Let’s chat about the marketing campaign we can’t get enough of

You know the one. 

It started with a meme generator and it soon became apparent that this was going to be a marketing campaign us educators would be bringing up in classrooms for years to come. 

I’m not here to rain on the Barbie parade but I do want to remind you that the rumoured budget was $100 million, and that although there are a few somewhat novel tactics such as the dream house, meme generator etc., much of the campaign is stock standard, it’s just the sheer scale that is the impact point. 

At the moment it would be easier to make a list of who doesn’t have a brand partnership with Mattel. Clothing, food, beauty…you name it, there’s a collab! Barbie is EVERYWHERE but the strategy is simple - connection with aligned, established brands, in the wild activations and influencer marketing, traditional media and PR. It’s all there it’s just the marketing team hasn’t had to beg and plead for more budget. 

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great campaign. By the time the movie was released, it felt like we had been talking about it for years! My main point is that in this case, scale and scope of the campaign, the countless touch points to the extent that nobody can escape the brand, is the core strategy here. 

Side note: Don’t forget to take into account trademarks and licensing, there is a lot of content floating around that would breach copyright legislation!