Marketing lessons from the Barbie Movie have been almost as inescapable as the film itself. The Barbie movie has been huge, even months before it was released, it was everywhere. So, what can online language teachers learn from the Barbie movie?

Enjoy Teach Languages Online Your Way

Before we get started, you can enjoy this episode in the way you prefer. We’ve got a video version and the podcast below. So pick your place and let’s go!

The Video

The Podcast

Marketing Lessons from the Barbie Movie for Better Online Teaching

Collaborations

There have been countless collaborations with the Barbie film.

Toothbrushes and toothpaste, drinks, ice cream, make up and nail varnish, shoes, clothes, roller blades, suitcases, pool floats, rugs, candles, Xbox, jewellery.

My favourite has to be the Barbie Dreamhouse hosted on AirBnb. Not only does this make for great promo in general, but the fact that people could actually enter to stay for free built lots of buzz, press, and opportunities for interactive promo, which we’ll get to in a moment.

Apply This Marketing Lesson from the Barbie Movie

This one transfers pretty easily.

Although you probably won’t be making French With Me x Fossil Watches and I won’t be collaborating for Lindsay Does Languages x OPI nail varnish, we can collaborate in a huge number of ways.

Collabs in general are great because although there may naturally be some crossover audience – people who know both you and your collaborator already – there’ll be lots of people who are only familiar with one of you.

And the other reason they’re great is because there’s no limit to how creative you can be.

Co-hosting a podcast, taking over each other’s Instagram for a day, co-hosting a live workshop or online event. Just to name three ideas.

And then there’s the option to work together on a collaboration that people pay for.

It could be a course you create together, a short-term challenge you co-host or a long-term membership.

Lots of options to consider.

Related: Why (+ How) You Should Collaborate With Other Online Language Teachers

Interactive Promo

So back to the AirBnb Dreamhouse. One thing that was so cool about this is that it was exclusive, and when people did stay there, they were pretty much guaranteed to take and share lots of photos and videos online. Smart move, free promo!

The other big one was a few months before when they released a template and a website where you could create your own Barbie memes.

You’ve seen them. I guarantee it.

The sparkly spiky rosettes with each actor in character behind the pink word Barbie. And a tiny ‘This Barbie is…’ in the corner that differed for each.

Instant friendly memes!

Apply This Marketing Lesson from the Barbie Movie

There’s a couple of ideas I have here.

Firstly, physical gifts. When people join Language Life & complete Milestones in the program, I love personally hand-picking and sending out their gifts in the mail.

You could take this pre-purchase and make it into a marketing idea by randomly selecting people everyone in a while to receive a free physical gift in the mail from you.

Alternatively, you could encourage people to share a selfie studying the language in unusual places with a certain hashtag.

Or, you could take Barbie’s template idea and run with it! Perhaps creating a template for an Instagram Story with a question or prompt and space for people to share their answers.

These sorts of things make it really easy for people to actively interact with you and your business AND to feel part of something by sharing something themselves.

Related: How to Use ChatGPT for Online Teachers

Barbie The Album

As well as the film, a lot of hype built around Barbie The Album too.

They revealed an almost complete line-up of artists, gradually shared singles in the weeks building up to the film’s release, and even included some tracks and artists as TBA.

All of this helped to build excitement and hype before the film itself.

Apply This Marketing Lesson from the Barbie Movie

Ok, so making a whole album probably isn’t in your marketing plan. And I won’t say it shouldn’t be – it could be SO fun! – but it’s unlikely. I understand.

However, what we can learn from this as online language teachers is to think about other ways we can share what we create.

Perhaps you religiously write your blog each week and have a routine to share it on social media and via email?

What about if you also added in creating a podcast version of each blog? This could be great to reach new people and give existing readers a new way to take in what you have to say.

Alternatively, this could look like creating an exciting online summit with lots of other speakers. You can gradually share snippets of sessions before the event, drawing from the release of singles from the Barbie Album.

However, I would recommend sharing the full line-up of speakers. It feels a bit like you’re highlighting some people over others if you opt for keeping some back as TBA.

What we can learn from the TBA artists though is to consider TBA extra bonuses being revealed halfway through a live launch. Something like that that doesn’t pedestal people is a much better interpretation in our space.

Related: 5 Ways to Use Music in Your Online Language Teaching

Early Sneak Peeks

Remember some time mid-covid there were the first photos from the first day of filming in the big wide open human world, not Barbie World on a soundstage?

Well, the internet lost its mind and initial hype and buzz was very quickly created.

Apply This Marketing Lesson from the Barbie Movie

Don’t be afraid to share strategic behind-the-scenes insights.

I’m not talking what you had for breakfast each day, but more so exciting big things coming up. A course launch, a brand new offer, your visit to the location for your soon-to-be-available retreat.

These sorts of things can really help to create excitement as you’re busy preparing your latest offer.

It’s also a reminder that people like to see inside when they can. Sometimes a brief walkthrough of a course on its product page can be helpful to give people a sample of what to expect.

I also liken this to visiting a food or drink shop where samples are given out. If there’s a way you can give people a free sample of what you offer, that can be a great marketing tool. For example, all your content should be in line with your style and tone of your products and services so people know what to expect. Free downloads and other opt ins serve the same purpose too.

Related: 7 Tips to Promote Online Language Lessons Effectively Without Social Media