How Barbie is Turning the World Pink

Last year, I shared how the marketing for the horror movie Smile took a scary approach with a stunt that staged actors in the background of live news programs and baseball games. This year, the upcoming Barbie movie is taking a less scary approach to marketing to make us feel like we are truly living in a Barbie World.

Chances are if you have been watching TV or scrolling on social media, Barbie has flooded your screen with advertising, brand collaborations, influencer partnerships, original music and most notably, the signature Barbie pink!

In a previous post, Rayna discussed the psychology of color and covered how the color of your brand can give insight into what you represent while evoking emotional responses that can make your branding efforts more successful. This has never been truer than Barbie, which is painting the world pink to spread the word on the new movie.

From Xbox to Cold Stone to Crocs, Barbie has expanded far beyond the big screen to become a part of our everyday lives and the items we use. With 100+ brands currently collaborating with Barbie, this strategy keeps her at the forefront and makes consumers fully aware of the movie, even if they don’t go see it.

While brand collaborations are not a new marketing strategy, Barbie has taken the concept to a new level of domination. You can even rent Barbie’s Malibu DreamHouse on Airbnb!

Another key element of the movie’s marketing campaign is its audience segmentation strategy. While some of the movie’s collaborations and content are geared toward younger audiences, Barbie has tapped into nostalgia, an effective tool Alison has previously covered, to reach adult audiences through Margot Robbie’s red carpet looks of past dolls, architectural tours of the DreamHouse and much, much more.

Even though Barbie has been thriving since her launch in 1959, the marketing team behind the movie deserves a pat on the back for bringing the revolutionary doll to life in a fresh way.

Will you be seeing Barbie?