A slick marketing and promotional campaign from toymaker Mattel and movie studio Warner Bros has helped the hotly-anticipated "Barbie" movie open to a record-breaking weekend at the box office with $162 million in ticket sales - and analysts say could be taught to future marketing students.
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00:00 Wherever you are in the world right now, chances are that, like Trafalgar Square in London this month,
00:05 there's a corner of it near you that's pink.
00:08 And that's likely thanks to a pop culture sensation from toy maker Mattel that's been 64 years in the making.
00:15 [music]
00:19 Not content with setting box office records for this year, Barbie is also rewriting the playbook for how to market a film.
00:27 "Stop by."
00:28 "So cool."
00:29 From a life-sized dream house to a hot pink cafe, the brand has been everywhere in 2023.
00:36 It's led to talk of something Mattel have called Barbiecore, a world awash with pink.
00:42 Mattel president and COO Richard Dixon.
00:45 "Our color is obviously synonymous with a big movement right now, and there's not a category out there that we haven't carefully curated
00:54 as an opportunity for everyone to play with Barbie."
00:58 Fans have been rushing to praise Mattel's strategy around the film's release and its success at redefining themselves
01:04 as more than just a toy brand.
01:06 Brand strategist Moshe Isaykian.
01:09 "I think what they've done here is try to make Barbie culturally relevant again, bring it to life,
01:14 make it a piece that is just not about nostalgia, not about toys, but really a universe that you can really feel, touch, and feel a part of."
01:25 Isaykian compiled all the Barbie brand collaborations, tie-ins, and licensing deals he noticed leading up to the film's launch
01:32 into a viral Twitter thread.
01:34 Among the sparkly hot pink merchandise he listed, a gaming console, dog treats, shoes, homeware, frozen yogurt, hair accessories, and roller skates.
01:42 But while Barbie the toy has traditionally been aimed at young girls, the film and much of its marketing strategy has instead targeted adults.
01:50 Mattel CEO Enon Chrites said this has been key.
01:54 "It's timeless and timely at the same time.
01:57 So it is about a story that covers transcendent generations and appeals to audiences all over the world."
02:04 "I think Mattel is starting to be a little bit more free with themselves, like letting themselves go,
02:12 kind of realizing that nowadays the humor has changed, people are a little bit more critical of how brands act,
02:20 and they've done actually a good job with it in the movie too."
02:24 Reports have put the Barbie marketing budget at $150 million.
02:29 That's more than the $145 million it cost to make the film.
02:33 The opening weekend at the US box office already generated $162 million in ticket sales.
02:39 But Mattel are also expected to see soaring sales for Barbie dolls and other related products.
02:45 Some have said such a comprehensive marketing campaign hasn't been seen in decades
02:50 and could impact how marketing is taught in the future.
02:53 "The strategy here was this is Barbie's world and we're living in it, and they've done a really good job at this.
03:00 And that's what marketing is all about, it's just bringing stuff to life and making people aware of it."
03:05 "Ideas live forever."
03:07 "Barbie, you're all mine."
03:10 "I love you."
03:11 .
03:12 .
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03:16 [BLANK_AUDIO]