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- Barbie, Memes, and the Smartest Poster Campaign in Years
Barbie, Memes, and the Smartest Poster Campaign in Years
Playful, timely, and taps into both nostalgia and marketing insight.
Introduction
Welcome to another exciting week!
Table of Contents
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Marketing ideas for marketers who hate boring
The best marketing ideas come from marketers who live it.
That’s what this newsletter delivers.
The Marketing Millennials is a look inside what’s working right now for other marketers. No theory. No fluff. Just real insights and ideas you can actually use—from marketers who’ve been there, done that, and are sharing the playbook.
Every newsletter is written by Daniel Murray, a marketer obsessed with what goes into great marketing. Expect fresh takes, hot topics, and the kind of stuff you’ll want to steal for your next campaign.
Because marketing shouldn’t feel like guesswork. And you shouldn’t have to dig for the good stuff.
Best Ad of the Week
Barbie – “This Barbie Is” (2023 Film Campaign)
To promote the 2023 Barbie film, Warner Bros. and Mattel launched a character poster campaign that let everyone become a Barbie—or a Ken. Using bold colours and a DIY poster generator, the internet exploded with personalised “This Barbie is…” memes, driving global hype weeks before the film’s release.
Key marketing lessons
• Turn your audience into the ad: The poster generator invited mass participation, blending user-generated content with official branding.
• Consistency with flexibility: A clear template and visual identity kept the campaign cohesive, even as fans customised it wildly.
• Play to internet culture: Self-aware humour, memeability, and inclusive representation made the campaign irresistible on social media.
• Bridge digital and physical: Posters, bus stops and trailers all matched the online energy—unifying the campaign across every touchpoint.
The Barbie poster blitz is a masterclass in building momentum through fun, identity, and shareability. It didn’t just promote the movie—it made the internet part of the cast.

Barbie – “This Barbie Is” (2023 Film Campaign)
Latest Trends and News
EU Publishers File Antitrust Complaint vs. Google
A coalition of independent publishers lodged an antitrust complaint in the EU on June 30, 2025, alleging Google’s AI-generated “AI Overviews” summaries have slashed traffic to news sites. Since May 2024, zero-click searches climbed from 56 % to 69 %, prompting calls for publishers to opt out of AI summaries without penalty.
Luxury Brands Build Intimate Community with DMs
High-end labels like Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Maison Margiela are leveraging Instagram DMs and Close Friends Stories to connect personally with influencers and fans. This shift from broad campaigns to exclusive interactions cultivates deeper loyalty—but experts urge these brands to evolve toward community-led storytelling.
CMOs at Cannes Highlight AI’s Creative Potential
At a Cannes CMO Insider breakfast, industry leaders emphasized that 71 % of CMOs plan to invest over US $10 million annually in AI—but results aren’t consistent yet. AI is currently aiding personalization, workflows, and insights, but creativity and human touch remain vital.
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Weekly Tip
Tone Is a Strategy
Your tone shapes how people feel about your brand, sometimes more than the message itself.
• Decide what tone fits your brand—friendly, expert, bold, calm
• Keep it consistent across posts, replies, and emails
• Review old content to spot and fix tone mismatches
When tone aligns with your audience and message, trust builds faster. It’s not just how you say it—it’s how you make them feel.
Weekly Challenge
DM Welcome Flow
Turn new followers into active connections:
• Each day, send a short welcome DM to new followers—thank them and ask what they're working on
• Personalise it slightly based on their profile or niche
• Avoid selling—focus on starting a real conversation
• Track how many respond, and note any content ideas that come from those chats
This builds trust early and helps you create more relevant content from real conversations.
Submissions + Feedback
Hope you enjoyed today’s post, if you know someone who may be interested, feel free to send it to them.
Also, if you want me to cover any specific subject on the next issue or share some feedback, feel free to reply to this email.
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