Competition between brands is getting stronger. The category of product or service does not matter, whether it has been on the market for many years or is new. Whoever dares to enter the battle must be willing to endure the competition, not only because of the speed that the race implies, but also the resistance that must be had to sustain the preference of the people or, at least, in the interest .
There are companies that have withstood the competition thanks to the fact that they have known how to reinvent themselves in the face of the speed at which they have been forced, both by technological advances, the constant changes in consumer behavior that is increasingly demanding (and empowered by the same brands) and even new ways of making themselves known through the various available media (which also have their own competition).
Changes are happening very quickly in the digital environment in which we find ourselves and their results are occurring in excessively short periods of time.
One way to update to stay in the competition has to do with Rebranding, used to renew some aspects such as the logo, the tone of communication, values, typography, positioning strategies, corporate identity and, in other cases, even the same name.
The main objective, especially for brands that need a “strong push”, is to change the perspective of consumers/users towards the company, the brand or the product or, as can occur in other cases, to open up to a new segment of market for other business opportunities.
One of these cases, in which she had to recover from a crisis when she was outdated, is that of the “Barbie” doll brand.
One of the iconic toys of the 20th century was this doll, but at the beginning of the 21st century it was something else. What was traditionally happening, when moms who had played with Barbies gave them to their daughters, did not happen. There was a generational break and the transmission of customs, leaving the doll as an ancient symbol for the new generations.
If we add to this other cultural aspects, such as feminist complaints against what the toy represented, the crisis was living at the ideal moment.
The answer of mattel in front of it was to change to the doll. They stopped producing her with a single body and made her with 4 body types, 7 skin tones and 24 different hairstyles, with different heights and much closer to real life women.
In addition, they modified the advertising strategy and their storytelling, presenting more modern, professional women who could meet life goals to become executives, scientists, or whatever they wanted. They were becoming a symbol of female empowerment.
What has resulted after several years of strategic efforts in product development, use and dissemination in digital (such as a website to download applications, wallpapers, music videos, etc.), in social networks, with the participation of renowned designers? paying tribute with special designs for Barbie, its special editions for seasonality or trends, among many other constant efforts for its reinvention as a brand?
What we are already experiencing as a case of media success turned into hype:
All the commotion that Barbie’s first live action movie has caused and its excellent preventive advertising strategy that has successfully warmed up the atmosphere before the premiere.
For example, in the case of the recent publication of his second teaser trailer. Let’s see their results:
On the day of the clip’s release, April 4, 2023, the film’s hashtag #BarbieTheMovie generated 7.5 million interactions
He teaser trailer reached number 28 in the ranking of trending videos of Youtube in less than 24 hours
On social media, posts mentioning “Barbie” generated 18 million interactions, surpassing the 4 million achieved by the first teaser trailer released on December 16, 2022
Interaction with content that mentioned “Barbie” by brands and media in the US exceeded 6 million and in Mexico it reached more than 900,000 total interactions. Audiences in the UK and Brazil also demonstrated high levels
Showing the cast of the film helped the success of the second teaser trailer. In addition to showing more details about the protagonists (ryan gosling and Margot Robbie)the roles of well-known stars such as Dua Lipa, Emma Mackey and Simu Liu were revealed for the first time, prompting consumers to interact with their favorite actors
“Barbie” was the top topic of conversation: 95 to 99 percent of social media interactions mentioned her.
The campaign included the “ Barbie Selfie Maker” (tool that allows users to design a personalized movie poster using Artificial Intelligence and simulate being part of the cast) with which the designs could be shared on social networks
celebrities like Zooey Deschanel and Lionel Messi joined the use of the tool, as did millions of fans, generating more than 1 million total interactions between brands and influencers alone, increasing interest in the film before its release.
Why the success of this brand renewal?
Marketing strategies and campaigns carefully planned and executed using an adequate mix of media, in addition to creating relevant experiences, both for the buying unit and for the user unit, highlighting the positive message that the brand transmits, and everything that surrounds it, on self-acceptance, empowerment and inclusion.
Here is how a brand launched in 1959 (a 64-year-old girl) gives us a lesson in survival and success, thanks to the fact that it has adapted to the times in a timely manner.