We’ve got to say it – we’re firmly team Barbie here at Prohibition PR! Really, how could we not be with all of the weird and wonderful marketing campaigns that have come out of the film’s promotion? Here, we take a look at some of our, and the UK’s media, favourites.
Ken hosts Barbie’s Malibu DreamHouse on AirBnB
Barbie is everything, and he’s just Ken – but this time, he’s hosting! This month, fans can request to book Ken’s room in the life-sized Barbie-couture-filled DreamHouse for two individual one-night stays. The best part? The stays are completely free of charge, and guests just have to organise their own travel to and from Malibu.
During their stay, fans can boogie on Ken’s outdoor disco dancefloor, sunbathe by the infinity pool, and even take a piece of the stay home with them with their own set of roller-skates and surfboards. The home has also been updated to add a spice of Ken-ergy, complete with his closet and some tasteful cow-print rugs.
This was a brilliant way for AirBnb to tap into the film’s hype, giving guests the chance to live their own Barbie best lives, and it received some fantastic press coverage. AirBnb has also pledged a one-time donation to Save the Children to celebrate the release and ‘honour girls’ empowerment’. Who else would love to stay in the Malibu DreamHouse!?
Xbox’s Barbie-themed console
You heard us correctly – Xbox has teamed up with Mattel to launch not only a themed console but a wireless controller and Barbie cars in the Xbox-exclusive Forza Horizon 5 too.
The pink console comes complete in its own Malibu DreamHouse, which is truly the cutest way to house an Xbox. Unfortunately, consumers can’t just buy the console from a store or online – it seems that they are only available as part of a rewards scheme competition. To enter, users need to follow the official Xbox Twitter account and retweet their tweets with #Xbox_BarbieTheMovieSweepstakes.
It’s an interesting campaign from Xbox, particularly as you would expect these consoles to drive good sales given the attention around the film. However, it’s a great way to show how product exclusivity can make a campaign go further – the news about the console was picked up in most national titles! Now, we’re just hoping that we win one…
Boohoo x Mattel Barbie-core clothing collection
One of the things we’ve loved the most about the Barbie launch is the introduction of the ‘Barbie-core’ aesthetic. Boohoo have teamed up with Mattel to launch a clothing collection that lets consumers shop the aesthetic and create their own Barbie-core looks!
The retailer published research that showed that searches for ‘Barbie-inspired outfit’ jumped right up by 614% ahead of the film’s launch, and the #barbieoutfits hashtag on TikTok received more than 56.5 million views. The collection is a limited edition and aims to combine ‘Boohoo’s streetwear edge with Barbie flair’ – featuring lots (and we mean lots) of pink, as well as black and white features.
Boohoo aren’t the only retailer to jump on the Barbie-core trend, however, the research that went into it was very clever. They clearly identified a market desire for some gorgeous, pink, Barbie-inspired fits, and officially teamed up with Mattel to make it happen. We love the collection – and we’re off to put in an order right now.
Warner Bros. Barbie selfie generator
This Barbie campaign round up wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the viral Barbie selfie generator. That’s right – Warner Bros. and PhotoRoom came together to create an AI-based photo editing app to create an official filter that let fans turn themselves into Barbie characters.
The film’s posters dropped back in June and showcase the cast in their iconic roles with a colourful background. To celebrate their release and encourage fans to get involved, Warner Bros. announced the free tool that simply requires you to upload or take a selfie. Once you uploaded your photo, you were turned into ‘an instant icon’ with your very own slogan along the top – but this was editable in case the generated slogan wasn’t the right vibe.
We love a campaign that people can get involved in, and this one took the internet by storm, particularly Twitter. With joking Tweets such as ‘Brb selling my soul to the Barbie AI generator’ and ‘This Ken is having way too much fun with the Barbie selfie thing’, the conversation the tool struck up helped push the campaign even further. The perfect example of an interactive, social call to action!
Crocs’ Barbie collection
If you haven’t figured it out yet, we’re big fans of Crocs and their marketing. And what better way to spark our interest further than by creating Barbie-themed Crocs!?
The Barbie x Crocs collection is the collab the world needs that we didn’t know we needed. Teaming up with Mattel, Crocs have given their Classic Clog and Crush Blog the Barbie makeover. The comfy shoe brand announced the collaboration on Instagram with a video that showed the hot-pink Crocs, as well as Barbie-themed Jibbitz charms to be stuck on the front. If previous Crocs partnerships are anything to go by, we expect this limited-edition collection will go FAST.
One of the reasons we continue to love Crocs as a brand is that they’re always jumping on the next big trend, turning the brand around from being uncool to becoming super trendy with Gen Z. This is echoed by the response to the Barbie Crocs, with one user commenting on Instagram ‘First time I’d buy crocs’. They certainly made a big splash in an area that was already full of noise – and we loved it!
At Prohibition, we work with various brands across all sectors, B2B and B2C, to create innovative PR and social media campaigns that deliver real ROI and help meet business goals. Get in touch with us today to find out how we could support you with your Public Relations. Drop us an email: hello@prohibitionpr.co.uk or give us a bell on 0113 430 4160.
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