social media society influencer awards: barbie & ken, a roman-tech reunion
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ObjectiveElevate cultural awareness around
a key brand moment: The relaunch/repositioning of Ken®
Begin with a Simple Concept
Barbie + Ken =
Filter All Campaign Elements through Word-of-Mouth
Tell a Story acrossthe Customer Journey
Tell a Story across Earned, Owned, Paid and Shared Media
Barbie: Pop Culture Icon
Relaunching Ken…
• “Identity crisis”
• Opportunity for relaunch/repositioning
• Foot to larger Barbie brand marketing through fresh lens
History1961
An amicable split was announced by publicist Ken Sunshine during a press conference
Barbie and Ken met on the set of their first TV commercial
2004 2011
Together Again!Reunited after Ken’s roman-tech grand gestures and full-year campaign
Barbie by the Numbers
Barbie on Facebook
• 2.7 Million Likes
• Global footprint
• Unique digital voice
• Launched in 2009
• Highly engaged fans
• 5k interactions daily
Barbie on Twitter
• 82.5k followers
• Verified Account
• Interactions with celebrities and tastemakers
Barbie on YouTube
• 909k Channel Views
• 2.2 Million Upload Views
Campaign
SEPTSEPT OCTOCT NOVNOV DECDEC JANJAN FEBFEB MARMAR
OWNEDOWNED
SHAREDSHARED
EARNEDEARNED
PAIDPAID
Catch Me If You Ken
Catch Me If You Ken
Barbie and Ken.com
Barbie and Ken.com
Match.com VideoMatch.com Video
Pop-Up Store
Pop-Up Store
Magnolia BakeryMagnolia Bakery
Dylan’sDylan’s
Us WeeklyUs Weekly
Out-of-HomeOut-of-Home
Genuine Ken
Genuine Ken
V-Day Date with Ken
V-Day Date with Ken
Genuine Ken FinaleGenuine
Ken Finale
Ken’s Social Launch
Ken’s Social Launch
Christie’sChristie’s
Foursquare Memory LaneFoursquare
Memory Lane
Owned: Barbie & KenSocial Channels
• Barbie’s existing and Ken’s newly launched social channels told the story from each of the dolls’ perspectives
• Ken used Foursquare to leave nostalgic anecdotes about his relationship with Barbie
• Facebook and Twitter housed the dolls’ flirty interactions
Owned: BarbieandKen.com
The “hub” of campaign – all communication and collateral drove consumers to the microsite where consumers could vote and engage further
Owned: BarbieandKen.com
A Love-O-Meter displayed the public sentiment towards the potential reunion at any given moment
Owned: BarbieandKen.com
Following the reunion, the microsite refreshed to house a curated feed displaying aggregate of social conversations from fans and the dolls
Owned: Pop-Up Store• Activated Facebook
commerce to celebrate the Barbie & Ken reunion
• Inventory included the $5 “She Said Yes!” doll gift set, a product to thank consumers for their continued engagement with the campaign
Shared: Match.comPartnered with online dating site Match.com to create a “search story” video where Ken finds his perfect match... Barbie!
Shared: Magnolia Bakery• Partnered with the premier
NYC & LA bakery to create a custom Barbie-branded cupcake
• Seeded ‘paparazzi shots’ of Ken at Magnolia to mark the start of his courtship
Shared: Dylan’s Candy Bar• Leveraged existing partnership
by digitally tying the in-store products into the social romance narrative
• Created a ‘grand gesture’ moment signifying Ken’s desire to win Barbie back
Shared: Christie’s Auction HouseEngaged the art & fashion community during NYFW with an exclusive event in celebration of Ken
Earned: Catch Me If You Ken
Re-introduced Ken to the public with an eye-catching truck that housed real-live Ken dolls on FNO 2010
Earned: Genuine Ken on Hulu• First half-hour reality show to
premiere on Hulu
• Branded dating show reached the #3 reality show spot on Hulu
Earned: Valentine’s DayDate with Ken
• In celebration of Barbie and Ken’s reunion, fans were invited to have a “date” with Ken in NYC’s Times Square and LA’s The Grove
• Reinforced Ken’s standing as “the ultimate dream date”
Paid: Out-of-Home• Ken’s feelings towards Barbie were
made even more public with billboards and street displays in LA and NYC
• SMS codes found on displays allowed mobile voting
Paid: Magazine• A two-page spread in US
Weekly threaded into the social narrative
• Barbie “stumbled upon” Ken’s love profession in the magazine
Earned: Digital CoverageThe campaign secured placements on top Social Media, Tech, Women’s Lifestyle, Fashion and Entertainment blogs, garnering over 11 million impressions.
Results• Garnered a half a million votes on BarbieandKen.com
• The words “Barbie” and “Ken” were tweeted every 18 seconds on reunion day
• Barbie and Ken were trending topics on Twitter in 22 markets, including NYC, LA, Chicago, Texas and south Florida
• Share of voice spiked for both Barbie and Ken tremendously with a 1,600% increase in total conversations on reunion day
Results
Facebook increase of 449,258 fans, 34.2% growth
Twitter increase of 10,147 followers, 38.9% growth
2,039 followers, 15 check ins
Facebook increase of 22,060 fans, 111% growth
Twitter increase of 5,417 followers, 162% growth
112 followers, 35 check-ins, 76 users completed Ken’s tips
Continuing the StoryThe conversation between brand and consumer should be one circuitous ongoing journey, across different platforms, with zero dead ends.
Insights
• Social media became the center of conversation in the reunion saga as it played out like a modern day romance in a believable, authentic way
• Cross-linking and leveraging multiple social platforms allowed for fans to be consistently engaged
Insights
• Crowdsourcing the decision of the Barbie & Ken reunion gave fans ownership of the campaign, cultivating engagement and serving as an effective, simple call-to-action for all target audiences
• Offline and online integration drove reciprocal benefit within the marketing mix
Barbie’s Social Journey…Hosted first tweetup around Barbie Basics launch in February 2010.
Crowdsourced 125th career – Computer Engineer!
Barbie’s Social Journey…
Conducted a QR code fashion scavenger hunt during Fashion’s Night Out 2011.
Barbie’s Social Journey…
• Collected Facebook users’ aspirations through the 2010 “Wall of Dreams” Facebook application
• Recently launched the 2011 iteration, an interactive map of dreams from around the world
Barbie’s Social Journey…