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Thanks to a strong performance at the box office and a juggernaut marketing strategy, Barbie is everywhere right now. The iconic, decades-old brand simultaneously reinvented itself with a 2023 blockbuster hit movie while building upon a loyal customer base and reputation. Of course, having a healthy marketing budget, say $150 million, also helps. Still, there are several lessons marketers should note when analyzing the success of the Barbie movie marketing campaign.
1. Create an Emotional Connection
Humans are wired (literally) to remember and connect with stories; whenever you communicate, consider taking a storytelling approach. Your marketing tactics should zero in on the specific story you want to tell your audience, and of course, your audience should be the main character in that story. Although the Barbie movie chronicles the individual journey of the titular character, it always connects back to the viewer watching the film.
2. Embrace the Power of Nostalgia
The Barbie movie ignited a wave of shared experiences across generations by leaning into some of the most recognizable aspects of the Barbie brand in its marketing. For example, many of their social posts, like the image shown below, featured graphic designs that mimicked the packaging of a Barbie box. Consider the shared experiences of your target audience and some of the most beloved campaigns or products you’ve executed in the past; how can you refresh them for a new strategy?
3. Remember Representation Matters
The Barbie movie features actors of different racial and ethnic backgrounds, body types, and abilities, reflecting the realities of the world we live in. To connect with your brand and marketing, your audience needs to see themselves in your campaigns, literally. Take some time to audit and critically reflect upon your existing marketing collateral. Use data (not assumptions) if you have it to understand the demographic makeup of your target audience. If your marketing doesn’t reflect your audience, you’re doing yourself (and your customers) a disservice to say the least.
4. Leverage Merchandising
The Barbie franchise has long mastered the art of merchandising and co-marketing. The film has done the same with tremendous success. Again, this can take a lot more resources and planning than simply sending an additional email in an existing campaign. But if you’re able to identify that emotional connection or brand story we discussed earlier in this post, then you already have a place to start. Consider how you can expand the story you want to tell your audience into merchandise that makes sense for your brand.
Putting it Together: Customer-Centric Marketing
Ultimately, the Barbie movie shows that a customer-centric marketing approach can drive tremendous results. The customer-centric approach emphasizes the relationship a brand or organization has with its customers. When the mindset shifts from a message-driven strategy to a customer-driven strategy, tactics foster a more meaningful, mutually beneficial relationship between both parties.
With experts in loyalty marketing, CRM, paid media, and data analysis, Response Labs can help you build a customer-centric marketing strategy that builds upon the lessons learned from Barbie’s spectacular marketing efforts. We love helping brands create meaningful connections with their customers. Our driving purpose: Make Every Message Matter™.
