
For Krishna Iyer, director of marketing, MullenLowe Lintas Group, it is not just nostalgia that has led to everyone falling head-over-heels for its cunning marketing game. “Barbie teasers leave us eagerly anticipating more with just the right amount of teasing. They have got us turning into Barbie-style selfies, spreading their brand like wildfire. It is like watching a masterclass in branding – segmenting audiences, playing nice with pals, and painting the town hot pink with consistent branding. They even know how to sell us those limited-edition goodies before we can say ‘Barbenheimer’! And the secret sauce? A team that’s innovatively unstoppable, just like Barbie herself. So, to all the other brands, take notes from Barbie: be strategic, be sassy, and put the ‘wow’ in your branding game,” he added.
In fact as per a BBC article, Barbican tube station was renamed as Barbiecan and a pink Doctor Who Tardis also appeared at Tower Bridge. Experts say that with Oppenheimer – yet another most anticipated film set to release on the same date, the competition has only gotten more fierce. This has pushed both Mattle and Warner Bros. to scale up its marketing efforts. Additionally, social media platforms have been ablaze with humorous and memes about the two radically different movie genres, which has helped the word-of-mouth promotion for the film. For, Sanjeev Kotnala, brand and marketing consultant, Intradia World, despite courting several controversies in the recent past, the popularity of Barbie remains unfazed. “It is for the brand that can participate in the Barbie ecosystem or leverage the Barbie lovers association would want to be part of this marketing juggernaut. I understand that many brands, including Crocs, Boohoo, Kitsch, Gap, Funboy, Primark and Mattel, have marketing product associations with limited editions and other merchandise. There are social media filters, UGC and even metaverse associations. It is more than just painting the town in Barbie colours. It is like colouring the hearts of the older generation,” he added.