Barbie, the live action: communication strategies in place

The second trailer of the highly anticipated Barbie movie was released just a few days ago but has already set the web abuzz, three months before its official release, set for July 20.

The web ha literally been flooded with memes, photos and reproductions of the posters of the film that seem to be the most anticipated live-action of the summer. All credit, no doubt, to the stellar cast involved: ranging from leads Margot Robbie as the iconic doll and Ryan Gosling as, on the other hand, Ken to actors already known to the public such as Emma Mackey, Nguti Gatwa, Nicola Coughlan, Connor Swindell and even Dua Lipa, making her film debut. Just to name a few.

But how was the creation of all this “hype” possible? Certainly, the adoption of a whole series of targeted and effective communication strategies. Let’s look at the main ones together.

1. Maintaining an aura of mystery.

The Barbie team is basically keeping the plot under wraps, releasing only a few images and details at a time through trailers, in a way that will attract the audience, keep them on their toes and create expectation.

2. Warming up customers well in advance.

The term refers to the process of “warming up” the audience at the presale stage already, in such a way as to generate leads (i.e., potential customers) well in advance. In fact, the release of the Barbie movie is not expected until after mid-July, but even now, the campaign is in its active phase.

This strategy can be defined as “long lead time” that is a preparation, a warming up of the audience that takes place as early as 2-4 months before the actual launch.

3. Diversity and inclusion.

Already from the trailers and cast images posted on various social media, it is clear how the film appeals to different generations and is inclusive, thanks in part to the characters involved.

4. UGC: User Generated Content.

With the release of the second trailer, customized graphics in the typical Barbie box style were shared for each cast member. A website was then created, based on these images, where anyone can take their own Barbie selfie, accompanied by a description about the type of Barbie or Ken and, most importantly, on each image there’s the release date of the film.

Thanks to this strategy, with the sharing on social media of hundreds of Barbie-style selfies, the advertising campaign has greatly increased its visibility, especially on that segment of the public defined as millennials (i.e., those born between 1980 and 1996) as they associate themselves with Barbie, which is the doll, par excellence, of their childhood as opposed to Generation Z kids who do not have this strong connection with Barbie.

In short, adopting strategies from time to time targeted according to the need of the product to be launched or promoted, can lead to some amazing results.

If you too are interested in promoting your product effectively, Mediability is here to guide you and work out the best and most suitable strategy for your needs. Contact us to learn more!