How is Warner Brothers implementing the Barbie film campaign?

‘I am Kenough.’ The Barbie marketing campaign took the world by storm, the campaign included an innovative marketing strategy that allowed for the opportunity to reach and engage with consumers globally (Chaffey,2022). Throughout the campaign, nostalgia was a key element that allowed the campaign to use creative and unique tools that created a ‘distinctive emotional state’ for the consumers (Salahaldin,2022). Through this the campaign uses ‘personal nostalgia’ that can be exercised by memory and personal experience (Salahaldin,2022), this was implemented by the incorporation of the Barbie brand across the campaign through the inclusion of the iconic colour of pink and the inclusion of discontinued Barbie’s as seen on the character posters (Sharf,2023).

Fig 1, Barbie cast at a promotional event

With this, the marketing strategy had multiple objectives that were implemented throughout the campaign. In terms of creating excitement and curiosity for the consumers, the marketing team used a ‘breadcrumb strategy’ where elements of the film were released (Rubin,2023). This was seen through the initial picture of Barbie that was released at Cinema Con. Along with the initial teaser trailer that was 1min 14secs (Warner Bros. Pictures,2023) and this included snippets of the film without revealing too much information about the film. Moreover, these promotional tools can help build anticipation and generate conversations surrounding the campaign. Additionally, the film’s premiere in LA, Japan and London created viral moments across social media following actress Margot Robbie recreating iconic Barbie outfits, along with the cast primarily wearing pink outfits. These premieres were able to generate earned media by the attendance of influencers and celebrities who were able to promote this event on their social media.

Fig 2, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa and Nicki Minaj for the LA Barbie premiere

Fig 3, User Journey

Following this, the campaign had a series of owned media such as an official website (Warner Bros,2023), a social media presence on Instagram and Tik Tok that is separate to the brand of Mattel (Rubin,2023). This can allow for the campaign to have a global reach in spreading their promotional tools. In addition to this, the campaign also had a series of paid media that refers to an investment made by the brand to be a part of the campaign (Chaffey,2022). This included the partnership with Google, where the search engine had a Barbie theme when searching members of the cast such as Ryan Gosling. Along with, adverts being produced across social media that showed snippets of the film and the trailer being screened in cinemas before Avatar: The Way of Water (Rubin,2023).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zIf0XvoL9Y

Fig 4, Barbie Teaser Trailer

Fig 5, SWOT Analysis

Arguably, the digital marketing allows for the campaign to have innovative techniques to reach and engage consumers (Chaffey,2022). This was seen in the Barbie marketing using an AI website where consumers could immerse themselves into the ‘Barbie World’, their social media presence on TikTok and Instagram which resulted in the creation of ‘Barbenheimer’ by fans. The creation of ‘Barbenheimer’ resulted in memes being shared across social media, this acted as a promotional tool for the films Oppenheimer and Barbie (Barber,2023). In addition to this, the digital marketing of the campaign made it possible to interact with fandoms and this was due to the release of the soundtrack that included artists such as Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish which resulted in creating excitement for the film (Osborne,2023). Overall, this resulted in the campaign generating earned media that allowed for the campaign to be promoted by discourses taking place across social media (Chaffey,2022).

 Fig 6, Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig

However, there is a threat of oversaturation as the marketing campaign was inescapable for the public it may cause audiences to be reluctant to engage with the marketing campaign. On the other hand, it raised the opportunity for the marketing campaign to work with different brands under Mattel’s licensing brand (Rubin,2023). The campaign had over 100 partnerships that included the Malibu Barbie Dreamhouse on Airbnb (Addley,2023) which gave the opportunity for influencers to be invited and create content which added to the promotional strategy. Additionally, it raised the opportunity of merchandising to be created by Mattel, this was done by creating merchandise with taglines related to the film such as ‘Kenergy’ and ‘I am Kenough’. However, due to the SAG AFTRA strike it resulted in the actors being restricted in promoting the film by posting on social media and taking part in press junkets. This means that the campaign could continue based off the brand partnerships and the discourse taking place on social media.

Fig 7, AirBnb Malibu Barbie Dreamhouse

Reference List

Addley, E. (2023) From Airbnb to Xbox: brand Barbie goes for big bucks with 100 partnerships. The Guardian. Available from: From Airbnb to Xbox: brand Barbie goes for big bucks with 100 partnerships | Barbie | The Guardian (Accessed on: 12th November 2023)

Barber, N. (2023) What does ‘Barbenheimer’ really mean for Hollywood? BBC News. Available from: Barbie movie soundtrack breaks UK singles chart record - BBC News (Accessed on: 12th November 2023)

Beckett, L. (2023) How did Barbie do it? Warner’s head of marketing on creating a ‘pink movement’. The Guardian. Available from: How did Barbie do it? Warner’s head of marketing on creating a ‘pink movement’ | Barbie | The Guardian (Accessed on: 12th November 2023)

Chaffey, D (2022) Digital Marketing. Montreuil: Pearson.

Hartmann, B. (2019) Nostalgia marketing and (re-)enchantment. International Journal of Research in Marketing Vol. 36, Issue 4.

Jackson, A. (2021) Greta Gerwig to direct ‘Barbie’ with Margot Robbie, filming to start in 2022. Variety. Available from: Greta Gerwig to Direct 'Barbie,' Starring Margot Robbie (variety.com) (Accessed on:12th November 2023)

McLaren, B. (2023) Barbie movie: How the marketing campaign has got everyone talking. BBC News. Available from: Barbie movie: How the marketing campaign has got everyone talking - BBC News (Accessed on: 12th November 2023)

Osborne, F (2023) Barbie movie soundtrack breaks UK singles chart record. BBC News. Available from: Barbie movie soundtrack breaks UK singles chart record - BBC News (Accessed on:12th November 2023)

Rubin, R. (2023) Barbie Marketing Campaign Explained: How Warner Bros promoted the film. Variety. Available from: Barbie Marketing Campaign Explained: How Warner Bros Promoted the Film (variety.com) (Accessed on: 12th November 2023)

Salahaldin, A. (2022) Nostalgia Marketing as an effective mechanism for maximizing brand value: A field research for LC Waikiki fashion stores group in Iraq. International Journal of Professional Business Review, Vol. 7 Issue 5.

Sherman, N. (2023) Barbie movie reverses Mattel’s toy sales slump. BBC News. Available from: Barbie movie reverses Mattel's toy sales slump - BBC News (Accessed on: 12th November 2023)

Sharf, Z. (2023) ‘Barbie’ posters unveil every Barbie and Ken actor in Margot Robbie’s film: Dua Lipa, Simu Liu and more. Variety. Available from: Barbie Movie Posters Reveal Cast: Margot Robbie, Dua Lipa & More (variety.com) (Accessed on: 12th November 2023)

Warner Bros. Pictures (2023) Barbie Teaser Trailer. YouTube. Available on: Barbie | Teaser Trailer - YouTube (Accessed on: 8th November 2023)