The film Barbie, directed by Greta GERWIG, was released in cinemas in France on July 19, 2023. Ruth HANDLER invented Barbie. The film refers to the Barbie doll that was made public in 1959 by Mattel.
Barbie has suffered criticism for her lack of inclusivity, presenting only a stereotypical doll (white, blond hair, blue eyes, thin). However, for several years, the company has been developing other representations of Barbie with disabilities, of different origins, religions … In the movie, this inclusivity comes out using the different Barbies.
Upon its launch, the film was a worldwide success, highlighting feminism. In addition, this movie has invaded social media to develop marketing around this film.
A success on social media
This film advocating the satire of patriarchy, has invaded social media. In this film, Margot Robbie plays Barbie and Ryan Gosling plays Ken. More than 1,480 posts were associated with the release of the most eagerly awaited film of the summer.
On Instagram, the hashtag Barbie was posted over 900,000 times, demonstrating the hype surrounding the film. The movie crew’s strategic use of social networks helped to create real excitement for the film’s release.
This success on social media can be understandable, firstly, can easily be explained with the presence of prestigious influencers who contributed to promote the film. In addition, the directors of the film relied on the presence of a star-studded cast, such as, Dua Lipa, Lena Situation, John Cena.
The film team created a TikTok wich ended with more than 735,000 followers. This account allowed the teams to present different previews of the film and certain moments of the movie. A filter has also created on Snapchat to reproduce the looks worn by Barbie.
Marketing at the heart of the film’s strategy
This omnipresence on social media applies because of the many collaborations, such as with Starbucks with a special drink, Airbnb, Zara with a clothing collection, Google, ect.
All these collaborations were the subject of advertising campaigns on social networks. The targeted audience for these advertising campaigns was very broad, wanting to reach children as well as adults.
The communication launched for the film also explored digital universe with the launch of NFT Barbie. These NFTs are in collaboration with the luxury house Balmain. People are offered to purchase one of the three avatars designed for this occasion representing Barbie and Ken. These avatars were dressed in clothes specially designed by Olivier Roustaing, director of the Balmain.
With these different strategies, Barbie has become the highest grossing female-directed movie.
A truly feminist film?
Barbie was quickly criticized, after its release, because of the stereotype of beauty she dismisses. This facet of Barbie, has long ousted the desire of Ruth HANDLER to show an emancipated woman, working, having her own home.
The doll has been at the center of the debate on the conception of feminism. In the film, the director portrayed free Barbies, living in Barbie Land in which they hold important positions. On the contrary, the Kens were relegated to a role of figuration, to do nothing of their day, except to please the Barbies.
Shelley BUDGEON, an English sociologist, considers that femininity is a source of power, so the film Barbie is part of a feminist logic. However, some activist movements defend the idea that this film by changing patriarchy into matriarchy does not defend inequalities between men and women.
Jeanne CASAMATTA
M2 Cyberjustice – Promotion 2023/2024
Sources :
https://talenty.fr/marketing-barbie-le-film/
https://gensdinternet.fr/2023/07/20/comment-barbie-envahit-les-reseaux-sociaux/
https://theconversation.com/le-film-barbie-est-il-vraiment-feministe-210261
