LONDON — “Barbie” film partnerships generated a media bonanza for brands including Fossil, Superga and Cotton On, according to new research set to be published Tuesday by WeArisma, the data analytics company that measures the marketing power of online influencers and celebrities.
WeArisma analyzed Barbie-related content for 14 brands that collaborated with the “Barbie” film and then brought influencers on board to promote the merchandise.
Content linked to the Barbie x Fossil limited-edition collection of accessories and jewelry accounted for 24 percent of the brand’s overall media value between March and July.
Superga x Barbie The Movie content accounted for 13 percent of Superga’s media value in the same period. Online conversation around the Cotton On x Barbie partnership accounted for 11 percent of that brand’s media value during the five-month period.
Zara, meanwhile, topped the list of total earned media value generated by Barbie-related content.
The Zara Barbie collection generated $6.8 million in media value in the March to July period, followed by Barbie x Primark, which made $4.6 million. Barbie x Aldo generated $3.7 million while Forever 21 x Barbie made $2.4 million.
WeArisma noted that a common thread among the most successful brands is that they collaborated with well-known influencers including Alessandra, who unboxed a pair of Aldo’s Barbie heels on TikTok, and Dominique, who shared her shopping experience at Forever 21 on TikTok.
Jenny Tsai, founder and chief executive officer of WeArisma, described Barbie’s collaboration with major brands and influencers as “nothing short of sensational.”
She said the collaborations, and subsequent influencer and celebrity promotion deals, “demonstrate just how powerful co-creation and partnerships can be if they are executed well; and across the right social media channels, and if both parties are aligned when it comes to their shared communities. It also highlights just how important it is for brands to work with the right influencers if they want to maximize the awareness of their Barbie collaborations across joint communities.”
Tsai added that the “huge rise in media value indicates how Barbie-inspired partnerships have resonated on social media channels, no doubt driven by authentic interactions from the brands, influencers and their Gen Z and Millennial followers.”
As reported, most of WeArisma’s research is never released publicly. Instead, it’s delivered directly to clients so they can make decisions about how much money to invest in social media, experiential events and influencers who can potentially help them shape their images going forward, and drive sales.
As reported, WeArisma has already banked six years of historical data across 15,000 brands in more than 70 countries.
Tsai, who in June raised a further 2.5 million pounds in a round led by the investment syndicate Adjuvo, said WeArisma has plans to scale and to optimize its analytics, methodologies and use of AI.