Barbie – A Masterclass in Brand Marketing
What you can learn from Barbie about branding
In case you (somehow) missed it, we just experienced the biggest weekend for film in years, when the equally excellent, but completely different blockbusters Barbie and Oppenheimer dropped in theatres on the same day. But let’s be honest—you didn’t miss it, did you?
For the past few weeks, content surrounding Barbie and buzz for the film has been overwhelming. Take a scroll through your Instagram and count how many Barbie ads, product tie-in posts, and pics of your friends in pink you see. Simply put, this film has been an outright phenomenon. So what is it that made this movie such a hit? How was it the most anticipated film in years, even before it was actually available to watch?
As you might have guessed, the answer is simple, but also kind of complicated: brand marketing.
What is Brand Marketing?
Simply put, brand marketing is the method of creating, honing, and expressing a brand’s identity in an effort to grow an audience, sell more products or services, and generally raise awareness about a business (or in this case, a movie). Brand marketing is multi-faceted and can look very different depending on what’s being marketed. With that said, common elements of brand marketing include:
Specific colours
Typefaces
Logos and other imagery
Tone of voice and word choice
Brand values
Brand promises
Brand positioning
Naturally, some of these elements are more tangible (and immediately recognizable) than others. So let’s take a look at how Barbie tackled each one, and why it turned out to be such an incredible success.
The Barbie Brand Makeover
Naturally, the Barbie brand and its parent company, Mattel, have been household names for a long time. But prior to this new film, they weren’t known for much beyond the famous toys and a handful of direct-to-DVD movies aimed at kids.
With Barbie (2023), however, this formula was shaken, stirred, and flipped on its head. It all started a few months back when the movie and its cast was announced. People couldn’t believe the star-studded line-up, but that wasn’t all. Each image was graphically designed to perfection; cheerful, plastic tones contrasting brilliantly against stunning photos of each actor that toe the line of reality. Immediately, the tone for this new movie was set—this wasn’t the Barbie film you saw on TV growing up. Instead, we understood straight away that this would be a new, fresh take on Barbie for a modern audience.
As more news dripped out about the film, the brand was only strengthened, and the hype along with it. And when the film was finally released, it completely blew all expectations out of the water. So how did they do it, and what does brand marketing have to do with that success?
Nostalgia – Let’s get this one out of the way. Obviously, nostalgia is a huge moneymaker, especially for Hollywood, which seems intent on rebooting, prequelling, or sequelling just about every film that ever turned a profit. But regardless of how you feel about this trend, you have to admit that it works. Because people tend to have fond memories of Barbie from their childhood, Mattel was able to capitalize on nostalgia with the power of immediate brand recognition.
Knowing the Audience – Another key part of effective marketing is to know who you’re trying to reach, and to understand the best way to reach them. For Barbie, they were targeting more than one demographic, but obviously had a deep understanding of the best way to connect with each one.
Huge, Multi-Platform Marketing Pushes – This is a less accessible marketing method than some of the others, as not everyone has Mattel money to throw around on massive marketing campaigns. But the sheer amount of media and advertising that was done ahead of this movie is simply staggering and definitely helped get the word out to people who may not have heard about the film otherwise.
Modern Themes – Relating to brand values and identity are the central themes in Barbie. Rather than pulling back from valid modern-day concerns, they embraced these themes, showing a sympathy and understanding that many large brands would shy away from. Whether it’s the strong female roles in the movie, the overarching messages regarding patriarchy and gender, or its commitment to inclusivity in its storytelling, this movie firmly positioned itself on the side of so many, which likely helped it succeed as much as it did.
Collaboration – Last but not least, collaboration and tie-ins were a huge part of the buzz around Barbie. Mattel teamed up with countless influencers, celebrities, and other figures in the public eye to help generate hype around the film and add value to it as a brand.
A Note on Investing in Marketing
There’s one crucial piece of Barbie’s success that we haven’t mentioned yet: investment. Make no mistake, all this hype cost money!
Barbie cost $145 million just to make the movie and reportedly had a marketing budget of $150 million, which is a massive amount to dedicate solely to advertising. But evidently, the budget more than paid off—the film made a whopping $162 million on opening day alone (a blockbuster record), earning their marketing spend back right away plus a profit of $12 million, or 8%.
But at the time of this writing, the film has made nearly $1.2 billion worldwide, so the big budget has already more than paid off. But investment doesn’t only refer to cold, hard cash. It also means an investment in every other aspect of the film. For example, a few of the leads went on an actual tour to promote the film, which is the kind of commitment you don’t always see for big Hollywood productions.
Overall, the investment has more than delivered for both the brand and the bank account. While huge, record-breaking profits are great, it’s also paid off culturally. While we might be past the peak of Pink Fever (until we get word of a Barbie sequel, that is), take a look around! Mannequins in stores are dressed in cute pink looks. Trends for fashion and beyond have been Barbie-fied, with people from all walks of life rocking bright, sunny shades. Some brands have even jumped on the pink trend for their own marketing!
All of this is to say that Barbie took a big risk with its investment, not only financially but also with the way it insisted on a committed, unified front from its brand and its cast. While we sadly don’t all have $150 million to blow on a global marketing campaign, there’s still a lot we can learn from this approach. Let’s take a look.
Brand Marketing in the Post-Barbie Era
With all that said, how can we take the success of a marketing campaign like Barbie and apply it to the work we do for our own businesses? There are lots of ways. For one, a strong, consistent visual theme goes a long way to tie media and content together in an effortless way. Think of the way Barbie has virtually monopolized the colour pink this month (we’re pretty happy about this, by the way—we were into pink way before it was cool 😉). Even without the word ‘Barbie’ anywhere, we’re immediately transported to the visual world of the film by a simple shade—that’s brand recognition.
We can also learn a lot from Barbie’s approach to brand identity and positioning. Some businesses are under the impression that it’s alienating and generally not a good idea to take stances. Many brands shy away from anything that might be controversial, even when it comes to something as universally important as women’s rights or diversity in the arts. Take a page out of the Barbie book, and don’t be afraid to position your brand in line with the things you believe. You may not get every single sale, but people who do align with your positioning will likely be more loyal to your business in the future.
Remember that marketing is always an investment—as long as it’s done well. While Barbie may have enjoyed an eye-watering $150 million marketing budget, you don’t need to mortgage your house five times over to succeed in your own marketing journey. Remember to trust in what you’re doing and what you have to offer, and accept the fact that you’ll need to spend some money to see a return when it comes to something as essential as marketing.
Think about collaboration and multi-media as ways to generate buzz through both organic and paid marketing. Working with influencers and other professional accounts, for example, can be a great way to generate hype and interest in what you have to offer. Two heads are always better than one, so keep an eye out for potential collaborators to work with.
Last but not least, Barbie was a story worth getting behind. All the marketing in the world wouldn’t have saved this film if it was a boring, repetitive summer blockbuster. But instead, this was a movie that took risks, had a one-of-a-kind style, and most importantly, had something to say. The people behind it had passion and belief in its importance, and you can seriously feel it in every aspect of the ‘brand’ of the film. When we watched the movie, we were immediately reminded of the brands we work with—small businesses run by passionate people who truly believe in what they’re doing. When you trust in what you have to offer, each and every other piece comes so much easier.
If you’re looking for a marketing agency with style, substance, and solutions, BNL has you covered! We’re here to transform your brand into something riveting, turning your message into a phenomenon that spreads and grows as people connect with it. Curious to learn more? Let’s chat! Don’t hesitate to get in touch today.