With the ongoing, overwhelming ‘Barbie Fever’ it made me think: what exactly is behind Barbie movie’s smashing $1bn box-office success?
Several factors come to mind: nostalgia-driven marketing, audience empowerment, top-notch cast and content.
But for the sake of keeping this article shorter than Ken’s short-lived attempts at a new career, let’s dive into another big player: excellent brand collaborations.
While most companies collaborate with a handful of brands for a campaign, Barbie was able to forge partnerships with more than 100 brands.
What’s interesting is that these partnerships weren’t the run-of-the-mill kinds. The brands spanned an array of different industries. Together with them, Barbie was able to captivate a wider audience than ever before.
Retail royalty joining the pink revolution
Starting with retail collaborations, eminent brands like Zara, Aldo and Crocs all embraced the ‘pink wave’.
Starbucks and Pinkberry introduced scrumptious new pink drinks and frozen yogurts. Burger King even caught the fervour by introducing a new burger in Brazil with a vibrant pink sauce (the flavour, a mystery we shall leave unsolved) and a theme-based meal to celebrate the movie’s premiere.
Undoubtedly, in the world of marketing it’s a universal truth that brand collaborations can create a lot of hype when done right.
Clothing buyers from Zara, for example, who might never have contemplated indulging in anything pink were now swayed in order to fit into the social currency.
Yet another rule of persuasion/influence is authority and liking. We naturally trust who we know and like.
When Aldo drew inspiration from the wondrous world of Barbie to craft its dreamy collection, customers instantly engaged with the products.
Aldo was able to align with Barbie’s values (the signature style, creativity, fashion, imagination) while still remaining true to its own (quality, innovation, inspiration).
Multimedia magic
Then there were the multimedia collaborations. A simple search for ‘Barbie’ on Google made our search page explode with pink fireworks.
Even related words like Greta Gerwig (director) or Margot Robbie (actress portraying Barbie) produced the same effect. Unconventional, daring, sumptuous. And splendidly bold.
The pinnacle of everybody’s astonishment was reserved for the travel collaboration between Barbie and Airbnb.
The very dream house we had long admired on our screens was brought to life in Malibu, even being available for rent. With this collaboration, Barbie was even able to have a space in the travel and vacation affinity.
Wrapping up
Leveraging the might of colossal companies like these helped create a social buzz. As a result, Barbie became an experience that tapped into culture in a dynamic way.
A cultural zeitgeist, I should say. (Other great examples are Disney, LEGO and L’Oréal).
So for now and for many years to come, after repositioning its brand in such an exceptional manner, Barbie will remain the quintessential ‘marketing done right’ case study.
The marketing strategies unveiled are like a secret sauce to brand success, and it’s so good, even Ken might want a taste.
By Saania Saxena, strategy intern at Grey
