The highly anticipated Barbie movie, to be released on July 20, has welcomed global audiences to Barbieland with a viral marketing campaign and an endless amount of brand partnerships.
It’s no coincidence that the iconic Barbie logo has made a comeback and that “Barbiecore” is trending this summer, considering that reportedly more than half of the film’s $100 million budget was directed towards marketing.
Social Media in a Barbie World
As the first trailer for the Barbie movie was released, the marketing team also released a Barbie-themed selfie generatorallowing fans to insert a photo of themselves into the immensely popular Barbie film posters.
The AI-generated filter went viral in record time, generating social media buzz around the upcoming release of the film among Gen Z-ers and broader generations, playing into the growing advertising nostalgia trend.
Brand Partnerships and Barbiecore
The Barbie marketing team has secured over 100 brand partnerships leading up to the July release of the film, ensuring that all audiences are surrounded by Barbie.
From clothing, gadgets and even food, everything is now Barbie-themed.
Some of the film’s most notable brand partnerships have been with trending brands such as Crocs’ Barbie-themed collection, Fossil’s luxury leather goods collection, and Barbie’s NYX Cosmetics make-up line.
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The Barbie movie even ventured into gaming, with a Barbie-themed special edition Xbox gaming console and exclusive Forza Horizon 5 in-game content.
As the premiere date draws closer, audiences will have their fair share of pink “Barbiecore” food, following the film’s partnerships with fast food chains like Burger King and Swoon’s Barbie Pink Lemonade.
Pink Burger, do Combo BK Barbie™️ pic.twitter.com/sAUpzTnKfA
— Burger King BR 💅💖🎀 (@BurgerKingBR) July 11, 2023
Viral Marketing in Barbie Land
Critics predict that Barbie’s movie opening weekend will garner $60 million at the box office, considering how prominent Barbie herself has become in media coverage in previous weeks.
Half a million articles have been written about Barbie since the release of the film’s trailer. Surprisingly, only 1.4% were about the trailer itself.
The remaining media coverage primarily focused on brand partnerships and celebrity buzz, proving that audiences are largely tuning in to the power of storytelling and a nostalgic return to Barbiecore.
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