You may or may not be a fan of Mattel’s pretty pink doll, but it’s almost impossible to not have been caught up in the Barbie buzz. The Barbie movie comes out in the UK on 21 July, but the marketing campaign has been in full throttle for months now. And it’s an impressive performance. The campaign exploded in digital form on our social screens, with the hype building in both URL and IRL spheres in the following months. Each individual campaign seems to have fuelled the next, bringing one of the most successful cases of multi-channel marketing we’ve seen in a long time.

This Barbie is a social media sensation

It began with social posts from Warner Bros featuring snapshots of the cast and the now iconic, very Instagrammable ‘This Barbie is…’ layout, alongside the release of the delightfully pink, sparkly movie trailer. The new poster came shortly afterwards, followed by features in Vogue to spotlight star of the movie Margot Robbie, and in Rolling Stone to launch the soundtrack.

Design-savvy fans responded to the social posts by meme-ifying the layout and creating their own. The marketing team jumped on this, swiftly creating the Barbie Selfie Generator. Thanks to this genius move the film went viral weeks ahead of its release date, with mentions of the Barbie movie increasing by a huge 23,350% the week the generator was released.

The generator is an AI-powered website that enables the user to put an image of themself onto the ‘This Barbie is’ layout, as well as personalising the catchphrase. Of course, the site also allows the user to share directly onto their own social media platforms, which people did in droves.

It’s an example of a brand utilsing user-generated content at its finest. The tool is easy-to-use and relatable. The audience - regardless of their age - can play and interact in a fun way, putting themselves firmly in Barbieland with just a few clicks. And why not, in a world where the day-to-day can be so normal, challenging and well…just not pink enough.

From merch to Malibu

But that’s far from all; the marketing’s team’s strategy expands way beyond the digital realm. There are countless opportunities to buy Barbie-related merchandise. Brand collaborations from the likes of Aldo, Claire’s, Forever 21, NYX and Xbox among many others have launched products featuring the famous Barbie logo that pay tribute to the doll’s unbeatable style.

In certain cinemas for the last few months, any popcorn or drink that’s purchased has been presented in a Barbie-pink container. And there are cardboard sets in the venues, for cinema-goers to pose in for their own phone selfies. The most flamboyant marketing stunt comes in the form of a real life Airbnb listing for Barbie’s Malibu DreamHouse. There’s not much that could make your Barbie experience more IRL than that.

The It-Girl for all ages

All of this is aligned brilliantly with Mattel’s iconic brand heritage. The logo is everywhere, the styling is unmistakable. So even with this recreation of Barbie as a human, the brand is staying true to its roots, playing on its powerful nostalgia but also using current trends to connect with a fresh, young audience.

What we find particularly impressive is the layering of these experiences; the audience can truly interact at any level. The global tour is currently happening and fans are attending events in cities across the world. And if that or a stay in Malibu feels a little too out of reach, they can simply create a new Barbie selfie online and immerse themselves that way.

This is multi-channel marketing on a mega scale. With a mega budget, of course. But it’s not simply the budget that’s behind the campaign’s success, it’s innovative thinking and intrepid execution that’s driven it to the level of huge cultural impact we’re witnessing right now. And it’s likely to grow even more; we can’t wait to see how it looks after the movie has been released.

This really is Barbie’s world, and we are loving living in it!