july 2023 PR campaign round-up

We have well and truly been living in a Barbie world this month and with an estimated $100 million marketing budget for the film, is it any surprise?! The marketing for the film along with brands that have put their own Barbie spin on their campaigns is unmatched. Here are some of our favourite campaigns of the month, mostly inspired by Barbie with another honourable mention for a mind blowing ad. 

Barbie – The Film 

It’s fair to say that the month the new Barbie film premiered was an unforgettable one in the world of marketing. The marketing for this film has exceeded anything we’ve seen before, with our socials, tv screens and news outlets being painted pink the entire month. 

From the red carpet to fast food chains, billboards to clothing stores, the Barbie marketing was out in full force and brands went above and beyond to steal their own share of the Barbie limelight. 

First of all, let’s talk marketing for the film itself. The billboard in iconic Barbie pink with nothing but a date written in the distinctive Barbie font created a stir amongst marketers, with many of us appreciating the power of having such a strong brand colour and font. 

The outfits Margot Robbie has been styled in during her global tour promoting the film are nothing less than iconic. We’ve seen Margot in breathtaking outfits, painstakingly similar to those worn by (doll) Barbie during her 64 years as a toy. Not only has Margot looked absolutely stunning, she’s also inspired feelings of nostalgia which help to create a sense of community amongst Barbie fans, young and old. 

Barbie Clothing Collections

Inspired by Margot Robbie’s recent Barbie-themed outfits, we’ve seen clothing stores like Zara and Primark bring out their very own limited edition Barbie collections. The outfits available to purchase are heavily inspired by outfits used in the film and iconic outfits used on various Barbies throughout the years.

Burger King Barbie Meal 

Another brand keen to steal some of the Barbie spotlight was fast food giant Burger King. They brought out a pink burger that comes in pink handbag style packaging, which has gone down a treat amongst customers, with many sharing their Barbie-themed meal on social media. This is a great example of a brand acknowledging the news cycle and producing something relevant that can boost brand awareness and revenue at the same time. 

Maybelline CGI Art 

This month also saw a weird but wonderful campaign from cosmetics brand Maybelline when they released an ad on socials showing eyelashes on a London Underground train going through a tube station with a mascara brush. 

The innovative CGI art seamlessly blends reality and imagination, allowing speculation about what was going on. The goal of the ad was to create a disruptive campaign that got people wondering whether it was real or not and it definitely worked. 

A source at Maybelline revealed that they had come across an artist that specialises in CGI art on TikTok and reached out to him to see if it would be possible to create an out-of-the-box ad for the brand. The brand and artist got to work, producing this iconic campaign, that is in fact CGI. 

This is a great example of really thinking outside of the box to create a campaign that sparks discussion and speculation. It’s also great to see the power of TikTok in providing influence and connections to take campaigns to the next level. Hat’s off to Maybeline for cutting through the Barbie saturated news with an interesting campaign worth talking about.