Did you know that the Barbie movie caused a global shortage of pink paint? No matter whether you love Barbie or don’t particularly care for her, there’s no denying that the marketing team of the pinkest film of 2023 have done a fantastic job. What can we learn from their campaign?
Branding Is Everything
Since her debut as a doll in 1959, Barbie has been synonymous with pink. So it’s no wonder that the marketing team used pink for nearly every aspect of their advertisements. Everything from the pink carpets at the movie premieres to the outfits that the actors wore on them was planned perfectly.
Taking Inspiration & Hunting For Easter Eggs
In the weeks leading up to the films’ release, excitement grew at each new Barbie doll outfit that Margot Robbie wore. Her stylist, Andrew Mukamal created outfits with clear links to popular Barbie dolls. This generated a huge amount of excitement, as eagle-eyed fans connected the dots between the red carpet and the real Barbie doll inspiration.
So, you might be wondering how this has anything to do with Easter eggs? Well, in a marketing context, an Easter egg isn’t a piece of confectionary. In this industry, the phrase refers to a joke or feature designed to surprise a user. These are usually hidden – much like an egg would be in an Easter egg hunt – and can take many forms.
Margot Robbie’s outfits are a great example of this. She made her appearances without any mention of the specific dolls she was dressed as. It was up to the audience to put together the puzzle and discover that her wardrobe was, in fact, inspired by real Barbie dolls.
Even Google uses Easter eggs! Around the time of the films’ release, if you searched for ‘Barbie’, ‘Margot Robbie’, ‘Ryan Gosling’ or ‘Greta Gerwig’, the results page would turn pink and sparkly.
There are more Google search result Easter eggs to be found. We won’t spoil them here, but a quick search should give you some clues…
What Makes Easter Eggs An Effective Marketing Technique?
Easter eggs bring a sense of excitement. When a user discovers a unique secret on your website, it creates a connection. When that secret is shared with their friends, a bigger shared experience is established. Because Easter eggs are usually fun, they have the potential to go viral. A viral Easter egg would drive more traffic to your website through word of mouth, as opposed to other more traditional marketing techniques.
That’s not to say that an Easter egg is likely to produce better or more predictable results than paid advertisements or SEO. However, it can be a fun extra feature that enhances the experience of your website and captures users’ attention.
