Why ‘Barbie’ represents a new era in movie marketing—and how the brand lured new fans

Barbara Millicent Roberts has long been posed as the image of perfection—the woman who can do and be it all. It’s an image that, while meant to be aspirational for future generations of nurses, CEOs and flight attendants, has also gotten the 64-year-old Barbie into trouble with younger generations for encapsulating societal pressures and body expectations for young women. That’s why the brand’s astounding pivot back into the cultural zeitgeist alongside its all-too-aware, live-action film is all the more impressive: TikTok is saturated by “Barbiecore,” early trailers and leaked images have fed the social media meme machine for nearly a year and practically every marketer under the sun has seemingly struck a brand deal. The film, which releases July 21, is merely the culmination of what will be remembered as the summer of Barbie. The marketing strategy for the “Barbie” movie feels unprecedented due to the combined powers of Warner Bros. Picture and Mattel. And “Barbie” may portend a new era in branded filmmaking—in which studio and brand dollars work together for outsized consumer impact both in product sales and box office numbers. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs “Barbie doesn't have a crystal clear track record; she’s got some things in her past and [consumers] didn’t forget those things,” said Katie Mancini, general manager at branding and design agency Landor & Fitch, which was not involved in the marketing of “Barbie.” As the hype for the film took off, “a lot of people in their 20s, 30s, 40s that have children, nieces, nephews—all of a sudden that thought of purchase is reinvigorated. There’s going to be short-term spikes for sales for emotional reasons,” and Mattel has the opportunity to seed prolonged impact through a cinematic universe (a sequel surrounding fellow doll Ken is rumored to already be in development). While the rollout of typical film milestones—such as first-look images, character posters, teasers and trailers, the official soundtrack and a press tour filled with viral interviews and fashions worthy of analysis— have helped the film maintain a high level of engagement, a vast roster of partnerships in every category imaginable has made it nearly impossible for consumers to look both ways without catching a glimpse of pink and platinum blonde. And it seems to be working. “Barbie” mania has already had a cultural impact as well. Since the beginning of the year, mentions of #Barbie have shot up 80% on YouTube and 191% on TikTok. And TikToks with the hashtag have amassed over 9 billion views collectively, according to social data company Snack Content. VistaPrint reported a 46% increase in pink logos over the past 12 months, and after set images leaked of star Margot Robbie in a bright pink western costume, fashion brand Boohoo reported a 117% increase in U.S. searches for “cowgirl hat.” Audience awareness for “Barbie” is 70%, according to film analytics firm The Quorum, which tracks sentiment for upcoming releases. The firm said “Barbie” is only the sixth film in two years to reach that number, which is substantially higher than the 42% awareness held by “Oppenheimer,” which releases on the same day as “Barbie” and has become tied to it via a meme trend (as shown below by BMW USA). 1 ticket for 1 ticket foroppenheimer barbie please 😎 please 💖 pic.twitter.com/4hux099clr— BMW USA (@BMWUSA) July 18, 2023 The high level of awareness is also impacting its box office forecasts, which have skyrocketed over the past weeks from the mid-eight-digit range at the end of June, to now an anticipated $110,000,000 during the movie's opening weekend, according to box office forecaster NRG. What’s different about Barbie? While “Barbie” is seemingly checking all the marketing boxes that other theatrical tentpoles, such as Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” have, somehow the hype feels bigger. A large part of it seems to be the commitment by Mattel, who has been willing to push the boundaries of its image and allow the Barbie brand to speak to consumers through a new voice in the film. Also read: Behind Disney's marketing efforts for “The Little Mermaid” Modern audiences seem to crave brands willing to take a farcical look at themselves, even edging into irreverence. It’s why a trailer clip of Barbie (played by Margot Robbie) saying, “Do you guys ever think about dying?” while decked out in sequins and dancing is such a shareable clip, or why one might raise an eyebrow at Will Ferrell, who plays “Mattel CEO” in “Barbie,” chasing the personified doll through a corporate office modeled like a villainous lair. me for no reason between my 4th and 5th vodka cran pic.twitter.com/OnMRWCYjlp— trish (@ULTRAGLOSS) May 25, 2023 “[Barbie] was not okay not so long ago, and through [the brand and filmmakers] entertaining the fuck out of us and just putting themselves on the line with massive investment on every level—emotional, financial—they have just won us back,” said Mark DiMassimo, founder and creative chief at agency DiGo, which was not involved with the movie. Mattel had seen annual net sales decline from $6.5 billion to $4.5 billion from 2013 to 2018, per Statista. In 2021, the same year the “Barbie” movie began making waves with the announcement of Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach as co-writers and Gerwig as director, the toy maker's business was back on the rise, reaching approximately $5.5 billion in net sales. The number was boosted by the Barbie brand's performance, which hit $1.7 billion in 2021, its highest net sales value since the 2013 slump began. The brand itself has become part of the “Barbie” press tour. Time reported that Richard Dickson, Mattel chief operating officer and president, traveled to London to dispute an off-brand scene in the Warner Bros. film, but was convinced to keep it in by Robbie and Gerwig. Listen: Mattel exec discusses film marketing strategy In the age of social media, “brands are too fearful of what could come,” said Landor & Fitch’s Mancini. “A lot of brands and companies try to be everything to everyone, and what ‘Barbie’ has done so beautifully is know who they’re talking to,” which is why the film’s marketing has found such success on social media with adult audiences. The “Barbie” movie is a marked step in speaking to adults, a pivot that Lisa McKnight, executive VP and global head of Barbie and dolls at Mattel, previously told Ad Age has been in the works over the past decade. While targeting children to inspire a case of the gimmes is an obvious choice, McKnight described the necessity of instilling Barbie’s message of empowerment and inclusivity, as well as a sprinkle of nostalgia, with parents as well. The PG-13 rated film is certainly a case study in connecting to the young parent demographic, using viral moments to express that “everything is an Instagram, TikTok, Reel, YouTube Short now. And [Barbie] integrates the way young adult life has become like childhood play despite all the negativity and haters,” said DiMassimo. “It’s a recipe for cultural relevance. There’s a saying that if you want to sell something to teens or young adults, you make sure that mom hates it. That's not true of young kids. You can win the 25- and 30-year-olds to win the five-year-olds too.” A marketing frenzy McKnight told Ad Age that over 100 brand partnerships had been struck to market the “Barbie” movie. Outside of the sheer number of brand deals, the partners themselves have at times seemed surprising. While many movie promotions produce disposable or short-lifetime goods such as specialty dishes at QSRs, themed destinations or cosmetics collections (all of which “Barbie” has), “Barbie” has a number of high-priced goods that aren’t as easy for consumers to be struck by a sudden case of “limited time” frenzy. Furniture maker Joybird released a collection of Barbie-themed couches, chairs, tables, bed frames and more ranging from $219 to $3,879. “Our customers are highly engaged and passionate about their homes,” Gifty Walker, director of merchandising and sourcing at Joybird, told Ad Age over email. “Our research shows that they tend to make furniture purchases much more frequently (1-3 years vs. 5-7 years) than average. That makes us ideally placed to capitalize on pop culture phenomena like Barbie.” Mattel is said to be eyeing a cinematic universe for its toys, including adult-targeted films based on Barney and Hot Wheels, all part of Mattel's new production venture Mattel Films. While it remains to be seen whether these brands carry the same cultural relevance as the company’s doll line, many of the “Barbie” partnerships were seemingly struck as deals with the Mattel brand rather than the Warner Bros. movie. The Joybird collection is one such partnership that the company informed Ad Age was not created in relationship with the film. The line dropped on July 17, the week of release. Also read: Walmart creates a shopping cart for Barbie “Amplifying the reach of the Joybird brand through the audience of Barbie fans has enabled us to align directly with such a culturally relevant design trend, Barbiecore, and differentiate ourselves in the marketplace,” continued Walker. “The current obsession with Barbie isn’t building on a single moment of hype—it’s leveraging decades-long brand strength and core values.” Another unexpected partnership came from Microsoft’s Xbox. While the top-of-mind audiences for dolls and gaming may not immediately align, the tech company said its partnership was inspired by aligning tenets of inclusivity. In addition to “Barbie” themed autos being introduced into “Forza Horizon 5” and a one-of-a-kind “Barbie” console sweepstakes, Microsoft will use the partnership to promote women in tech through a series of spotlight videos called “Careers in Gaming.” “Xbox and Barbie share many fans who reflect our mutual values of increasing positive representation of diverse communities in entertainment,” said Kirsten Ward, VP of integrated marketing at Xbox, via email. “By partnering with ‘Barbie,’ we hope to motivate young girls to follow their passions and highlight careers in STEM and gaming.” Broadly, marketers have been hungry for an opportunity to connect with a property drumming up such impressive levels of joy and community among consumers, said DiMassimo, who compared “Barbie” to the rest of Hollywood blockbusters (and by extension, brand opportunities) as a “robust, lively plant in the middle of a garden that is mostly dead tomatoes.”

Why ‘Barbie’ represents a new era in movie marketing—and how the brand lured new fans

Featured Stories