Hardhat has worked with Mattel to bring the vibrant world of Mini BarbieLand to the streets of Melbourne and Sydney, as part of the launch of a new collection.
From 30 July, two pink murals have been installed in Richmond, Melbourne, and Paddington, Sydney, and will be up through August.
“Mini BarbieLand is an exciting yet tiny addition to the Barbie range and a dream-come-true brief for a lot of our team. The teeny tiny scale of the offering presented us with a fun opportunity to misuse media and make a very big deal out of something very small. Getting our hands on some of the biggest mural walls in town and turning them into free product drops was important to emphasise the scale of the dolls and create some buzz beyond the shelf,” said Reece Ryan, executive creative director of Hardhat.
Hardhat leveraged its Australian-first suite of growth accelerators, “Cheat Codes for Challenger Brands,” which were developed with a deep understanding of behavioural science, to turn the traditional use of murals on its head.
“Barbie is at the heart of pop culture, and we’re excited to meet fans where they are by offering a new mini collectible scale, empowering fans to assemble their own mini Barbie world,” said said Krista Berger, senior vice president of Barbie and global head of dolls, Mattel.
“Barbie owns one of the most recognisable homes in the world and for the first time, her entire estate has been miniaturized so Barbie can be enjoyed in a whole new way, expanding her reach to an entirely new fanbase of smaller collectibles. The collection may be mini, but the infinite possibilities with Mini BarbieLand allow fans of all ages to dream big”.
Murals traditionally feature gigantic artwork and lettering to take advantage of the bigger space and canvas. We’ve used the strength of the Barbie brand codes to go mini with our campaign. By juxtaposing eye-catchingly small silhouettes of the new Mini BarbieLand collection against an immense wall of pink, they will allow enthusiasts, young and old, to experience the new collection up close. Enthusiasts can bring home some of their favourites from the new Mini BarbieLand collection.
Ahead of the launch, the campaign built online hype with teaser social videos accompanied by a bespoke Mini BarbieLand microsite featuring a countdown to the launch, and an interactive wall revealing information about where visitors were able to find the murals.
Credits:
Client: Mattel
Creative agency: Hardhat
Media agency: UM Worldwide
Mural partner (Melbourne): Apparition Media
Mural partner (Sydney): Revolution360
