Reimagine the stories to portray today’s world
Mattel’s stock has been struggling. Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz is pivoting the company away from only toys to banking on filmed entertainment as a driver of growth. And the Barbie film was clearly a cultural moment, a summer of pink. It took over our social media feeds, movie theaters and even our grocery store aisles. Goldman Sachs predicts that the movie can drive material upside for the company.
When it came to casting for the Barbie film, Margot Robbie, who plays Barbie, said “I don’t think I would have wanted to attempt to make a [non-diverse] Barbie film. I don’t think you should say, ‘This is the one version of what Barbie is, and that’s what women should aspire to be and look like and act like.’”
The diverse cast includes Kate McKinnon, Hari Nef, Dua Lipa, Issa Rae, Alexandra Shipp, Sharon Rooney, Ana Cruz Kayne, Nicola Coughlan, Rita Arya and Emma Mackey who all appear as Barbies. Ryan Gosling, Kingsley Ben-Adir, John Cena and Simu Liu appear as Kens. Both America Ferrara (who plays a human and a Mattel employee) and Issa Rae (who plays the President) have publicly said they agreed to be part of the film which represented a more inclusive view of Barbie.
And yet there seems to have been a missed opportunity to cast Barbie or Ken with an actor of color in the lead role, versus having just a diverse cast of supporting characters. The casting in new content like The Little Mermaid, The Lord of Rings, Snow White is intentionally shattering stereotypes of who we have been conditioned to believe can play lead roles and won’t back down from the racist backlash online.
This is another important reminder for marketers: creating entertainment for the big screen can help expand your audience and bring back those who are nostalgic for your brand. It’s our responsibility to shatter stereotypes and reimagine how we tell stories and who we choose to center them around.
Give your consumers the spotlight
For decades, Barbie didn’t speak to consumers like me. I didn’t see myself reflected in the brand. And the simple social media Barbie self-generator filter released in advance of the movie allows everyone to participate with the “This Barbie is …” slogan started to change that. We can all see ourselves reflected in Barbie now.
The promo posts for the film showcased “This Barbie is President” for Issa Rae, “This Barbie is a diplomat” for Nicola Coughlan and “This Barbie is a mermaid” for Dua Lipa and many more. User-generated content from the filter soon started reflecting relatable content: This Barbie is “a mother,” “out of your league,” “purposed to be powerful,” “a doctor,” “a hot mess,” “an award-winning journalist” and more. The filter took social media by storm, making everyone feel like they had their own place as Barbie in a Barbie world. It was a moment to feel like we were all in fact Barbie.