Barbie's liberation

When the Serviceplan Group hosted the Best Brands festival in Munich this spring, there was one main attraction: Barbie. The slender blonde, who has been smiling from Mattel’s bright pink boxes for 65 years, has enchanted the world since the Hollywood film’s debut just under a year ago. Ana von Hutten, Head of Marketing for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (DACH) at Mattel, accepted compliments for the success of «Barbie» at the event. She then revealed the formula for glamour: «Find your voice and don’t shy away from criticism.» A powerful message for all brands—whether they’re Barbies or Kens.

Rock Bottom and a Turnaround

But it was a long journey to reach this realization. For many years, the toy manufacturer had shied away from the debate. Its Barbie doll was criticized for making teenage girls feel insecure with her perfect curves and long legs, serving as a canvas for harmful beauty ideals. Reality on one side, and on the other, the rigid demand for perfection—the two simply didn’t mix. Barbie’s image plummeted. «2009 was rock bottom,» von Hutten reported. But then came the turnaround. Mattel demonstrated what a company should do to pull its brand out of a crisis and get it back in the game: listen. And laugh at itself.

In its cinematic tribute to all women, the company also revealed its weaknesses and admitted that it doesn’t know the right answer to the question of ideal gender identity. Thus, on her journey of discovery in the film, Mattel’s blonde doll discovers that the best of all worlds does not exist. It is neither the real world, where men still predominantly hold the top positions, nor the pink toy universe, where Ken can only exist in the context of Barbie. In the search for a new, contemporary role for women, Mattel gave director Greta Gerwig free rein. «Giving up control over our brand took a great deal of courage on our part,» said Chief Marketing Officer Ana von Hutten in Munich.

«Barbie's image hit rock bottom. But then things took a turn for the better.»

But that courage paid off. Letting go brought a sense of lightness to the screen. The otherwise serious subject matter—the simmering gender conflict, false ideals of beauty, and rigid gender roles—took on a relaxed tone. «The film succeeded in communicating, in a creative and accessible way, that beauty is diverse and that women can take on strong and independent roles in all areas of life,» confirms Carolin Tewes, professor of marketing and digital media at FOM University and head of marketing at the Zukunftsinstitut. Her assessment: «With the ‚Barbie‘ movie, Mattel has achieved a new, strong positioning for Barbie in the market. After years of weakness, the Barbie brand has succeeded in solidifying its status as a cult brand.»

The numbers confirm the strategy

The numbers speak for themselves: «Barbie» grossed more than 1.4 billion U.S. dollars worldwide, making it the most successful film of 2023. At the same time, toy manufacturer Mattel’s revenue climbed to 1.09 billion U.S. dollars in the second quarter of 2023. This represents a 34 percent increase compared to the previous quarter. In addition, Mattel has expanded its brand presence through numerous collaborations and licensing agreements with other companies. «Customers have the opportunity to purchase a wide variety of Barbie-related products, including lemonade, burgers with pink sauce, ice cream, as well as clothing and accessories from well-known brands such as Gap, Zara, and Crocs. Items such as Barbie toothbrushes, candles, cosmetics, and suitcases are also available,» Tewes lists. This not only boosts the brand’s image but also contributes to the company’s bottom line: Partners either pay a flat-rate licensing fee for the use of the Barbie brand or up to 15 percent of their sales revenue.

Tewes attributes the fact that so many brands wanted to be part of the Barbie movement to the skillful use of social media and digital platforms. It all started well before the movie’s July 2023 debut. During a shoot with Margot Robbie (as Barbie) and Ryan Gosling (as Ken) in Santa Monica in the spring of 2022, the filmmakers counted on passersby to take snapshots of Barbie and Ken in their colorful outfits and share them on social media—which they did. For Josh Goldstein, who serves as president of global marketing at Warner Bros., this was the breakthrough, as he explained in an interview with the entertainment magazine *Variety*: «We were able to watch as the footage became part of the culture.» In his 35 years as an advertising expert, this was the «most special experience» he’d ever had.

«Globally, »Barbie’ grossed more than 1.4 billion dollars (…)—the most successful film of 2023.”

The teaser trailer released in late 2022 further fueled interest. In April 2023, Mattel launched a viral Barbie selfie generator. The film was already making waves before it even hit theaters, Tewes notes. «No matter which platform you were on, it was almost impossible to avoid Barbie.» The fashion trend in pink—known as «Barbiecore»—spread throughout society, led by many celebrities sporting pink outfits. “Mattel exemplifies how to successfully engage the public and thereby increase reach,” says Tewes. This includes hashtag campaigns and interactive content that strengthen the personal connection to the brand and allow viewers to become part of the brand’s story. The accompanying marketing campaigns have shown that this approach resonates, particularly with younger generations who increasingly value diversity and representation in the media. In fact, the number of Barbie mentions on TikTok rose by 191 percent last year.

Even male brand consultants pay her their respects. Frank Dopheide, founder of the Unlimited agency in Düsseldorf, compares Mattel’s pink icon to characters like Batman, Sherlock Holmes, or James Bond. Unlike Barbie, however, they never enjoyed any further development. «Mattel found the strength to hold on to Barbie’s boundless artificiality in color, appeal, and music, to reinterpret it, and to create space for people to participate,» he says. Nostalgic women, their daughters, and granddaughters went to the movies together—all around the globe. «For a few weeks, the world was pink—no matter where we looked. In dark times like these, surrounded by depressing movies, ‚Barbie‘ felt like a breath of fresh air with the taste of cotton candy.»

The Barbie movement continues. It’s no longer just slender blondes—the stereotypical Barbies—smiling out from the boxes in toy stores. They come in all shapes and sizes—tall, short, curvy, slim, light-skinned, dark-skinned—and in a variety of social roles: from mother to veterinarian to astronaut. The toy manufacturer calls this «Girl Empowerment.» Through the «Barbie Dream Gap Project,» in partnership with Inspiring Girls International, the company organizes career workshops for girls. Mattel has rediscovered Barbie’s voice.

«Harmonious unity is neglected»

Romy Campe is an artist and the founder of the art magazine «Kunstleben Berlin.» She also advises companies and institutions on topics such as visibility, community, and marketing.

m&k: Romy Campe, you grew up with your mother and two sisters, so you grew up in a sort of «Barbie world»—surely you can relate to the movie quite well?

Romy Campe: Aside from the fact that I have a different understanding of aesthetics, I can relate to this in that I’ve hardly ever experienced oppression from men. Not even to this day: I handle a lot on my own; I’m not used to it any other way. In one of my paintings, «Appearance and Reality,» however, I also depict a woman who appears radiantly beautiful and strong on the outside, while on the inside, a whole machinery is at work to maintain her perfect facade. This shows that it takes a great deal of strength to live a strong and independent life.

In this image of the woman, how do you see the role of Ken, or rather, the role of the man?

In the movie, Ken is portrayed as very weak and oppressed in the Barbie world. This also reflects current social trends: While women continue to emancipate themselves and want—and are expected—to be able to do everything—which is exhausting and also conveys a problematic image—men are increasingly unsure of their place. A strong shoulder to lean on is, after all, something very beautiful. Ideally, the feminine and masculine principles should complement each other, creating a harmonious unity. For me, this aspect is underemphasized in the film.

That's right: The movie ends when Ken realizes he has his own personality, separate from Barbie's, but doesn't yet know which path to take.

For me, therefore, the film remains quite mired in clichés. I find the glimpse behind these preconceived role models fascinating. With my fictional characters «ROMS,» I am currently developing a series that depicts beings in their deepest essence, detached from such gender stereotypes.