yes, barbie movie has been sweeping the world off its feet in the last weeks! the cinco team has already watched the movie and written a fantastic review. you can read about it here.
last wednesday we launched new summer arrivals, including a barbie inspired necklace! we recycled an old cinco chain and a discontinued cinco pendant and created barbara necklace — extremely inspired by what barbie wears in the movie's last scene. we will, of course, have a limited number of pieces because that is all we have left in stock but we hope you enjoy this limited edition as much as we do!
snapshot from barbie movie 2023
barbiemania is back and stronger than ever. with greta gerwig’s highly anticipated movie, starring margot robbie and ryan gosling, the campaign to market barbie has only gotten louder [and pinker] since. pink is a fun, bright, happy color and brands are jumping on board. I mean, we all know emotion sells — happiness sells, sadness sells, surprise sells.
snapshot from barbie movie 2023
with over 100 brand collaborations, barbie movie is grabbing everyone attention, partnering with such different brands as airbnb [barbie’s malibu dream house that is booked until july 2025] to ford [barbie pink classic ford bronco]. there is even a barbie xbox, a barbie rug, barbie candles, glassware and electric toothbrushes, clothing collections, footwear collections, barbie luggage, bags, watches and even a barbie burger.
there is an extensive range of low to high-end brands being enveloped. barbie x moon oral care; barbie x aldo; barbie x crocs; barbie x zara; barbie x gap; barbie x opi; barbie x nyx; barbie x béis; barbie x fossil; barbie x burger king; barbie x tangle teezer… this isn't little girl barbie obsession. this is adult barbiemania. purchasing a branded pink t-shirt indicates that you are still a fan of barbie, even if you have outgrown playing with dolls — and that’s perfectly okay!
barbie's dream house malibu airbnb
barbie x burguerking
barbie x béis
however, materialism and consumerism has been figuring heavily into the promotion of the barbie movie… barbie is — and has always been — a material girl *playing material girl from madonna in the background*. the doll's relationship with consumerism, which initially appeared on the market in 1959, is not a coincidence, but rather a reflection of the social context in which mattel presented her. barbie doll is at the heart of american mass consumerism postwar growth, and women transitioning from the workforce to the home after the war.
so… there are undoubtedly significant lessons we can learn from the success of the barbie movie. in this era of rapid digital transformation, brands find themselves in an intense competition for consumer attention — we won’t deny it. barbie movie launch stands out as a remarkable example. however, the amount of merchandising around the movie might become excessive and even dangerous, dare I say, to brands.
long-term, I believe that barbie's campaigns will lead to winners and losers, depending on how closely a product relates with the brand… cross-promotion can be a high-risk strategy because each brand's reputation is dependent on the reputation of the other.
it's hard to overstate barbie's influence on brands [and us!], but there should always be a balance when creating advertising campaigns or buying those products related. brands should focus on offering not just like barbie logos slashed across bucket hats, sweaters or candles. as a brand, it’s important to provide something different and unique and create products that will last over time. as a client, is our duty to be a responsible consumer and building awareness of how our purchasing habits affect the world around us. I mean, for now, the retail world is covered in that iconic pink — and we are loving it — but for how long this “pink tsunami” will last?
speaking for cinco team, we know heart-shaped jewelry makes a statement and will always be popular in the fashion industry, for example. barbie is proof of that... barbie has been around for nearly 60 years and still holds our hearts with her heart-shaped necklace and heart-shaped earrings. as another example, check our rosie earrings, crafted back in 2019 and still predominating nowadays. if you haven't noticed, a similar pair of earrings may be found in the barbie movie, which has been setting records as the biggest opening of 2023 and the highest of any movie directed by a woman in history! check them out.
rosie earrings
snapshot from sasha's barbie movie 2023 interview
sofia torres is the digital media designer at CINCO. born in '97, she believes her strong passion for what she does enables her to create meaningful work. her educational background includes a master in multimedia design at the university of coimbra. since day one, she's loving working at CINCO.
