What was the latest movie you watched? Was it of your favorite star, a friend’s recommendation or did you see its advertisement somewhere? Of course! Whatever the means, it somewhere appeals to your interest that’s why you are investing your time in it. This is called marketing management which can pave the way to blockbuster success. And do you know an interesting fact about these popular movies? The marketing plan starts even before the stars are cast.
Content creators on social media started dropping hints to arouse curiosity among audiences across the world. They develop the content with such skill which makes a trend over the internet. And when news is officially released by the makers and stars things get accelerated. Movies can gain a huge profit if they can arouse a sense of curiosity among the audience, resulting in crores of box office collections on the first day.
Let’s talk about a movie that has marked a history with its skillful marketing management. Barbie- a story of a plastic doll engaging kids specifically girls. But, they changed this and came up with a mind-blowing marketing strategy that appealed to every age group regardless of gender. People invested their time and money in the movie beating the box office collection of Oppenheimer. Let’s unwrap the creative marketing strategies they used to market their movie.
Barbie: The Nostalgic Extravaganza
Barbie will turn 65 this 2024 and has been a profitable toy business. It was recently when this profitable Barbie doll was in loss for straight three years. Eventually, Barbie 2023 gained profit and covered up the losses. Barbie 2023, before the release, collaborated with 165 brands, undertook traditional marketing, and painted the whole world pink.
During the release, it felt like we were just a part of Barbie’s world. Because you spot pink Barbie vibes everywhere. A brand strategist Moshe Issacian wrote on Twitter,
The devil works hard, but the Barbie marketing team is insane.
Let’s look into the marketing management and tactics they used to market the brand:
Traditional Marketing
Barbie’s marketing team didn’t miss one chance. They used everything and everywhere to get the eyeball of the audience. Using various creative means to market Barbie 2023. They painted the world pink making their brand color recognizable worldwide.
Large Billboards
They targeted the audience with current values and mindset. Look at the tagline, “She is everything. He’s just Ken.” Targeting the values of the current audience and striking the right chord to excite people in the movie. Which compels them to invest time and money in the movie. Here their marketing management is proof that just a little push to values can be a great success trick.
Bus Stop Ads
But, marketing management didn’t stop there and kept on amazing the audience. Every bus stop was colored pink with some fabulously creative commuters and passersby witnessed glimpses of Barbie’s world. Everyone was sharing pictures of Barbie posters and talking about the exceptional marketing strategy they used to promote the movie.
One ride away from a fabulous movie experience.
Experiential Marketing
Living a Barbie life is every girl’s childhood dream and they made it a reality. They used partnership and experiential marketing in the bucket list. Hosted a Dreamhouse in Malibu and gave away Barbie-themed Xbox consoles along with collaboration with big brands like Chanel, NYX Cosmetics, and Burger King.
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Digital Marketing
They not only painted the world pink, they turned everything pink. And that pink wind got carried away to the internet which evoked curiosity among the audience. The buzz was not limited to one platform but, actually waved across countries crossed seas. Everyone around the world was talking about the Barbie 2023.
Google Turned Pink
The biggest move that the marketing team made was to turn Google into their brand color. Whenever anyone searched for Barbie, there were cute animations added to entice search. It even became the talk of the town and many people even twitted, posted screenshots, and wrote articles in this context. Setting a great example of marketing management.
Influencer Marketing
They invited all the influencers to premier to create a buzz on social media. A list of influencers like Yinka Bokinni, Georgia Meacham, Twinkle, Amira Arasteh, Amel Rachedi, and many others influencers were invited for the movie screening. Everywhere on social media influencers were talking about the movie and sharing their outfits and excitement. A great trick to advertising on social media with an impact.
Partnership with Metaverse
Forever 21 collaborated with Barbie and launched their Barbie collection. It doesn’t stop here. They replicated the designs and put them in the virtual realm of Roblox. And there’s more; they included a contest where the winner could recreate a fashion style in the game.
Barbie Selfie Generator
The marketing management was not limited to billboards and trends. To engage their audience they even launched a Barbie Selfie generator. Even though this strategy may not seem attractive at first yet, it is a great idea to engage users. Selfie generators became fun across social media, and even celebrities participated in this fun activity including Rihanna and actor Pedro Pascal.
These playful and creative marketing plans contributed to a $155 million opening weekend at the box office.
Lessons for Marketers
Today you might consider marketing management as an expense that can burn a hole in your pocket. Whereas, in the long term, it can help you in many things. You can attract investors and consumers, if you are continuously working on marketing. Make sure you know about the marketing functions before starting on this.
The Barbie movie proved that whatever your industry, you have to work on everything to promote your brand with consistency. It’s not that you have to sell every time, you can sometimes raise brand awareness. Or add a smile to your audience’s face with something playful or cheerful. Thus, next time you sit down to strategize make sure to add some outside-the-box ideas. Sometimes it is not about selling, it is about leaving a mark on your allure.
