Barbie, Beyoncé, and Taylor Swift: What They Can Teach Us About Brand Strategy 

A record-breaking tour expected to pass $1 billion in revenue.  

$5 billion generated in spending on accommodations, clothing, and travel. 

An influx of pink at movie theatres that drove over $1 billion in ticket sales. 

A glitzy, otherworldly tour that spiked local searches for spas, shopping, and food in U.S. cities. 

Looking back on this past summer, the story is clear. Pop culture had a profound impact on the U.S. economy and consumer spending.  

Entering 2023, we were bracing for a tough year economically. We are still holding our breath for an impending recession. However, the music and movie industries have given a boost nationally and locally. 

The economic story is important, but there’s so much more to these phenomena. At MLCworks, we’ve been abuzz about the lessons brands can take away from these cultural icons.  

You don’t have to be a doll with an illustrious resumé and impeccable closet. You don’t need to go on a world tour. You can be you, business owner. Below we’ll walk you through the key takeaways for brand strategy that you can copy from these icons. 

But first, why is brand strategy important?  

Your business is a brand. Even if you aren’t Coca-Cola, Apple, or Nike. There are perceptions of your business in the community, and it has an impact on your customer loyalty and business growth. 

You may have a logo, color scheme, and catchy tagline. However, your brand goes far beyond these elements. It’s the heart and soul of your business. As Jeff Bezos says, “Your brand is what other people say about you when you are not in the room.”  

Below are a few reasons why it is important to develop the brand of your business. 

Your brand helps you cut through the noise. 

Brands inundate people with messaging and new products and services every day. A saturated market exists not just in your industry but across all industries. People have a very limited amount of funds to direct to businesses, especially in an economic downturn. 

Your brand differentiates you from others. It also drives connection. Your mission, vision, and values can have a profound impact on the loyalty your business drives. You can cultivate this loyalty throughout time, which allows you to weather the ups and downs of the market. 

Your brand gives you, your employees, and your customers direction. 

To drive growth, you must have direction. As a business leader, you already know this. There’s a reason you started your business, entered your field, and relentlessly pursued your goals. It’s clear to you, but it’s vitally important to make it clear to your internal and external audiences. 

Keeping clear of your direction ensures that every action you and your employees take are aligned. This can even translate to greater external clarity. When your business is in alignment, your customers don’t have to question who you are. They can instantly recognize and connect with your brand and the meaning behind it. 

Your brand inspires advocates. 

You put in a lot of hard work in growing your business. Wouldn’t it be great if people could organically help you grow it further? Brand strategy can accomplish this. By communicating the meaning behind your business, you can better connect with those that can help tell your story. 

Brand strategy involves storytelling. You sell a product or service, but it translates into greater meaning in a customer’s life.  

What stories are told through your product or service? How can you better communicate it? By cultivating your brand’s narrative, you can establish bonds, loyalty, and communication of positive customer experiences. 

Your brand legitimizes your prices. 

Your business offers immense value. As you look to grow and expand, your brand must match the value you provide. Brand strategy drives perception, helping to boost the perceived value of your product or service. 

If your product is expensive because of its innovation, engineering, or reliability, you need to show these qualities in your brand. It’s not enough to say it. Every touchpoint and brand experience needs to evoke these attributes.  

What can we learn from Barbie, Beyoncé, and Taylor Swift? 

A lot more than dance moves and self-esteem affirmations. The success of these pop culture behemoths hinges on brand strategy. Each of them has paid meticulous attention to detail in crafting their brands over time. Below are some of the ways businesses like yours, no matter the industry, can take note. 

Branding and marketing are long games. 

These three icons didn’t have overnight success. In 1959, Barbie made her pointed-toe, stiletto-clad entrance into the world. Beyoncé started the group Destiny’s Child in 1990. In 2004, Taylor Swift signed her first record deal at the age of 14. She’s now 33. 

Fast forward to now, and they are shattering records. When Mattel first started creating Barbies, they had no idea there would eventually be a $1 billion blockbuster. Beyoncé hadn’t yet known what solo success would mean. Taylor Swift couldn’t exactly see what a career of “eras” would mean at the age of 33. 

Brand equity was built over time. This consistency is what translated to the success they see today. You can use this strategy by consistently offering value, making your brand unique, connecting with others, and building a community. 

The key? Patience. As you continue to invest in your brand, long-term results will compound. 

Don’t be afraid to evolve. 

At the Eras Tour, Swifties are donning costumes that represent the “eras” of Taylor Swift’s music. Some wear dresses in romantic hues of pink and purple to represent the “Lover” era. Others are sporting more dramatic, black outfits with snake motifs to evoke the “Reputation” era.   

At Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour, fans are wearing metallic materials and cowboy hats to “vibe” with the artist’s latest album. Beyoncé’s latest album, Renaissance, has a flair all its own. The singer crafted an album different than those she has put out before, but she still stayed true to the reason her fans love her. 

Both of these women are not the same artists they used to be. The world around them isn’t the same. As a business, you can take note of their strategic evolutions. To evolve your brand, you must pay attention to the world around you and the behavior changes among your audience.  

Technology is constantly changing, affecting the way we conduct business and advertise. Businesses, like these pop culture superstars, must evolve in order to stay relevant. This evolution must be strategic, however, remaining true to your mission and values.  

Taylor Swift and Beyoncé both have adapted while staying true to why their fans stay so loyal. You can evolve your brand to fit shifting consumer preferences. You can adapt your website to better connect in our digital world. You can even shift your offerings to align with the growing values of your audience – from sustainability to diversity to efficiency. 

Build experiences that drive advocacy. 

As mentioned before, Jeff Bezos once said, “Your brand is what other people say about you when you are not in the room.” Right now, that room is social media.  

One of the reasons why the Barbie movie was so successful is the earned media that was generated. Many people wore pink to the movie theater, taking photos to later share on social media. There were countless mentions of the Barbie movie on social media, as people were sharing their “hot takes” on the movie’s themes. 

For many industries, generating this type of conversation can be challenging. In fact, it can be downright impossible. Barbie has been a cultural phenomenon for so long, leaning on decades of brand equity built over time. It was relatively easy for the movie to drive the level of conversation that it did. 

As a business, you can start small. How can you cultivate experiences that inspire your customers to share with others?  

Identify your customer touchpoints and ways you can inspire delight in each of them. Perhaps you can create an “Instagrammable” corner of your brick-and-mortar. Or you can identify ways to optimize your sales approach, identifying how to better delight customers and inspire them to share reviews. 

Lean into your loyal customers. 

This next point goes hand in hand with the previous one. Businesses often focus so much attention on bringing new customers into the funnel. However, an often missed opportunity is tapping into the loyal customer base that currently exists. 

Taylor Swift and Beyoncé seemingly don’t have to worry about attracting new fans. They may capture new listeners here and there, but their real strategy is focusing on those who already adore them. They give a great deal of attention to these engaged fans.  

Taylor Swift is known for “dropping Easter eggs” in her Instagram posts, music videos, and tour performances. These Easter eggs serve as a wink and a nod to those who truly understand her music and know her lyrics. They serve as little touchpoints to keep her fans engaged. For fans of the BeyHive, Beyoncé sends out information and updates to those who follow her. 

It’s because of this loyalty that they need little to no effort in promoting their albums. Businesses like yours can take note of this cultivation of community.  

You can send discounts and sneak peeks to your email list. You can invite your loyal customers to exclusive events and ribbon cuttings. You can even provide them with a reward for referring a new customer.  

Establish a recognizable brand. 

The color pink has long been its own popular hue. In 2023, however, the Barbie movie took ownership of this color. Pink was everywhere this year. It became so synonymous with the Barbie movie that people instantly assumed usage of the color was a “Barbie collab.” 

Branding has long utilized the psychology of color. Your business may even have a palette of 2-3 colors that establish the “look” of your business materials. Consider if you truly use it consistently everywhere your brand is mentioned. 

Do you sometimes color with other hues in the crayon box? If so, you might want to be careful. 

The branding of the Barbie movie was powerful in driving success at the box office. You may not be a movie backed by a toy company with millions in marketing budget, but this can be a learning for your business. Establish brand colors that represent the values and benefits of your business – and use them consistently. Stay cohesive across all marketing channels, no matter if you advertise solo or collaborate with others.  

Tap into your business community. 

The term “Barbenheimer” became a household name. It became a viral word to describe the dual box office openings of summer blockbusters Barbie and Oppenheimer. These movies were of different genres, subject matters, and moods. However, many people began planning double features, seeing both movies on the same weekend. 

Questions still remain as to how the “Barbenheimer” trend started. By all accounts, it isn’t clear that the production studios or their marketing teams came up with this. It appears that this phenomenon was born organically out of social media.  

You would think that Barbie and Oppenheimer, and the teams behind them, would be direct competition for ticket sales. However, it turned out to be a huge opportunity for both movies to capitalize on the other’s innate fan base. 

As a business in New Orleans, you too can tap into your local community. Don’t be afraid to collaborate with other businesses, even unexpected ones, to drive collective success. You can collaborate on products and services, host events, and develop charitable causes to tap into each other’s loyal customer base. 

Uncover Opportunities for Your Brand with MLCworks 

We hope this blog inspired you like Barbie, Beyoncé, and Taylor Swift did for us at MLCworks office. There’s no question that there is serious genius behind the branding and marketing of these pop culture phenoms. 

We’re always looking to the world around us to uncover unexpected opportunities for our clients. We’d love to do the same for you. When you’re ready to see what’s possible for you, choose a team that thinks outside of the box.