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The new live action Barbie movie came out on July 21, 2023. For months, this movie was advertised in over 100 brand partnerships. From clothing store collaborations and Barbie-themed fast-food items to Barbie’s Malibu Dreamhouse Airbnb, Barbie was practically everywhere you looked.
Clothing
Margot Robbie, the star of Barbie, has inspired many fashion trends this year. Set photos of her filming Barbie were released early this year, and people made “Barbiecore” the new fashion aesthetic. Popular clothing stores like Forever 21, Gap, PacSun, and Bloomingdales had collaborations with Barbie to advertise the new movie. This was a great way to promote the movie because not only were people wearing clothes that advertised Barbie, but stores had Barbie advertised on signs in their windows to promote the movie as well. Many people dressed in all pink to show their excitement for the movie. This may not have directly promoted the movie, but it showed the overall power of the brand that Barbie has built.
Food
Even food chains such as McDonald’s, Burger King, and Cold Stone had collaborations with Barbie to promote the movie. McDonald’s had a pink Barbie milkshake that went viral on TikTok. TikTok users would get their pink Barbie shake, take a sip, and then “transform” into a “Barbie” in the next clip. This not only promoted the milkshake, but also got people excited for the movie. Burger King Brazil released a limited-time Barbie meal that included a cheeseburger with pink sauce, a pink vanilla milkshake, and a pink frosted donut. The meal came inside a Barbie-themed box. Cold Stone Creamery had an “All That Glitters is Pink” Barbie-themed ice cream that included many pink toppings and came in a Barbie-branded cup. Food marketing is a fun and unique way to promote a new movie. It draws in a bigger audience and reaches more potential customers. It inspires people who may not have considered watching the movie to go see it because they remembered the ice cream or burger that they had.
Airbnb
Another unique partnership that was used to promote the Barbie movie was with Airbnb. Two lucky people had the chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime stay in “Ken’s room” at the Malibu Dream House in Malibu, California. The winners not only got to stay in the Airbnb on the night of the Barbie premiere; but, also had the opportunity to pick out an outfit from Ken’s wardrobe, dance outside on the disco floor, relax by the pool, and bring home their own skates and surfboards. This contest brought a lot of attention to the film and was a fun way to promote it.
While these are just a few ways that the Barbie movie was promoted, there were over 100 more partnerships leading up to the premiere. In just the first weekend, Barbie made $162 million in ticket sales in North America. Additionally, Barbie brought in a record number of people to the theaters since pre-Covid. The popularity of the movie was due to the nostalgia of playing with Barbie dolls as children, as well as the many partnerships leading up to the movie. Overall, the Barbie marketing team worked hard to advertise the movie and exceeded sales expectations in just the opening weekend.
