It has been a huge 12 months for Barbie. 72andSunny has created a campaign to keep that going. The new campaign, Give Limitless Possibilities, is led by an emotive 90-second spot that brings Mattel Barbie’s value to the fore through the voices of parents expressing their wishes for their child. Give Limitless Possibilities reinvigorates the brand’s long-running You Can Be Anything, while it spells out what it means to give a Barbie – the benefits of doll play for imagination, courage, curiosity, the confidence to be oneself, social skills…and ultimately belief in one’s own potential.
“Barbie’s at her best when she connects to culture. She’s timeless and timely, she holds up a mirror and she’s also at the forefront of highlighting new trends and breaking new boundaries,” stated Krista Berger, senior vice president of Barbie and global head of dolls at Mattel. “We continue to evolve Barbie to be more relevant — a modern reflection of what today’s kids and families see in the world around them.”
Berger added of the commercial, “These are really organic moments that happen in houses every day around the globe, and knowing that Barbie is sort of at the heart of these moments, and reminding people of that, I think is so powerful.”
Give Limitless Possibilities made its in air debut on August 30 at the Chicago Sky versus Indiana Fever WNBA game as part of a Barbie theme night with activities that included a pre-game panel discussion giveaways of custom Barbie x Chicago Sky sherpa belt bags and Barbie Hawaiian shirts, hair braiding stations featuring Barbie colours, and a photo booth. Barbie’s first themed WNBA game aims to extend the brand’s message of empowerment and highlighting the power of role models to inspire children’s belief in their potential.
The launch also continues Barbie’s 65th anniversary celebration and follows Mattel and Warner Bros.’ Barbie movie, that seemed to be a mea culpa for Mattel as much as heralding a new persona for Barbie. The film generated $1.36 billion at the box office and boosted sales of the toy by 25% and inspired a marketing boom as brands from Bumble dating app to various fashion brands tapped into its pop-culture moment.
