C’mon Barbie, let’s go party! 👠👛💅💄💞The highly anticipated Barbie film is set to release this month, and it is expected to be the ultimate movie event of the year!
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you must have noticed that the Barbie movie craze has taken the world by storm. But why? Why the Barbie frenzy? And, most importantly, how did their marketing team succeed in generating such a remarkable Barbie movie craze? It’s a combo of cool ideas, but here are 5 fun strategies inspired by Barbie’s creative marketing approach and how to introduce them into your own marketing efforts.
1. Stick to your brand’s colors!
Pink! Pink! Pink! Barbie is all about pink! Did you know that the shade of pink Barbie decided to use on set was temporarily unavailable worldwide? Barbie used so much of their pink shade that no one else could even access it. You don’t have to go to such extremes, but adhering to your brand colors is important! Consistency and cohesion with your colors builds brand recognition and recall – it is how people may identify your business. By incorporating your brand colors consistently across your entire business, including social media, collateral materials, website, and more, your brand better connects with consumers and unifies your marketing efforts.
2. Collaborate with other businesses!
The Barbie Dreamhouse was recently featured on Architectural Digest’s YouTube channel, and not only can you take a virtual tour of it, but you can also book a stay through Airbnb! The Barbie brand has collaborated with numerous businesses, influencers, organizations and more. Barbie-themed Xbox console and controllers. Barbie-inspired ice cream at Coldstone Creamery. NYX’s Barbie makeup line. There are dozens of clever, creative partnerships that benefit both brands. What makes the Barbie craze even cooler is that it’s not just about watching the movie; you can fully immerse yourself in the Barbie world through these collaborations. The key takeaway here is: Don’t go at it alone! When you smartly partner with other businesses or like-minded brands, you also benefit from their efforts and can extend your reach to their audience as well. A true win-win that generates excitement and grows engagement for both your brands.
3. Lean into the magic of nostalgia!
One of the reasons people are so excited about the Barbie movie is the sense of nostalgia it evokes. The Barbie movie is filled with moments that make fans genuinely want to scream because of how much they remind you of playing with Barbie dolls as a kid. When Barbie takes off her high heel and her foot stays pointed, like the doll. When she effortlessly floats from floor to floor in the Barbie Dreamhouse, because when you play with Barbie dolls, you never make them walk down the stairs. These little nods to our childhoods make the movie even sweeter and can be applied to any marketing effort. Your business can evoke nostalgic feelings by reminding your audience of what it was like when they were a kid – fun and funny memories that we all share or making fun references to classic content from the past. So, take a cue from Barbie – by really leaning into the retro, paying homage to the past, and sparking some nostalgic feelings, you may capture the attention and the hearts of your audience.
4. Music makes marketing BETTER!
The Barbie soundtrack is everything. However, Barbie is no ordinary girl. She doesn’t just have the classic movie soundtrack album. Barbie has been announcing the artists featured on the album, creating Spotify playlists, and releasing six different versions of their vinyl record, all of which you will want to collect because they are simply gorgeous. People have a deep love for music, and it provides a fantastic avenue for connecting with them.
While many businesses are present on social media platforms, they often overlook a crucial one: Spotify! At Good JuJu, we take pride in curating holiday playlists and team members’ “Top Picks” playlists filled with their favorite songs. Wouldn’t it be amazing if Peloton released playlists for workouts, Forever 21 provided playlists for shopping, or White Claw curated a “Sipping by the Pool” playlist? There is immense potential for your business to incorporate music into your brand identity and tap into this audio opportunity.
5. Create content that people can participate with!
When Barbie announced the entire cast of all the Barbies and Kens for the movie, they did so in an iconic manner. They presented everyone through a series of Barbie movie posters, each featuring a tagline like “This Barbie is a doctor,” “This Barbie is a mermaid,” and “He’s Just Ken.” But they didn’t stop there – they involved everyone in the process! They developed an AI Selfie Generator that allowed people to transform themselves into Barbies too. In the AI generator, users can choose from five background colors for their star, take a selfie or upload a picture, select whether they wanted to be a “Barbie” or a “Ken,” and then write a brief description to complete the phrase “This Barbie/Ken is… ___.” This campaign completely took over social media. Everyone, including businesses, eagerly participated by filling out the generator. When you create interactive content that people can actively engage with, they are more likely to be involved and invested in your brand.
Barbie’s marketing strategies have been instrumental in grabbing the attention of audiences worldwide…and not letting go. Barbie has been a mainstay in marketing for over 60 years, always changing, adapting and reinventing herself and her brand as the times and technology changed. Now, Barbie has once again become the “it girl” by creating a multi-dimensional, cross-promotional, and omnichannel experience for fans of all ages.
Applying these strategies or similar ideas to your own marketing efforts can help your business stand out and create a lasting impact. Just like Barbie, your brand can inspire enthusiasm, positivity, partnership, creativity, nostalgia and pure, unadulterated pink fun! Be authentic and stick to your brand, bold colors and all. Like Ken & Barbie, collaborate and partner up with another brand to double the fun. Lean into the magic and memories that nostalgic messaging can evoke. Let playlists help “sing” your brand’s story and cleverly integrate music into all your marketing efforts. Make your content user-friendly, uniquely engaging and easy to be a part of or participate with. By taking some creative cues from Barbie, you’ll be able to captivate hearts and create unforgettable experiences for your audience. Now c’mon, go and make your brand shine!
