By Jessica Koth
(From the October 2023 issue of The Director)
We’re several months past the opening of one of the summer’s biggest box office successes – Barbie. Before venturing out to see it for ourselves, my friend and I waited until some of the fervor had died down.
I’m not going to get into the movie itself in this column; in fact, I’m not sure I would have seen it in the theater (I’d have waited for it to land on Netflix or Amazon Prime) had it not been for the incredible buzz around it.
Regardless of your opinion on Barbie, objectively, there was an incredibly well-run marketing campaign that contributed to its success. In fact, it’s estimated that the studio spent more than $150 million on marketing. That’s more than the $145 million it took to make the movie!
And that budget didn’t just go to public relations and ads directly promoting the film. Marketing covered the gamut – from an Airbnb Barbie DreamHouse rental and a Barbie boat cruise on Boston Harbor to pink burgers at Burger Kings in Brazil and Progressive insurance commercials.
Pink was everywhere – and even if it wasn’t a part of the Barbie marketing machine, it caused people to think about the movie or at least make a connection to it.
In short, Barbie. Was. Everywhere.
With so much noise in the world and so many people competing for attention – and consumer dollars – when it comes to planning end-of-life sendoffs, marketing becomes so much more critical. What can funeral homes learn from the Barbie movie marketing blitz?
First, you must have a strong, identifiable brand identity. The Barbie brand is strong. You know it by its look (pink!), the "Barbie" typeface, even how they talk about themselves and their brand story.
A strong brand identity is important for funeral homes, too: a consistent logo, font, color palette, and look and feel to all graphics (from your website and business cards to ads and brochures). Equally important is how you talk about your firm: the language you use, the story you tell, how your staff presents themselves. It’s all part of your brand.
Your brand identity is the public "face" your funeral home shows the world. Let’s put it this way – your brand should be so consistent across everything you do that it would be easily identifiable even if your funeral home name was missing.
Barbie has a strong brand identity – there’s no question about that.
Another thing that came through clearly in the marketing – and in the movie – is that Barbie evolved with the times and marketers leaned into that nostalgia to create a strong narrative about the Barbie story. If anyone is old enough to remember the first Barbie doll, think about what she looked like. She was white, had red hair, a very retro-looking black and white swimsuit and cat-eye sunglasses.
Making an Impact
Marketing for the Barbie movie covered the gamut – from an Airbnb Barbie DreamHouse rental and a Barbie boat cruise to pink burgers in Brazil and national insurance commercials.
Go to the doll aisle of a toy store or do a quick Amazon search and look at Barbie today. There are Barbies with varying skin tones, body shapes and hair colors. She has a plethora of jobs: doctor, soccer player, firefighter and wilderness guide, among others.
The marketing for the movie leaned into this nostalgia by showcasing dolls, including the first Barbie, a pregnant Midge, the short-lived Allan, Teen Talk Barbie and Earring Magic Ken. (Yes, these were all real!)
Many funeral homes – especially those that have been in existence for two, three, four or more generations – have a tremendous history to use to share as part of your brand’s story. You can also tell the story of how your business has evolved – what new things you are doing to meet the needs of families, such as webcasting and other technology, unique service planning, incorporating therapy dogs and offering green options.
Harness that story of where you have been, where you are now and what lies in the future to show your community who your firm is and why it is best equipped to serve them.
For those new firms, you obviously saw a need in your community that you felt you were best equipped to fill. Lean into the story of why you established your business and incorporate that into your brand’s story.
The Barbie movie also showed us that collaboration is critical. I think most business owners realize the value that collaborations can bring, but the Barbie marketing splash put them front and center. There were, of course, the obvious partnerships, but there were also the unexpected ones, like Burger King and Progressive.
Who in the community do you collaborate with?
There are the obvious businesses: florists, clergy, musicians, caterers, hospice. Consider what you can do to strengthen these natural relationships.
Perhaps more importantly, think about who your "Progressive" partner could be and examine some not-so-obvious opportunities for collaboration.
Listen and Be Creative
We know from the annual NFDA Consumer Awareness and Preferences Survey that families are increasingly looking to hold services in locations other than a funeral home, cemetery or church.
Are there other locations – art museums, galleries, parks, outdoor event spaces, hotels, banquet facilities, sports venues – with which you could form relationships? Are there other musicians with whom you could partner, perhaps ones who could offer more contemporary music?
The next time you’re at a funeral convention, look for vendors with new memorial keepsake offerings that are different than what you currently offer.
Are you connecting with other organizations and businesses that touch seniors and the older adults in your community?
It takes time and intentionality to develop these collaborations and partnerships, but the payoff will be worth it.
Next, look at your advertising budget. Is it getting you the results you expect? The Barbie movie was incredibly effective at using digital marketing, including social media, to gain traction among people of all demographics.
Even if you’re on a budget, there are many ways to leverage digital marketing. You could create interactive content on your website, run paid social media campaigns or invest in digital advertising to get your brand out to as many people as possible.
Remember, older adults are getting increasingly savvy in using the internet. More importantly, the children and grandchildren of your primary clientele are already digitally savvy, and it is this audience that is advising and guiding older adults. Make sure your marketing is visible to them on the channels they use.
We’re coming to the end of 2023 and looking ahead to 2024, making now the perfect time to look over how your firm is marketing itself – from brand identity and community collaborations and partnerships to social media recognition and beyond. All these things matter.
And when you consider marketing in a cohesive manner, as the marketers did for the Barbie movie, you can find meaningful success.
So, as you plan your marketing strategy for 2024, think pink!
Jessica Koth is NFDA director of public relations. She can be reached at jkoth@nfda.org .