As Barbie the Movie opens in cinemas, Conor Byrne on the toy’s phenomenon…
Barbie is undoubtedly the most talked-about movie of the year. It is expected to earn up to $100 million in its opening weekend in North America – about twice the anticipated revenue of Oppenheimer. However, Barbie is not just a movie; it is a $1.7 billion brand for toy maker Mattel, responsible for an estimated third of the company’s total revenue. The brand is thriving and the marketing team is receiving well-deserved applause.
Much of the praise started online with the appearance of giant pink outdoor ads. You have probably seen them by now, but if not, they were pink (Pantone W3376) with the date ‘July 21’ written in Dollie Script, the supposed name of the Barbie font. I must admit that when I first saw the ads online, I blushed, hopefully in the correct Pantone shade. At first glance, I didn’t realise what they were for. And apparently, I wasn’t the only one.
I came across comments where people initially thought the ads were for T-Mobile. So, was this a risky move? Facing such uncertainty, I sought an outsider’s opinion. I turned to Mrs That’s What I Call Marketing, a non-marketing accountant. I showed her the image online with no context, and without any hesitation, she said: “It’s for Barbie”. I protested, insisting she had seen it before, but she hadn’t, and she got it right away.
So, what made it so easy for her?
It was the font, the small font on the right-hand side of the image. While she may have read something about the Barbie movie and vaguely recalled something happening this summer, she was able to quickly recall Barbie from this one image. It became clear that one thing made it possible: consistent brand assets built over time. And that’s exactly what the Barbie marketing team was counting on (and I’d say they did a lot of testing too!)
It’s not just the current marketers that deserve applause; it’s the marketing teams that built the brand over the past 64 years, making it instantly recognisable. What Barbie has done so well is what David Taylor of the BrandGym calls ‘fresh consistency’: “New and exciting things to keep the brand story current and up-to-date”, CONSISTENCY “Tried and tested elements that consumers remember, love, and expect, which have built brand fame.”
Apart from the tactics employed (outdoor ads, Barbie Malibu mansion in real life, and over 100 licensing deals with Gap, Primark, Forever 21, Aldo and Pinkberry), Barbie is a masterclass in fresh consistency. Over 64 years, the Barbie logo has only changed seven times, with five changes occurring since 1991. However, the last three iterations have moved ever closer to the original Barbie logo from 1959. In 2009, the first logo was fully restored.
The logo and colour have remained pretty consistent.
Mattel has brought freshness to the brand through the evolution of the doll, a more diverse cast of characters, various careers, and Barbie’s presence in our world, from the brilliant five-minute shorts of Barbie’s Dreamhouse to movies like Barbie’s Dream Christmas. Throughout, the brand has remained consistent with its core elements (pink, dreams, friendship) while refreshing where necessary to ensure its relevance in today’s world.
It hasn’t always been smooth sailing for Barbie.
In 2015, the brand experienced its lowest sales volume in over 25 years, bringing in $900 million in revenue. Barbie had lost its way and Mattel needed to reverse the decline. They refocused on the brand’s core, the vision founder Ruth Handler had for the doll: ‘inspiring the limitless potential of girls’. Mattel found new ways to make Barbie relevant in today’s world. They extended the brand’s appeal to a wider audience of all ages and genders.
While most marketers don’t have the budgets of major movie releases or the star power of Margot Robbie (above) or Ryan Gosling to leverage, the lessons are clear: take the time to understand your brand assets and build them consistently. In fact, for those with a smaller budget, investing in your brand assets makes even more sense. Your presence may be more limited, and making sure that category buyers recognise your brand becomes crucial.
Outperform
James Hurman, founder of New Zealand agency Previously Unavailable and author of the book Future Demand, referred to this in a recent episode of That’s What I Call Marketing. He said a good product and a good brand will always outperform a company with a good product and a weak brand. He went on to explain that for many early-stage companies, the good product that solves a problem tends to attract those in need of it at that moment.
However, when that demand subsides, you start to see your demand or performance metrics becoming more expensive. Hurman says great brands build familiarity and positive emotions in the minds of those who might enter the category in the future. They gravitate towards your brand. One key way to achieve that is through distinctive assets. James shares the story of Stolen Rum, established in 2010 by an architect and a banker.
For more on James Hurman and Stolen Rum, click on www.thatswhaticallmarketing.com
Conor Byrne hosts the That’s What I Call Marketing podcast
