Photo: World of Barbie
Can Barbie Deliver An Immersive Brand Experience?
On April 14, a 20,000 square-foot attraction, “World of Barbie,” opened in Santa Monica offering interactive installations which let customers visit Barbie’s Dreamhouse, board a space shuttle and more.
With entry prices starting at $25.50 for kids and $34.50 for adults, the experience was imagined by entertainment company Kilburn Live, Barbie-parent Mattel and talent agency IMG. It follows a launch and nearly three-month run in Toronto that drew over 100,000 guests. It arrives as a “Barbie” movie starring Margot Robbie is set to reach theaters in July.
The experience is on tour and will eventually reach New York, Chicago and other cities.
“This is a world, a world built specifically for Barbie fans so they can experience what it is like to walk into a life-sized Barbie playset,” said Mark Manuel, Kilburn Live’s CEO, in a news release.
Highlights include a:
- Life-size Barbie Dreamhouse complete with a patio, pool and walk-in closets filled with Barbie outfits over the years;
- Paul Mitchell Salon offering Barbie-glam hairstyling;
- Bubble-gum pink camper van including a hammock for lounging;
- Fashion studio where guests walk the pink carpet and pose inside one of six Barbie boxes with themes like “Western” and “fashionista;”
- Museum exhibit where guests learn how Barbie has evolved since arriving in 1959;
- Gift shop selling Barbies and accessories featuring the trendy “Barbicore” pink aesthetic.
Special events include “Sips after Sunset” cocktails for guests over 21 and “Pink Carpet Night” dance parties.
The “World of Barbie” taps into the “immersive experiences” trend, which can be seen recently in the arrival at Mall of America this summer of “Wink World,” billed as an art exhibit where “psychedelic art house meets carnival funhouse” and the “Museum of Illusions” optical attraction.
Some other popular immersive pop-ups in the recent past have been dedicated to Princess Diana and artist Vincent van Gogh as well as hot entertainment properties such as Stranger Things, Friends and The Office.
“This trip is not just for young girls,” Lucy Treadway, producer for Kilburn Live, told Reuters. “It’s for grownups too.”
Discussion Questions
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Do you see the “World of Barbie” offering appeal across cities and boosting the brand? Is the “immersive experiences” trend positive for retail and can many other brands participate?
Poll
Loading …BrainTrust
Georganne Bender
Principal, KIZER & BENDER Speaking
Gene Detroyer
Professor, International Business, Guizhou University of Finance & Economics and University of Sanya, China.
My daughter was a Barbie fan into her pre-teens. My granddaughter rejected Barbie from the very beginning. Of the 100,000 guests in Toronto, I wonder how many of them were nostalgic parents and not the target young girls. Has Barbie aged out?
Great question but I wonder why no one thought of this a decade or so ago?
This is brilliant. It’s American Girl on steroids. And it’s the kind of immersive experience we talk about all the time on RetailWire that customers crave and retailers can’t seem to deliver. It’s what more retailers need right now.
Our connection to Barbie spans generations. I can’t wait to take my daughter when the “World of Barbie” comes to Chicago. Sips after Sunset? Campy Barbie-glam hairdos? I’m in.
I’m not sure Barbie has the same appeal as she once did. I don’t think I ever saw a Barbie doll or accessory at our house or any friends’ homes over the years. (I have spent some time over the years extracting Polly Pocket accessories from things like printers, vacuum cleaners, and the occasional dog’s mouth). This feels like a nostalgia play for adults who did grow up with Barbie, many of whom are now collectors and fans. How big is that community? I would be surprised if this does well after the initial blush. I don’t see the staying power of Barbie in 2023.
Based on the number of views of the trailers for this summer’s Barbie movie (19 million in the past two weeks for the second trailer), there is still huge interest in the brand. A lot of it may be nostalgia, camp, or tongue-in-cheek — but does it matter? I expect the “World of Barbie” event to be a big one, and it should draw crowds in any city it travels to.
Wow! The World of Barbie immersive experience will be a huge draw for Barbie fans of all ages. It will be a memorable experience that is Facebook- and Instagram-worthy, which will provide the Barbie brand additional awareness and excitement. This is a brilliant strategy for the Barbie brand.
This is powerful, and is going to explode in popularity. Watch this immersive experience gain traction in a blink of the eye–everywhere it goes.
Who knows, maybe the World of Barbie will expand and become an attraction on par with a small theme park. Currently, it’s a traveling show. Can you imagine the gift-shop sales at the end of the experience!?! I can only imagine how successful this will be. Big question: Why didn’t they do this sooner?