How modern girlhood is changing marketing in a post-Barbie movie landscape

The summer of 2023 was awash in female empowerment. Between the record-breaking world tours of Taylor Swift and Beyoncé and the glitterbomb that was the “Barbie” movie and star Margot Robbie’s note-perfect press tour (not to mention the film’s brilliant marketing rollout), pop culture was pretty, pink and passionately pro-woman. But as we learned in the movie, “Barbie has a great day every day, but Ken only has a great day if Barbie looks at him.” Ken, in this case, is brand marketing. And though brands had quite a summer in the sun, how do they keep that momentum going? Gail Heimann, CEO of The Weber Shandwick Collective; Lisa McKnight, executive VP and chief brand officer of Mattel; and Jess Weiner, cultural expert and CEO of Talk to Jess, joined John Dioso, editor of Ad Age Studio 30, at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity to discuss how, when brands and advertisers hand a proverbial friendship bracelet to this demographic, they’re setting themselves up for continued success. As Heimann pointed out, the “joyful collision” of 2023’s Summer of the Girl “belied the muscle that we saw in this group. We saw this incredible group of Alpha young women and girls powered and empowered—and we should remember that that Alpha group is now, I think, about to eclipse the boomers, at about 2 billion people.” Just as with any successful campaign, the key to truly connecting with your target audience is authenticity. “It’s not simply about riding a cultural moment—it’s about shaping a cultural moment,” Heimann said. “And you can do that when you listen hard enough to help create a community.” Authenticity is the name of the game at Barbie, according to McKnight. “Where girls go, where culture goes—Barbie will be there,” McKnight said. “Barbie is the most inclusive doll line in the world.... People see themselves in the brand, which creates advocacy and emotional connection.” Consider the male backlash to Taylor Swift’s presence at NFL games after she started dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Female-driven viewership spiked, and while commentators and online trolls complained, smart marketers considered the who and why behind the influx. “I love the conversation around girls and girl power because girls and their fandoms have been making culture for decades and decades and decades, yet we often devalue what girls really like,” Weiner said. “I think what we saw last summer in 2023 was not just an uprising,” she continued, “it was the continuum of the power of girls in the way that they consume and the way they become fans and fanatics around things that represent them.” A level playing field As all three panelists pointed out, sports is very much a woman’s domain as well. Last summer’s Women’s World Cup also made a strong showing, and brands are paying more and more attention to the increased visibility of women’s professional leagues like the NWSL and WNBA, not to mention the 2024 Paris Olympics. And, as McKnight noted, Barbie has long been in that space. “When we talk about women in sports, that is Barbie’s wheelhouse,” McKnight said, noting Mattel’s recent collaboration with tennis great Venus Williams. But as with any conversation regarding girls and women, the discussion must be multifaceted and keep an eye on progress. “We’re making progress, but there are certainly days and weeks where it feels like we’ve taken a few steps backwards,” said McKnight. “[With the Barbie movie] A lot of conversations started to happen with people in unexpected places, that to me is progress.” “Our fascination with girls and women in sports opens up a lot of great dialogue around equity and equality,” Weiner said. “Obviously we’re talking about equal pay for women in sports. I think the more that we invite them in and the more that we create a space for their athletic prowess, we’re doing exactly what we’re talking about here, which is giving them breadth and allowing them to become the objects of their own stories, not the subject of somebody else’s.” Heimann agreed. “Certainly the ad marketing industry has worked to fight against stereotype and the work that it does has moved to level the playing field around creative in this business,” said Heimann. “But if we look around the world, is there gender pay equity? No. Is there equal representation in public and private sector leadership roles? No. Is there massive violence against women? Yes. So all of those things still need to be addressed.” Ultimately, when brands look to connect with girls and women authentically, and they make genuine strides to uplift them, well, that’s Kenough. About The Weber Shandwick Collective The Weber Shandwick Collective (TWSC) is the strategic communications and consulting network. In addition to Weber Shandwick, TWSC brands include Cappuccino, Current Global, dna, Flipside, KRC Research, Powell Tate, Prime Weber Shandwick, Resolute Digital, ThatLot and United Minds. The Weber Shandwick Collective is part of the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG). For more information, visit https://thewebershandwickcollective.com

How modern girlhood is changing marketing in a post-Barbie movie landscape

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