The Success and Impact of the Barbie Movie

If you don’t want to just create content, but you want to create iconic content, this episode is for you.  

Though your brand might not be identifiable by the color pink, swirling font and long blond hair, there’s so much we can take away from Barbie, the movie. Because Mattel created branded content that has lasted for over six decades - and the new movie with Margot Robbie has rejuvenated the brand appeal. Barbie, the movie, was part of a power play that would transform Mattel from a toy company into an IP company that manages franchises. With that in mind, we’re taking a look at the movie that sparked so much anticipation around the world and brought in over $1.4 billion dollars globally.

We’re talking about B2B marketing lessons from Barbie with the help of the Director of Content Marketing at Mach49, Angelica Valentine. Together, we’re discussing why you should market your brand literally everywhere, how to deliver your content the “right” way, and utilizing and leveraging product placement. So put on something pink for this episode of Remarkable.

About our guest, Angelica Valentine

Angelica Valentine brings a decade of marketing experience to her role as Mach49’s Director of Content Marketing. She focuses on telling impact stories about the client outcomes and builds thought leadership programs to champion Mach49’s expert perspectives. From international event management to customer stories to social media campaigns, Angelica leverages traditional and experimental channels to help the world's best firms accelerate growth that matters.

Prior to Mach49, Angelica worked on the editorial team at fintech unicorn, Carta. She has also held marketing roles at several other B2B and B2C SaaS startups. In those positions, she focused on exponentially growing qualified leads by managing organic content marketing programs, securing media placements on sites like TechCrunch, and developing partnerships. Over the course of her career Angelica’s work has appeared on Forbes, VentureBeat, SAP, Hacker Noon, and more.

Angelica is an Oakland, California native and holds a BA in sociology and race and ethnic studies from Columbia University in New York City.

About Mach49

Mach49 is a growth incubator for global businesses. They partner with global businesses to build their growth engines through venture building, venture investing, strategic partnering, and targeted M&A. 

About Barbie, the Movie

Barbie is about the classic toy having a wonderful time in her perfect world, Barbie Land, until she has an existential crisis. So she goes on a journey to experience the real world, and discovers the complexities of what it means to be truly human. The movie came out in 2023. It was directed by Greta Gerwig from a screenplay by herself and her partner, Noah Baumbach. It was produced by Margot Robbie’s production company, LuckyChap, for Warner Brothers in association with Mattel. It stars Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken, as well as Kate McKinnon, America Ferrera, Michael Cera, Issa Rae, Will Ferrell, and more. 

The movie has broken many records, being 2023’s biggest opening weekend; the largest opening for a female director ever; Warner Bros.' highest grossing domestic release in history. Barbie has also become the highest-growing movie of this year - 2023 - having brought in $575.4 million in the U.S. as of this week, according to Variety. It has already grossed $1.3 billion globally. It was expected to make $55 million its opening week, but it made $162 million. 

Mattel has recently launched Malibu Barbie cafés and announced partnerships with Bloomingdale’s, Crocs, and Hot Topic.

What B2B Companies Can Learn From Barbie: 

• Market your brand everywhere. Barbie was marketed so pervasively before its release in theaters that it was hard to simply exist without seeing a Barbie ad, toy, billboard, meme, you name it. Ian says, “It was brilliant marketing, but it also enhanced the actual day of activity because you had so much emotion and excitement for the thing. And I think that's a lot harder to do in B2B. But if it is something really exciting and you are generating a lot of anticipation, then that's worth it.” Especially for a re-brand or a product launch, put your ads across channels and even in unexpected places, so your audience just stumbles across them.
• Deliver your content the right way. Marketers are usually under pressure to get content out quickly. But instead of rushing it out and saying “good enough”, make sure that it’s done right. The right images, the right words, the right video clip, the right edits. Barbie wouldn’t be Barbie if it had been directed by someone other than Greta Gerwig, or played by anyone other than Margot Robbie. Ian says, “The fact that they did wait, and they did it the right way, and they brought in the right writer and creator, they brought in the right lead, and the right cast, and doing it the right way, rather than trying to rush it out is a lesson too. it worked in their favor. That it was a standalone, massive, huge launch that is befitting of Barbie's legacy in America and the world.”
• Utilize and leverage product placement. Birkenstocks were featured in Barbie, which Angelica says was 1) very relatable, since she’s a Birkenstock wearer. And 2), she says, “There’s all the news about Birkenstock having an IPO. These product placements really work. I don’t know the cause and effect relationship between the IPO and the movie, but clearly something had been in the works for a long time, and it definitely helped.” And Ian added that “women's Birkenstock sandals reportedly saw a 346 percent surge in sales after the movie.” So work with partners to have your products featured where they will gain a larger audience to improve brand awareness and increase sales.

Quotes

*”Barbie was a movie that had something for everyone. Children could go, my fiance's nieces went, and they're five and eight and had a great time. Their mom went and cried, probably at the same point that I did. So I mean, there really was just something for everyone.” - Angelica Valentine

*”The holistic aspect of the marketing for this film definitely stood out to me. It seemed like there was no stone unturned. Like, if you like Birkenstocks or if you go to Burger King, there is something for you in this marketing campaign. I really feel like they thought of everyone.” - Angelica Valentine

Time Stamps

[1:14] Meet Angelica Valentine, Director of Content Marketing at Mach49

[2:55] What does Angelica do at Mach49?

[5:46] What’s the Barbie movie about?

[8:51] Behind the scenes: The making of Barbie

[12:32] How is Barbie, the movie remarkable?

[14:31] Discussion on Barbie's cultural impact

[19:52] What marketing lessons can we take from Barbie, the movie?

[26:46] How do you build anticipation in marketing?

[28:12] The power of experiential marketing: The Barbie movie experience

[29:47] The impact of brand collaborations in marketing

[31:15] The power of product placement in marketing

[35:20] The role of nostalgia in marketing

[46:35] How does Angelica approach the challenge of measuring ROI in content marketing?

Links

Watch Barbie

Connect with Angelica on Linkedin

Learn more about Mach49

About Remarkable!

Remarkable! is created by the team at Caspian Studios, the premier B2B Podcast-as-a-Service company. Caspian creates both non-fiction and fiction series for B2B companies. If you want a fiction series check out our new offering - The Business Thriller - Hollywood style storytelling for B2B. Learn more at CaspianStudios.com. 

In today’s episode, you heard from Ian Faison (CEO of Caspian Studios) and Meredith Gooderham (Senior Producer). Remarkable was produced this week by Jess Avellino, mixed by Scott Goodrich, and our theme song is “Solomon” by FALAK. 

Create something remarkable. Rise above the noise.