Small businesses want a piece of Barbie's world
By Kailyn Rhone and Arriana McLymore
NEW YORK (Reuters) — It is Barbie’s world, and U.S. small businesses hope their social-media marketing can help them cash in on it.
From Malibu makeovers to striped dog bandanas to hot pink cocktails, many small business owners have latched on to Barbie-inspired products to get more eyes on their websites and social media accounts ahead of Friday’s U.S. release of “Barbie,” the movie set to become a cultural sensation.
Mattel (NASDAQ:MAT)'s iconic doll brand partnered with big companies including Inditex’s Zara, Airbnb and Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) to launch licensed merchandise and products.
But as Mattel-licensed Barbie marketing and products flood big companies' stores, hotel suites and social media posts, small firms also seek to capitalize on the hype.
“Small businesses may look at the Barbie promotions and dream of that kind of budget and mass brand awareness,” said Brianne Fleming, an adjunct marketing instructor at University of Florida. “But there's still an opportunity… while everyone is talking about Barbie."
As of Thursday, the hashtag Barbie had been used 14.1 million times on Instagram and had 50.5 billion views on TikTok, making it a prime target for small brands searching for more visibility online.
Anima Iris, an online retailer based in New York City that sells handmade purses, on Monday launched a 30% off sale for all its pink handbags with Instagram captions including “We’re all about that Barbie Life” and “Hi #barbie. What are you wearing to the #barbiemovie premiere?”
Once the firm saw the excitement around the Barbie movie, it wanted to jump on the opportunity, owner Wilglory Tanjong said. The firm's post, which features Tanjong using a voiceover from the Barbie
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