#3: Barbie Girl
I was once voted "Most Likely to Have a Career as Barbie Dream House Architect," so the BARBIE (2023) promotion cycle is thrilling to me personally
The IV drip that is continuous media fed me well this week! I’m talking of course about the overwhelming amount of Barbie movie collaboration coverage. From Krispy Kreme doughnuts to Xbox (??? incredible), you can find practically any consumer good of your choosing dripped out in glitter and pink. (This is especially pleasing to me, a former child who played with Barbie dolls until she was thirteen.)
No surprises here—I could feel the Barbie Marketing Extravagaaawnza in my Zarxio-enriched bones last month when I was first served a Kitsch x Barbie ad. Then a Homesick x Barbie ad. Then a Funboy x Barbie ad. Then, safely removed from my phone screen, confronted with a decadent window display of Forever21 x Barbie. Finally powerless to the siren call of Mattel’s poster girl, I abandoned my morality clause against F21 and tried on every item in the collection. (But did not purchase!! Important!!)
I knew then as I shimmied into a pink bedazzled scuba skirt that our days as a Barbie- ambivalent society were over. Soon every news outlet, TikToker, and cultural critic would be foaming at the mouth to discuss the Barbie Capitalism Machine. And if my media feed this week is any indication, I was correct: the buzz is buzzing. Round-ups documenting the sheer volume of partnerships seem most popular. My greatest joy would be seeing any of this merchandise worn out in the world without a trace of irony.
(I, for one, am only seriously contemplating this Super Yaki tee shirt. Otherwise I’ll be sporting my trusty Four Men and Greta Gerwig shirt on opening day.)
What’s driving the fascination? I imagine a couple of things. One, it’s so much fun. Our current simulation is more cracked than all the iPhones of a fraternity house combined, so what better way to calm our consumption-driven society than by literally Baker-Millering them with a resplendent, pink, multi-pronged marketing campaign?
Two, with the abundance of streaming content these days, I struggle to remember the last BIG campaign a studio consciously and considerately shepherded to the public. Stranger Things, maybe? And what was the last summer blockbuster that was unapologetically feminine? An underserved film-going demographic, says I. And if the Eras tour is any indication, the girlies want to be entertained and catered toward, damn it. Let us put on our sparkly little dresses and have a good time!
Also, the movie team has serious Monopoly Mattel money to play with. The toymakers are laser-focused on maximizing the Barbie discourse and have been for some time so the resources are flowingggg. From my own marketing experience, it was always more enjoyable and interesting to partner with an established brand to promote a book. I spy a lot of blue sky brainstorming sessions coming to fruition. Too bad a Diet Coke x Barbie collab is probably off the table… anecdotally, the consumer overlap is strong.
What happens next?? I can’t see the promotional train halting any time soon. And we’re still twenty days away from the film’s premiere! I love it.
Sidewalk Reporting
It’s been a challenge to get my daily walks in when the temperatures hover near triple digits so I’m confined to early morning and twilight hours with sliiiightly cooler temperatures. The upside: lots of pretty sunsets. Even the crepe myrtles know it’s Barbie season lol