A year after ‘Barbie,’ branded content is all the rage in Hollywood

Over a year later, the Barbie movie is continuing to affect culture: The final scene of the film, which features Barbie going to a gynecologist, might have caused a spike in internet searches related to gynecology following the movie’s release, according to a recent study published in the journal JAMA Network Open.

Barbie’s impact goes beyond the medical realm. The film was a branding phenomenon, and its success has left brands clamoring to be included in movies and TV shows to woo consumers.

Break with tradition

Barbie may have sparked new conversations around creating branded content, but it will take time for brands to “actually do the thing,” according to Lily Gluzberg, VP at 160over90, a cultural marketing agency that is a sibling of entertainment agency WME, where she acts as the day-to-day lead for the entertainment marketing group.

“Barbie got everyone really excited last summer,” she said. “We’re seeing a lot of brands want to ride this wave and try to replicate that success.”

However, Julian Jacobs, head of UTA NY and partner and co-head of UTA entertainment and culture marketing, said that while brands are eager to partner with content thanks to the movie, not every brand is, well, Barbie.

“Although the Barbie movement sent brands to Hollywood to go explore in a similar fashion, I think the truth is that not all brands really can do that and aren’t right to go make a movie or a TV show inspired by their brand,” he told us.

Despite not every brand having Barbie-level potential, that’s not stopping entertainment companies from trying to court brands on content, whether through brand-funded shows, product placement, or other kinds of sponsorships. Earlier this year, Amazon debuted new branded entertainment-focused units, such as a branded and talk group for brand-focused originals, as well as a “scripted hybrid” unit whose focuses include branded scripted shows.

Another major talent agency, Creative Artists Agency, which reps talent like Emma Roberts and Demi Lovato, announced a new media and entertainment partnerships division in June.

Traditional advertising may not always land with consumers: for example, 59% of people recently surveyed by HootSuite said there’s “too much brand advertising on social media.” Branded content is a different way for brands to show up in front of consumers, Anjali Bal, an associate professor of marketing at Babson College, told us.

“What we’re seeing is that consumers are less and less impacted by advertisements in a traditional sense of the word,” Bal said. “What brands are struggling with right now is [giving] out authentic messaging without really coming under fire for those things. One of the things about these movies…or whatever they happen to be doing investments in, is that then they have the ability to match their beliefs to whatever they’re sponsoring without doing so in a way that is inauthentic.”

What makes for an authentic branded content partnership? Bal cited a short film made by The North Face, a brand that sells gear for the outdoors, and that has made sustainability one of its brand values. The film showcases a family of farmers transitioning to regenerative agriculture practices to produce sustainable cotton, the end of which features a screen with text emphasizing the brand’s commitment to work with farmers engaging in similar sustainable practices.

Teamwork makes the dream work

In addition to projecting authenticity, branded content partnerships can allow brands to engage in co-promotion of TV shows or movies with other brands and potentially reach new audiences, according to Gluzberg.

“Outside of branded content…a lot of brands are entering in the co-promotion partnership space as a way to insert themselves into content or into programming that is adjacent to popular content as a way of…using the halo effect of those big IPs and loved titles,” she said.

Take the Apple TV+ show Masters of the Air, which centers around a group of US Air Force pilots during WWII, for which 160over90 brought on board USAA, a financial firm that supports service members and their families, Gluzberg told us. Together USAA and Apple TV+ co-promoted the show through a spot that ran on cable, streaming, and social and held screenings of the show with USAA, among other activations, Gluzberg said.

While partnerships like this can bring increased visibility to brands, brands can also help shoulder some of the costs associated with marketing content, something that could be appealing as many companies, including Apple TV+, have looked to trim content and marketing budgets.