• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion

2

'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic

3

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock

1

‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion

2

'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic

3

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
SuccessArts & Entertainment

A look into ‘Barbie’s’ $150-million genius marketing campaign: None of us really knew what the movie was about, but we still went

Paige Hagy
By
Paige Hagy
Paige Hagy
Down Arrow Button Icon
Paige Hagy
By
Paige Hagy
Paige Hagy
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 25, 2023, 3:11 PM ET
Jim Cashman (A.K.A. Jaime) and Stephanie Courtney (A.K.A. Flo) from Progressive at the premiere of the Barbie movie
'Barbie' was promoted in a Progressive insurance commercial in the lead-up to the film's release.Christopher Polk/Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

No one walking into the theater actually knew what the Barbie movie was going to be about, but everyone went anyway—dressed in pink. 

Recommended Video

The phrase “Barbie is everything” is true. Barbie pink and the iconic logo have been practically everywhere and on everything since Warner Bros. dropped a first look in April 2022 of Margot Robbie as Barbie sitting in her pink convertible. It’s estimated that over $150 million was spent on the film’s marketing campaign, more than its production budget of $145 million, Vanity Fair reported. 

Barbie marketing included everything from an Airbnb Barbie DreamHouse rental and a Barbie boat cruise on the Boston Harbor, to pink burgers at Burger Kings in Brazil and Progressive insurance commercials.

More traditional marketing came in the forms of teaser trailers reminiscent of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Times Square billboards, and an Instagram countdown to opening night.

“I won’t comment on the budget,” Josh Goldstein, Warner Bros. president of global marketing, told Vanity Fair. “The reason people think we spent so much is that it’s so ubiquitous. That’s a combination of paid media and how many partners came to play with us. Because it pierced the zeitgeist, it has the impression that we spend so much. In fact, we spent responsibly for an event movie.”

Neither Warner Bros. nor Mattel, owner of the Barbie brand, immediately responded to Fortune’s request for comment.

You know you’re in the zeitgeist if you’re a trending meme

Director Greta Gerwig’s Barbie brought in over $160 million in ticket sales during its opening weekend, making it the biggest debut ever for a film directed by a woman. 

But you can’t talk about Barbie without talking about Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, a film about the creator of the atomic bomb that was released on the same day. Social media had a major part to play in their mutual success. 

The meme-ification of Barbie-Oppenheimer (a.k.a. “Barbenheimer”) helped result in $311 million in combined ticket sales. This made the past weekend the fourth highest-grossing domestic box office weekend in history, behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame, according to the New York Times.

@giga_berger

#barbenheimer #shitposting #meme #original #spiderman #oppenheimer #barbie

♬ original sound – Nacho Libre

The Internet seemed to take to the ironic and self-aware tone of Barbie. One of the film’s taglines read, “If you love Barbie, this movie is for you. If you hate Barbie, this movie is for you.”

“We wanted to recognize there were legions of Barbie fans, but that Barbie had quite a history and there are people who felt like Barbie wasn’t for them,” Warner Bros.’ Goldstein told Vanity Fair. “This was a movie that understood that and was acknowledging it. “

And more memes surrounded the efforts of Barbie’s marketing team, crediting pink sunsets, pink-colored lakes, sightings of rare pink dolphins, and more as relentless promotion for the movie.

The Barbie marketing team have done it again. So creative 👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/h4JCbRzFaj

— Mark Rofe (@iamrofe) July 17, 2023

the Barbie marketing team has done it again 👏 https://t.co/IvRdEZmzuj

— mary mandefield (@marymandefield) July 19, 2023


But some have criticized Mattel for going too far when the company gave free Barbie dolls to children in schools in its “Barbie School of Friendship” program during the lead-up to the film’s premiere. Experts told the British Medical Journal that they were “faintly repulsed” by it and asked, “Why should children be exposed to this type of stealth marketing?”

The Fortune 500 Innovation Forum will convene Fortune 500 executives, U.S. policy officials, top founders, and thought leaders to help define what’s next for the American economy, Nov. 16-17 in Detroit. Apply here.
About the Author
Paige Hagy
By Paige Hagy
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Success

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Success

Three women chop their way into the record books at Lumberjack World Championships
North AmericaWisconsin
Three women chop their way into the record books at Lumberjack World Championships
By The Associated Press and Ellen SchmidtJuly 20, 2026
3 hours ago
LaLiga president says tech is already making the fan experience better, and it could solve football’s money problem too
AISports
LaLiga president says tech is already making the fan experience better, and it could solve football’s money problem too
By Catherina GioinoJuly 20, 2026
4 hours ago
Mark Cuban, in front of a purple background, has his mouth open and is looking to his left.
Successcompensation
Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it’s to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 20, 2026
7 hours ago
Ferran Torres
SuccessWorld Cup
Spain’s Ferran Torres scored the winning goal in the World Cup—but just four years ago, he was in therapy and stuck in a ‘bottomless pit’
By Emma BurleighJuly 20, 2026
9 hours ago
Christopher Nolan wearing a black suit
SuccessCareers
Christopher Nolan was rejected from film school as a teen. Today, the Oscar-winning director behind  ‘The Odyssey’ is worth $250 million
By Preston ForeJuly 20, 2026
9 hours ago
‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion
Successphilanthropy
‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion
By Sydney LakeJuly 20, 2026
11 hours ago

Most Popular

‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion
Success
‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion
By Sydney LakeJuly 20, 2026
11 hours ago
'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic
AI
'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic
By Jason MaJuly 18, 2026
2 days ago
Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
Success
Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 20, 2026
7 hours ago
Power companies are using eminent domain to seize land for data centers as 70% of Americans say not in my backyard
AI
Power companies are using eminent domain to seize land for data centers as 70% of Americans say not in my backyard
By Aaron Walayat and The ConversationJuly 19, 2026
2 days ago
Warren Buffett says his $147 billion investing career was an accident: ‘I may be one of the 10 luckiest in the world’
Future of Work
Warren Buffett says his $147 billion investing career was an accident: ‘I may be one of the 10 luckiest in the world’
By Sarah GlodekJuly 20, 2026
17 hours ago
Red Lobster’s 37-year-old CEO waited tables before joining the C-suite—he says it was a crash course in managing ‘difficult people and situations’
Success
Red Lobster’s 37-year-old CEO waited tables before joining the C-suite—he says it was a crash course in managing ‘difficult people and situations’
By Preston ForeJuly 19, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.