What stands out for brand strategist Moshe Isaacian is how much of the promo around the film has savvily drawn on “what makes Barbie and the movie iconic,” he tells Vox - such as the rollerblades. Google any keywords related to the film right now, and watch the search engine’s typically staid colors turn pink, with pink sparkles raining down the screen. A Barbie selfie generator went somewhat viral a few months back. If your brand exists in 2023, chances are you did some kind of Barbie collab: a Bumble event featuring online dating tips from Barbie and Ken a Progressive Insurance commercial set in the Barbieverse a redesigned Roku City featuring Barbie’s Dreamhouse and a movie theater marquee advertising the film. There’s a Barbie Xbox that looks like a little dollhouse (though, personally, a Barbie-pink edition of the Nintendo Switch would have been way more enticing). ![]() Or take the surprise reveal of a Barbie Dreamhouse in Malibu, bookable on Airbnb. ![]() An army of rollerbladers wearing those exact skates promoted the movie at New York City Pride this year. There were some standout moments, like the blindingly neon Barbie rollerblades from Impala Skate, which went viral after the set photos leaked. In Brazil, there’s even a limited-edition Barbie cheeseburger from Burger King that’s dressed with a disturbingly pink sauce. Furniture brand Joybird has a slate of Barbie Dreamhouse-inspired seating to adorn your home. (Also important to note that Trisha Paytas did a haul vid of every Hot Topic x Barbie piece). You could build an entire closet out of them: A collection with Gap, Barbie x Bloomingdales, hot pink roller suitcases with luxury luggage brand Beis, a capsule collection with sneaker brand Superga, more makeup and skin care sets than we’re willing to count, accessories with Fossil, even a full-on assortment of clothes and accessories at Hot Topic, which has in recent years become a bastion for feeding fandom obsession and millennial nostalgia. The amount of Barbie film branded merch is pretty mind-numbing. No, this Barbie is all about securing brand deals. Never mind all the traditional advertising you might see on the street or on TV, as well as the magazine covers, talk show interviews, and Margot Robbie’s to-die-for red carpet outfits that come with a press tour (a tour, however, that has been interrupted by the WGA/SAG-AFTRA double strike). ![]() They’ve acquired an almost mythic stature, spawning memes and parodies of their terrifying prowess. The biggest stars of Barbie arguably aren’t Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken but the movie’s uncanny marketing team, which has worked overtime to ensure the doll, movie, and brand are inescapable this summer. Why the marketing campaign has everyone talking.Barbie’s total marketing spend hasn’t been confirmed, but it’s not uncommon for big studios to fork over $100 million or more on major releases (according to Deadline, global marketing for The Little Mermaid cost around $140 million.) After a few extremely shaky years for moviegoing, studios are ramping up to blowout ad campaigns again. But of course, Barbie fever is in many ways manufactured mania, with the backing of a Hollywood blockbuster marketing budget. That’s the double-edged sword of so much frenzied buzz.Ī kind of mob hysteria has taken hold of us in the past few months: the people are demanding cinematic Barbie - the version artfully masterminded by an esteemed auteur director, starring two beautiful and seriously regarded actors. Just as perfection only exists as an ideal never quite made flesh, Greta Gerwig’s desperately anticipated film based on the blonde plastic doll will necessarily disappoint some when the fantasy of its stunning promotion gives way to the reality of seeing the actual movie. The fact is, it’ll be nearly impossible for Barbie to live up to its hype.
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