Table of Contents
- 1️⃣ Creating a single point of peak activity:
- 2️⃣ Segmentation and new audiences:
- 3️⃣ Creating for virality:
- 4️⃣ It’s also not just about a single moment – creating the upsell:
- 5️⃣ The Investors Claim the Spoils:
- 6️⃣ Brand Codes Matter:
The Barbie marketing team have been doing a BRILLIANT job.
Pink billboard ads. Shots of the dream house the team built in Malibu. Behind-the-scenes tours with Margot Robbie and more. The team behind advertising the new Barbie Movie have been doing a BIG job, gathering their efforts behind the Barbie film, to be released on July 21st.
The attention feels impressive. Barbie had been struggling to remain relevant for quite a while. From her peak in the 90s as the unchallenged queen of the dollhouse, Barbie’s sales saw a sharp drop in the following decades – eight successive quarters of decline was reported in 2015.
Yet by 2021, the brand posted record sales of $1.7 Billion for Mattel. While 2023 started with “profits and revenue had fallen short of forecasts” it feels like momentum is gathering behind the film on social media, at the very least.
But I can’t help shake the feeling that building an entire house and having Margot Robbie showing the internet around it isn’t available to most marketers.
So, here are six principles we can take from Barbie, but applying them in a world that feels a bit closer and available to the rest of us:
1️⃣ Creating a single point of peak activity:
To quote Mark Ritson – “our brands are little things”. That means to say we can’t expect people to be thinking about our brand regularly. Barbie is as established as it is, it could be a never-ending battle for attention.
Instead, the film coming out on July 21st gives the Barbie team a single point to push their efforts towards – to create a peak of engagement and a new wave of momentum. We can all artificially create that through scarcity or working towards single dates or events.
2️⃣ Segmentation and new audiences:
As a company Mattel have been plugging into an adult audience, as well as their traditional toy-playing younger segment. The film is an example but so was their foray into NFTs. This shift opens up new market opportunities. We can all look at whether our current targeting is correct, or whether new segments could be more profitable.
3️⃣ Creating for virality:
Despite seemingly being everywhere, part of the marketing strategy for Barbie was to create viral moments, rather than invest unlimited sums. They’re pushing against an open door with their brand awareness, but the stunts have indeed gone viral through creative execution. For the rest of us – how can we match this creativity?
4️⃣ It’s also not just about a single moment – creating the upsell:
Marvel, Star Wars, Disney etc have created great films that have created bigger merchandise revenues after the films have been watched. Barbie will be hoping for the same. We can similarly be looking for opportunities to extend our product offerings beyond a single moment and build on the brand work we’ve been doing to create longer-term relationships.
5️⃣ The Investors Claim the Spoils:
Despite number three, in a rough market, any form of investment is likely to have a greater share of voice. It’s a tough call, but if there is the ability to invest while others are cutting back – it’s a good one (generally)
6️⃣ Brand Codes Matter:
Barbie’s font and pink colouring are distinctive because it’s been built over years and years and years. Unless it’s actively damaging the brand or completely unrepresentative of who you are – looking, sounding and feeling like your brand consistently is important.
For the rest of us, that means turning up, regularly, in the same shape and with the same message again and again – remembering that you are likely to get bored of your branding way before the customer ever does.