9 minute read
Special Feature - Barbie Retail Tour
The best day ever with Barbie
In the aftermath of one of the biggest pop culture moments of the year, the hugely anticipated release of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie, Toy World’s John Baulch and Rachael Simpson-Jones took to the road in a pink Barbie London taxi to check out some of retail installations Mattel has been working on and find out how the company is supporting its partners during the ‘once in a lifetime’ event.
The impact of the Barbie movie can’t be understated. It’s sparked many a deep-andmeaningful conversation among friends and families about the meaning of life, our patriarchal society, gender equality and whether or not Ryan Gosling is actually good-looking. It’s helped create thousands of memes and GIFs, Barbie: The Album, has racked up tens of millions of listens, and its individual tracks have appeared in the thousands upon thousands of fan-created social media videos covering everything from ‘Barbiecore’ outfit inspiration to how Alan needs to make a comeback. In a nutshell, it’s been big. Like, Dreamhouse big.
The movie has also allowed Mattel to ignite the retail scene with best-in-class activations and installations across the country. The team was keen to show Toy World a selection of them, so John and Rachael met up with Michael Hick, UK & Ireland VP, and Kelly Philp, head of Marketing, to check them out. Our first stop on the grand tour (second, if you count Costa) was Sainsbury's at Nine Elms, where the team had installed an unmissable Barbie: The Movie zone right at the front of the store, visible from halfway up the moving walkways. Pink, saloon-style doors opened onto bays of product, from individual dolls and campervans to the big Christmas bet, the massive, multi-storey Barbie Dreamhouse (or Mojo Dojo Casa House, for the Ken fans out there).
As we take it all in, Michael tells of the phenomenal impact the movie has had on brand awareness. “The current demand on Barbie is unprecedented across Toy and the wider consumer product ranges; personally, I have never experienced demand like this on a brand of this size,” he says. “Our retail partners are seeing a major uplift in traffic into both physical locations and online stores. It really has been incredible and the Mattel team is still trying to take it all in.” This is backed up by Circana, which confirmed that Barbie grew +72% in the month of July, giving the brand a 4.5% share of the total toy market. Michael continues: “With the marketing investment we’ve got in place, we’re looking to make the most of this unparalleled opportunity with our retail partners.”
After Sainsbury’s, it was time to pile into our ride for the day, a pink Barbie London cab, to head for Westfield London. Here we met up with Eirian Allen, head of Customer Marketing, who had opted for the exact same alarmingly pink blazer with jeans combo as Rachael (Barbiecore assignment well and truly understood, thank you very much). Our contingent headed for Hamleys first, where we were met by a big window takeover that showcased the diversity of the Barbie toy range.
“Everything we’re doing at retail really highlights the ‘You can be anything’ ethos of Barbie and how inclusive and representative the toy range is,” explains Eirian, pointing out a wrapped pillar that prominently features a Barbie with a prosthetic leg (the other sides show a scientist Barbie and a gymnast Barbie). Other installations included a box-style photobooth, the sides of which called out the 250 careers and counting that Barbie has held during her 60-plus years, and a display case containing a selection of dolls and accessories that speak to the diversity of the range: Fashionista and Cutie Reveal dolls were accompanied by Mermaid Barbie, Wheelchair Barbie and the Ida B. Wells Shero Barbie, modelled on the likeness of the famous 19th century Black investigative journalist and civil rights leader.
Then we headed for The Entertainer Westfield, which had its own window-display showcasing a huge range of dolls and play sets. As we stood outside, we could hear excited kids behind us on the escalators right outside the store, begging their parents to take them into the shop to see the Barbie toys. The store’s manager, Darryl Taylor, told us this is a regular occurrence: not only is the window display very eye-catching, but Westfield’s Vue cinema complex is located on the floor above The Entertainer. This means kids and families that have just watched the movie are transported by the escalators right past the shop as they head back down the ground floor. And who can resist a quick look inside, heading through the Barbie branded security barriers to take a photo in the box-style booth and marvel at the dedicated wall/corner of dolls and play sets.
Darryl says the brand has been huge for The Entertainer this year and that Mattel has been a superb partner to work with. The retailer’s efforts to elevate Barbie in-store have seen individual teams rewarded with vouchers and special prizes, in recognition of the part they’ve played in helping Mattel execute its consistent, franchise-first retail approach.
Westfield done, it was back into the taxi for a trip across the city, this time heading for Primark on Oxford Street. Held up by the usual London traffic, it was amusing to note the number of pedestrians stopping to take selfies with our taxi in the background or pointing it out to their friends. Without doubt, the release of the Barbie movie has become one of the biggest cultural moments of the past few years. Anyone who’s been to the cinema recently will surely have spotted gaggles of pink-clad film fans in the foyer, giddy with excitement (and possibly some predrinks) and their love for the world’s most recognisable doll brand. Maybe it was a case of confirmation bias, but travelling through the streets of the nation’s capital, it really did seem like there was a lot more pink on display, from the fashions people were wearing to the shop windows lining the high street. Whether Barbie branded/ licensed or not, it seems everyone is benefitting from the movie and its impact on society.
After Primark, which had been enjoying such enormous sell-through there was only limited Barbie product left to see, it was off to Selfridges on Oxford Street for a look at its magnificent Barbie at the Corner Shop installation: an imagined destination where Barbie would shop and hang out in London. Selfridges has been leading the charge on aspirational Barbie experiences, having played host to a Barbie disco scene window featuring official costumes worn in the movie: the sequin jumpsuit worn by Margot Robbie and the white and gold jumpsuit worn by Ryan Gosling during the choreographed dance party. Barbie’s dressing room scene was also re-created at the iconic store, featuring the pink and white gingham dress and two-piece skirt suit worn by Margot Robbie in the movie.
Visitors to Barbie at The Corner Shop could enjoy a beauty makeover and Barbie inspired hair and nail services, capture photo moments and browse a raft of shoppable items that Barbie (and Ken) might select for their own Dreamhouse and wardrobe, such as movielicensed toys, the Impala x Barbie Roller Skates and more: you could even pick up a bag of luxury Italian Barbie pasta. Upstairs, in the toy section, the Barbie magic continued. Those stepping off the escalator were greeted by a Barbie feature TV wall – the only installation showing Margot Robbie herself – and spaciously arranged gold shelves bedecked with a wide range of toys and licensed accessories, including big-box/big-spend items such as the Dreamhouse and skates.
By this point on the tour, it had become clear just how bespoke each installation was to each retailer. For Eirian, this has been a crucial part of the strategy. “There’s no one size fits all approach to this kind of retail campaign,” she explains over lunch, during a break from the journalistic window-shopping. “What we set out to do is create retail solutions for each and every individual retail partner, based upon their locations, consumer demographic, average basket spend and so on. In Harrods, for example, we installed a dedicated Barbie pop-up toy store and a replica of the car from the movie so visitors could enjoy a photo op, as well as a branded fashion space for shoppers keen to replicate Barbiecore looks, while for Asda – which really has positioned itself as the home of the franchise –we delivered a Barbie website and social media takeover which drove traffic into stores to experience the exciting activations on offer. We even provided Asda staff with Barbie t-shirts for team photos.”
Eirian adds that shoppers at discount retailer Aldi will have spotted POS displays in that magic central aisle, online specialist Very ran a custom-created Barbie advert named ‘Jump Into Their World’, and Toymaster members received gift-with-purchase and POS packs geared towards the indie sector.
It’s clear that Mattel, in partnership with the ‘fantastic’ Warner Bros. hasn’t just produced an outstanding movie. It’s also produced a moment in time – perhaps the only one we’ll see for many years – that has turned the whole toy and retail scene on its head. Retailers want USPs from their suppliers, and Mattel has provided them and then some. Whether or not this is a once in a lifetime thing or not remains to be seen: the company has dozens more movies lined up, the next being Hot Wheels, and with Barbie celebrating her 65th anniversary next year there’s plenty more momentum to come. Retailers presumably can’t wait to see how they can repeat this year’s activation with another milestone year for the brand. But for now, one thing is certain: we’re all Barbie girls, and we’re living in a Barbie world.
(Unless, that is, you’re just a Ken).
