Dive Brief: 

• Bumble teamed with the upcoming film “Barbie” ahead of its July 21 debut to offer users of the dating app a chance to match with the movie’s multiple versions of the Barbie and Ken characters, per details shared with Marketing Dive.
• Now though July 26, Bumble users can match with characters of the movie and receive uplifting messages. The effort is meant to spotlight the app’s message-before-match feature, Compliments, which is intended to help users start a conversations with potential matches.
• The move follows other recent pop-culture tie-ins by Bumble and makes the women-first dating app the latest in a growing handful of marketers to team with “Barbie” in the weeks leading up to its release.

Dive Insight:

“Barbie” is painting adland pink in the weeks leading up to its big debut, going all-in with splashy efforts like a generative AI selfie generator and a real-life Barbie DreamHouse in addition to a number of integrations with popular brands. The movie, a play on Mattel’s iconic doll, is expected to command a large audience, with box office estimates currently projected to reach $93 million for the film’s opening weekend.

Meant to nod to the positive energy of Barbie and Ken — portrayed in the movie by actors Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling — Bumble users until July 26 can receive motivational messages from the movie’s characters in an effort to create a more enjoyable dating experience. The move is backed by a recent Bumble survey indicating that 75% of respondents feel that receiving a compliment from a potential romantic partner would make them more interested in that person. Additionally, users who send a Compliment on Bumble have higher odds of matching, per the release. 

“Teaming up with Bumble for this experience has been a fun and creative way to showcase all of the film’s Barbies’ and Kens’ personalities as they venture into the real world via the app, bringing their innate positivity with them,” said Cameron Curtis, executive vice president for global digital marketing at Warner Bros. Pictures, in release details.

A slew of marketers have similarly teamed with “Barbie” for playful, pink-hued call-outs, including Xbox, NYX Professional Makeup, nail polish brand OPI and others. This week, Walmart announced a tie-up with NFL star Patrick Mahomes, musician Becky G and Barbie to share curated shoppable carts meant to nod to favorite moments, with Barbie’s cart containing items like pickleball accessories, nail polish and must-haves for a backyard bash.

Aside from its “Barbie” ties, Bumble has often looked to pop-culture as it looks to stay relevant with target audiences. For example, the brand in January teamed with Netflix to help its users find matches based on show preferences for a campaign called “Find the Date You’ve Been Watching For.” Additionally, the brand last year recreated the fictitious dating app from popular Apple TV+ comedy “Ted Lasso.”