The General Motors (GM) integration within the Barbie film was nothing short of extraordinary. By leveraging the popularity and legacy of a cherished brand like Barbie, GM found a perfect platform to showcase its dedication to sustainability, equity, and innovation.
Barbie has become the largest film debut of the year so far, raking in $337 million in its opening weekend globally. The success of the movie has led to significant outcomes for GM too. Concave Brand Tracking estimates that the movie generated nearly $8 million in global product placement value for the car manufacturing company during its opening weekend alone. GM vehicles earned over 10 minutes of on-screen exposure in the film, and were carefully placed to enhance the plot and add value to the movie rather than disrupt the entertainment.
What truly set this product placement apart was its cultural relevance and powerful message of empowerment, which resulted in an organic integration. In the movie, the different types of Barbies in Barbieland showed the real world that women can be whoever they want to be, thus making the world a better place. Led by a female CEO, the automaker’s alignment with the movie’s theme resonated deeply with its audience, especially young women, who represent a significant demographic for electric vehicle manufacturers. GM’s CEO, Mary Barra, leads an organization that’s proudly committed to real-world issues, such as social justice, diversity, equity, inclusion, and sustainability. GM’s vision for a better future – zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion – is certainly aligned with Barbie’s values.
But as the saying goes, great things take time. This product integration campaign started over a year ago when GM entered this partnership facilitated by BENlabs. “With GM accelerating toward an electric future, it was imperative to get its new EV models on screen as they arrived in dealerships,” said Kristen Rubi, BENlabs Transportation Director. As the middleman, BENlabs worked closely with GM, Warner Bros., and Barbie’s production team to make movie magic happen. With many of these newer EVs still months away from being manufactured in GM’s factories, GM had to build prototype versions of the cars – that were not fully functional – to be used in the film production. That was the case with the Chevy Blazer EV that appeared in a chase scene in the movie. Needless to say, utilizing a prototype vehicle was no easy feat but the BENlabs team was there to support GM and the filmmakers throughout the production process.
Read more about Barbie girls in a GM world from Automotive News.
