Even the “Barbie” movie is not safe from international backlash, NBC News reported. A child-like drawing of the world shows Asia with a dashed-line appearing over South China Sea territory. Historically, the nine-dash line represents China claiming territorial rights over a huge portion of the South China Sea, NBC News explained. China’s nine-dash line was axed at a Hague tribunal in 2016. China still depicts the nine-dash line in its maps, however, and acts territorial over that area.

“It doesn’t make any sense from a historical or legal point of view, but it’s now become this kind of emotional claim,” Bill Hayton, author of “The South China Sea: The Struggle for Power in Asia,” said.

In a tweet, Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn). had this to say: “Leftist Hollywood’s new ‘Barbie’ movie shows a map that supports Communist China’s territorial claims to the South China Sea. Looks like ‘Barbie’ is bending to Beijing to make a quick buck.”

While “Barbie” movie execs are keeping quiet on the plot reveal for the map, they say that the actual dashes are not a slap in the face at all.

“What some have taken to represent the “nine dash line” is what one source described as ‘journey lines,’ the serial dashes often used in family animation and kid’s drawings to represent where a character has traveled to or from,” Variety reported about the map. Other journey lines are also seen in various parts of the map.

“Barbie” execs denied attempting to appease China, but the damage has been done. Vietnam has already banned the movie and the Philippines might be next.

The movie’s nine-dash line depiction is causing an uproar domestically, too.

Some Republican politicians feel like movie officials are pandering to China and spreading Chinese propaganda with the map’s lines. This might cause some people to take a pause before considering whether they want to support this movie, if their country even allows them to.

Why it matters: Everything is political these days. From M&Ms to Impossible Sausage to a children’s map in a movie, expect even the most innocuous move from your brand to be dissected from every angle.

There are times when this is unavoidable; certainly it would be hard to foresee a child’s depiction of a journey interpreted as a disputed international boundary. But consultation with multicultural advisors may have helped identify these potential missteps and helped the studios prepare a more robust response before it was banned in some nations and a target of ire here in the United States.

Expect for every move you make to be drawn into the culture wars. Do your best to identify the most dangerous areas, but also be prepared for the unexpected. Explain when moves were intended to be benign and stay flexible.

This movie is a startling reminder of how people can dissect everything one does, even seemingly small things. Catering to every stakeholder, abroad and internationally, would be virtually impossible.

Editor’s Daily Reads:

• Are you ready for an internet that is practically all AI generated? That possibility could soon be reality, according to Futurism’s The Byte.  The article say “the internet of the future could be written by bots.” The article adds that about 99.9% of the internet could by AI-generated in the next two years, according to estimations by Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies leader Timothy Shoup. This is if models like OpenAI’s GPT-3 have more broader adoption. Kate Washington, a professor at the University of Washington, told Axios that generative AI will only create even more disinformation. Prepare to protect your brand even more against false AI claims now and in the near future.
• Y2K fashion is back and Gen Zers cannot get enough. Social media influencers and celebs are helping push the trend. Retailers have to be closely in tune with fashion trends because social media is directly connecting with consumers on what’s hot and what’s not. Some micro trends are also causing retailers to pause and see what trends are worth jumping on the bandwagon and what deserves a pass. Tread lightly when looking at social media trends for guidance.
• PRIME energy drink, created by YouTube stars KSI and Logan Paul, , has some issues ,according to lawmakers and health leaders. The drink has high levels of caffeine (equivalent to six cans of Coke) and is being marketed to kids. Sen. Charles Shumer (D-NY) is asking the Food and Drug Administration to look into the matter. “One of the summer’s hottest status symbols for kids is not an outfit, or a toy—it’s a beverage,” according to Schumer, the AP reported. “But buyer and parents beware because it’s a serious health concern for the kids it so feverishly targets.” The YouTube sensations might want to make it more clear that the energy drink is only recommended for those over 18 and encourage safe consumption.

Sherri Kolade is a writer at Ragan Communications. When she is not with her family, she enjoys watching Alfred Hitchcock-style films, reading and building an authentically curated life that includes more than occasionally finding something deliciously fried. Follow her on LinkedIn. Have a great PR story idea? Email her at sherrik@ragan.com. 

The post The Daily Scoop: ‘Barbie’ movie map cause international headaches appeared first on PR Daily.

Barbie. It’s a name that speaks for itself. It’s also an iconic, longtime brand that is not afraid to reinvent its image to appeal to longtime fans and new ones. That’s apparent in the intense marketing efforts leading up to the highly anticipated summer movie,  Fortune reported.

Among other efforts, Barbie’s Dream House in Malibu, California will soon be available for a stay for two lucky winners. “Ken” made an Airbnb post about the home after Barbie left it for the summer. This all is a clever, viral marketing ploy to generate buzz around the July 21 movie release. The pink Dream House features a rooftop terrace with a beach, Ken’s room, an outdoor gym and more.

This is just one in a number of experiential marketing efforts, including a Barbie Boat Cruise.

Why it matters: She’s an icon, she’s a legend and she is the moment. Barbie is a name that evokes a memory, emotion, or something altogether else for everyone, no matter how young or old you are. The immersive, Barbie-themed experiences want to surround you with Barbie’s lifestyle and serve as a reminder that she’s always there. Other times, they want to draw you in with minimalistic marketing, like in this simple yet iconic poster.

11) Simple pink OOH billboard does the job (s/o @Whatleydude) pic.twitter.com/dyBQes9viK

— Moshe Isaacian (@MosheIsaacian) June 26, 2023

They’re bringing you into Barbie’s world with her extravagant, pink lifestyle in a colorful and tangible way. Mattel shows that you sometimes need to go all out to get people sucked in the pinktastic journey.

Not all of us work with brands that are instantly recognizable just by their Pantone shade of pink. But this campaign shows how to build an inviting world that audiences long to experience for themselves, and how to pull out all the stops to show that life in plastic is simply fantastic.

Editor’s Daily Reads:

• Brands are rethinking advertising in video games and coming up with ways to create their own games. Companies like PepsiCo and L’Oréal are making games to stand out from other competitors and appeal to some of the roughly 3.2 billion gamers around the world. “We don’t want to be a logo-slapped brand and have overt advertising,” PepsiCo.’s Head of videogaming and esports Paul Mascali said.
• The Morning Consult released The State of Media & Entertainment Report: H2 2023, delving into this industry’s trends and challenges, including the economy’s impact on media titans trying to up profits while cutting costs. Other topics include different ways people watch shows. The report states that two in five adults wouldn’t mind paying extra for video streaming services that had content “based on big franchises.” Also, about a quarter of adults say that AI in show productions and movies “makes dialogue and plots worse.”
• CNN is rebuilding after giving the news network’s chief Christ Licht the boot. CNN is opting for a bolder look that undoes some of the decisions Licht put in place. “It appears more muscular, confident, and unafraid to speak up,” according to an analysis from CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy. “With Licht gone and a new leadership team in place providing the necessary editorial support, that fear is dissipating, resulting in a noticeable change in tone.”

Sherri Kolade is a writer at Ragan Communications. When she is not with her family, she enjoys watching Alfred Hitchcock-style films, reading and building an authentically curated life that includes more than occasionally finding something deliciously fried. Follow her on LinkedIn. Have a great PR story idea? Email her at sherrik@ragan.com. 

The post The Daily Scoop: Barbie’s marketing juggernaut paints the world pink appeared first on PR Daily.

Come on, Barbie, let’s go, party!   

The highly anticipated “Barbie” movie, set to debut in theaters this July, is already making a huge splash on social media with the help of its colorful, ironic posters that are almost as good as the trailer itself.   

Meet our Barbies and Kens @BarbieTheMovie pic.twitter.com/a93Rt9zLoQ

— Warner Bros. Pictures (@wbpictures) April 4, 2023

The posters show different Barbie variations giving main character energy as the lackluster Kens are humorously relegated to the background with bland descriptions.

“He’s just Ken,” says one poster featuring Ryan Gosling.  

“You’ve got Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken — but they aren’t the only Barbies and Kens in the world! Issa Rae, Dua Lipa, Emma Mackey and more are all playing different versions of Barbie, and their character posters helpfully let you know what they’re up to,” a Mashable article explains.   

Rae plays Barbie as president, Mackey’s Barbie is a Nobel Prize winner in physics and Robbie’s poster notes that “Barbie is everything.”.   

Meet our Barbies and Kens #BarbieTheMovie pic.twitter.com/KO2pwszXNJ

— Barbie Movie (@barbiethemovie) April 4, 2023

On April 4, Warner Bros. Pictures tweeted about the “Barbie” movie and its posters receiving lightning-speed responses from people like Josh Super Mario Bros Movie #BlackLivesMatter: “I love that the #Barbie posters instantly become a viral meme! All of the Barbies & Kens look so fabulous!”   

Why it matters: The engaging “Barbie” posters brought out the kid in all of us with its viral social media launch. This summer movie and poster debut is one that was thoughtfully communicated with the perfect amount of pink flair and self-deprecating humor that will more than likely keep even Barbie haters engaged. The creative designs made everyone want to take part and create their own posters, further sharing the Barbie message on social media and acting as free advertising for the movie.   

How can you get people engaged in your story and spread your message simply because it’s fun, interesting, or useful?   

Dairy farmers seek ways to get milk to Gen Z  

The dairy industry has seen better days. Gen Z and Gen Alpha simply don’t drink milk like previous generations did, though they do still eat cheese, ice cream and other dairy foods. 

The New York Times reported that the love of milk for many youths has grown cold because of the bevy of beverage alternatives available for a health-conscious consumer base who never really saw that much of a need for milk to begin with.   

“We have to reclaim milk’s mojo,” Yin Woon Rani, the chief executive of the Milk Processor Education Program, a marketing and education arm of the dairy industry based in Washington, D.C., told the New York Times.   

A marketing campaign, “Gonna Need Milk,” has high hopes to entice Gen Z and millennials. 

A Facebook post from the “Gonna Need Milk” campaign.

The “Gonna Need Milk” campaign brought on 24-year-old Brooklyn marathoner Yvonne Zapata (who barely drinks milk herself) as an ambassador to a younger generation. It also uses the hashtag #TeamMilk and will sponsor women at three marathons this year across the nation.   

“Milk marketers have also tapped Olympic medalists, women who play football and other sports influencers who swim, climb or play street soccer,” according to the article.   

Why it matters: The milk industry is trying its best to secure its somewhat shaky customer base and recoup those dwindling sales. Being able to connect with core audiences and discover why they don’t like a product can help a company or industry see what changes they need to make in either their marketing strategy or communications rollout. While drinking milk has been little to no priority for Gen Z and even millennials (guilty as charged) you have to admire the dedication and creativity in how the milk industry is looking to come back stronger. We can raise our glasses to that.   

Frito-Lay and Quaker go green   

Frito-Lay and Quaker announced on Tuesday the opening of an industry-leading Greenhouse Learning Center at its R&D headquarters, according to a press release.   

The Learning Center will be a place to field test, measure, and analyze compostable packaging to speed up the “rate of innovation.”    

The facility is part of an effort to achieve a goal to make 100% of packaging recyclable, compostable, biodegradable or reusable by 2025.   

“Our sustainable packaging vision is to build a world where packaging need never becomes waste,” said Denise Lefebvre, senior vice president of R&D for PepsiCo. “We’re actively changing our own compostable snack packaging technologies. By sharing these technologies, we’re inviting the industry to make these changes as well. We are prioritizing, investing in and expediting projects to build a more circular, inclusive economy.”    

The facility is also the first Frito-Lay manufacturing facility to “implement site-wide alternative fuel vehicles” among other “green” features like employee electric vehicle charging stations.   

Why it matters: Consumers are extremely interested in green technology. This facility demonstrates that commitment and will hopefully help them meet an aggressive sustainability goal. The facility will serve a key PR function, perfect for future photo ops, press conferences and other activities that further their green goals.   

Beauty on and off the court  

Female college basketball players are becoming hot new beauty influencers, Boardroom reported.  

They’re becoming all the rage on social media, especially with the Women’s NCAA Tournament gaining new fans and players like Deja Kelly, and Angel Reese gaining prominence.   

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Deja Kelly (@dejakelly)

 “The definition of what it means to be an influencer, especially in the beauty, style, and fashion industry, has evolved over the course of several years from the aspiration of perfection and society’s standards of beauty to a more approachable, relatable aesthetic in an effort to connect with the brand’s audiences,” the article notes.  

Because of these changes, bigger beauty and fashion brands have decided to partner with microinfluencers and “favor social media personalities with a more realistic, wellness-driven, accessible appeal.”  

Sheena Butler-Young, a senior correspondent at The Business of Fashion (BoF), explains the connection with basketball players.  

“As beauty brands look to grow their revenues and impact in this environment, it makes sense to partner with college students — the bulk of whom are part of the Gen Z cohort — and collegiate-level athletes, who in many ways epitomize the idea of health and wellness,” Butler-Young told Boardroom.   

Why it matters: Microinfluencers are a fantastic way to gain dedicated audiences for a small investment in influencer relations funds. You can often gain more creative freedom with these up-and-coming influencers while also reaching new audiences who might have felt left out in the cold by traditional influencers, who often show off a narrow view of beauty.  

Look beyond the obvious. Be creative, break new ground and find new audiences.  

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