The world is engrossed in Barbiemania. Following the highly anticipated premiere of Barbie on July 21, 2023, customers have rushed to theaters and embraced the Barbie brand. With box office receipts of US $1.2 billion on 19 August 2023, the movie made Greta Gerwig the highest-earning female filmmaker of a live-action movie since its release. In the months leading up to the film’s premiere, Mattel, that has possessed the Barbie name since the popular doll’s debut in 1959, secured more than 100 brand partnership agreements, spanning industries as diverse as nail polish, gaming consoles, and vacation rentals, as well as more conventional goods like clothing. Jo Ashdown said, “I don’t think we’ve ever witnessed so many collaborations between brands emerging out of one film.”
‘Barbie The Movie’ line was released by Primark in collaboration with Mattel. The global retailer now offers a sizable Barbie-inspired line of clothes, home goods, and cosmetics. The collection is moderately priced, with items costing between £3 and £20, in keeping with Primark’s objective to provide good quality clothing at low rates. Barbie-themed shoes have been created by the Italian shoe company Superga, while Selfridges featured a Barbie pop-up store in July where clients could purchase or rent Barbie-themed clothing and schedule Barbie-themed beauty services. Barbie clothing lines for kids, men, and women were recently introduced in Zara stores as part of the company’s effort to cash in on Barbiemania.
But can Barbie salvage Gap? Given declining sales and underwhelming results across its portfolio, Wells Fargo analysts recently referred to Gap Inc. (parent company of the retailer Gap, Old Navy, and Banana Republic) as being “near-directionless.” Following these setbacks, Gap collaborated with Mattel to create the “Gap x Barbie” collection, which included Barbie branding and the Gap typography on t-shirts, hoodies, accessories, even pet wear. Gap might be depending on using the Barbie fan base to help them connect with Gen-Z, similar to other brand alliances. Currently the largest generation, it accounts for 25% of the world’s population and has $360 billion in purchasing power in the US alone.
While Barbie has formed some surprising alliances, perhaps she will work in tandem with Richard Dickson, who was recently named president and CEO of Gap and who, ironically, was also responsible for reviving Barbie while serving as CEO of Mattel, to save the company.
Not just retailers are making money. The hotel business has even succumbed to Barbiemania. Barbie-themed hotel suites are now available at the Hyatt and Hilton hotels in Bogotá and Kuala Lumpur, respectively. Additionally, Ken, the host, is letting two visitors stay at Barbie’s “Malibu Dream House” through Airbnb.