While the Barbie movie had a huge marketing budget, it was one of the most effective campaigns I’ve seen, and ultimately one of my favorites. Its niche messaging hit home to every demographic  and worked across so many different channels that everyone wanted to hop on the pink bandwagon.

I would be remiss to let International Barbie Day pass by without sharing my top 5 campaign highlights:

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. The Barbie Tour Wardrobe:
               Kudos to Margot Robbie and her stylist, Andrew Mukamal, for pulling off a wardrobe inspired by our favorite Barbie looks. What better way to promote Barbie than through the living Barbie herself? A few of my favorite looks include:
               • 2024 Golden Globes: Superstar Barbie from 1977
               • 2023 Gotham Awards: Black Magic Ensemble Barbie from 196
               • European Barbie premiere held in London: Enchanted Evening Barbie from 1990
               • Los Angeles premiere: Solo in the Spotlight Barbie from 1960

               To view these styles or learn more about Margot Robbie’s Barbie Tour looks, check out Harper’s Bazaar’s article Every Look From Margot Robbie’s Barbie Tour Wardrobe.

            2. The Barbie Selfie Generator:
               The public went crazy over their ability to use the Barbie Selfie Generator to create promotional posters with their own personal photos to share online. This was a brilliant way to get people to market the movie for them!

            3. The Color Pink:
               It is impossible to see the color pink and not associate it with Barbie. With over 100 collaborations rolling out with the release of the movie, the color was everywhere and almost overwhelmingly so. The pink craze aside though, there was a lot of thought put into all of the colors that were either used or banned from appearing throughout the movie. For example:

            • Black, white, and chrome were not allowed in Barbieland’s pink paradise.
            • The absence of red in Barbieland was symbolic of the lack of aggression and other negative emotions.
            • Blue becomes more present the more Barbie is lost in thought and reflection.
            • As Ken transforms Barbieland, the ugly colors from the real world are suddenly present (Black, white, brown, grays, chrome)

            The amount of thought put into the color theory in Barbie is impressive and it had a huge payout. I mean, how many movies can you identify just by looking at the color used to promote it? For some insight to the color theory and the history behind the pink that everyone associates with Barbie, check out colorcured.com’s article The Power Of Pink: How The Barbie Movie Generated A Worldwide Craze, 1 Billion Dollars + Over 100 Brand Partnerships.

            4. Merchandising and Collaborations:
               While the Barbie movie incorporated modern themes to help rejuvenate the Barbie brand and make the doll more relevant to today’s kids, it was a brilliant move to not limit the merchandising to just Barbie dolls. By opening up licensing to different collaborations, Mattel had an endless supply of companies advocating and promoting the Barbie brand.
               A few of my favorites include:
               • Airbnb: two guests were lucky enough to stay in the newly revamped Malibu Dreamhous
               • Burger King (at participating Brazil locations): Barbie inspired meals featuring a burger with pink sauce, a pink milkshake, a pink frosted donut, and ‘just Ken frie
               • Homesick’s Candles: Barbie™ Dreamhouse™ Scented Candle
               • Cold Stone Creamery: All That Glitters is Pink™ Creation™
               • Impala Skate: Barbie™ The Movie x Impala Skate Collection
               • CHI: CHI x Barbie™ Totally Hair Collection
               • Google: Barbie Sparkles on Search Results

               To learn more about some of the fan favorite collaborations, check out InStyle’s article Every Barbie Brand Collaboration Out Right Now.

            5. The Taglines:
               The tagline “If you love Barbie, this movie is for you. If you hate Barbie, this movie is for you.” really held true to its word. Barbie not only leveraged nostalgia to appeal to those who played with Barbie, but they also recognized and addressed that the public has harbored mixed feelings regarding the gender stereotypes the doll represents. Barbie’s refreshed storyline hit home in a way that its audience responded not only to the messaging, but also to its relevant and timely delivery.

               “She’s everything, he’s just Ken” is another tagline that was destined to go viral. With this creative statement promoting a flip on the societal viewpoint that women are often in the background of a successful man, it was inevitable that memes would start circulating that showcased famous couples in which females outshine their male counterparts.

               “I’m Kenough,” might not be the feminist tagline you would expect from the Barbie movie, but it went just as viral as the Barbie centric taglines. While Barbie had strong ties to feminism, the movie was not actually anti-male. In fact, I personally found Ken’s character arch to be just as captivating as Barbie’s.

               Ken’s journey begins with him not knowing who he is or understanding his worth outside of the attention of Barbie. As he follows Barbie into the real world and begins exploring its male dominated culture, Ken finds himself intrigued by the concept of patriarchy and the shifts he sees in gender roles. He takes these ideas back to Barbieland, where he over-corrects and creates a new world founded on toxic masculinity, complete with his very own Mojo Dojo Casa House. Despite the confidence he exerts in this new world, Ken is eventually forced to recognize that he still has many insecurities. It is only when he addresses these insecurities that Ken realizes he is enough. Finally satisfied with who he is outside of the expectations set upon him, Ken is seen dawning a hoodie with the tagline “I am Kenough.” Myself, and other viewers instantly fell in love with this sentiment, and #ImKenough and ‘I’m Kenough’ merchandise became the next viral sensation.

      While the success of the Barbie movie was in part to it being a good movie, the marketing team behind the movie really deserves a round of applause for breaking through traditional marketing ploys, and filling the seats at over 4,000 North American theaters. By leveraging nostalgia, trendy marketing channels, and immersive experiences, they really exceeded all expectations and garnered substantial results from their campaigns that will be remembered for years to come.