Evolur:
Barbie Nursery Furniture Collection
With the upcoming Barbie movie, Evolur entered a licensing collaboration with Barbie to launch an exclusive Evolur x Barbie Toddler Nursery Furniture range in the North American market.
The ask was a 360-degree strategy – from product design, product naming & packaging direction to collection branding, marketing and an omni-retail creative strategy.
Collection Branding & Positioning Strategy
Competition Analysis showcased that there wasn’t really any competitor in the space. While most competing nursery furniture collaborations targeted single characters from licensing partners, Barbie was a world of its own.
The positioning direction: Unlike others in the segment who tell the story of a specific character or product type, the Barbie Brand offers a lifestyle.
1. Synergy Identification
Step 1 was to identify brand synergies between Mattel (Barbie’s parent company), Barbie & Evolur to differentiate the collection.
2. Audience Mapping
A parallel step was to segment the audience into purchasing audience (millennial parent) & product consumption audience (toddler to pre-teen girls).
The key insight derived was that this group of parents wants to indulge their children to grow & be inspired. They want to empower their little girls by crafting spaces for them where they can thrive i.e. their bedroom, to ignite imagination.
This audience also has a history & relationship with Barbie the brand, creating an overlap with Evolur.
3. Converging Worlds
The key direction was to combine Barbie’s reputed positioning of allowing girls to dare to dream with Evolur’s positioning to crafting dream nurseries & spaces.
Branding Opportunity Identified
Create a massive world that achieves the end goal of making Barbie more ‘human’ and Evolur more relevant & contextual.
Create a collection that completes the circle of the consumption from play (want) to sleep (need), creating a complete experience.
Combine the world of want-based purchase [Barbie] and need-based purchase [DOM furniture] to create a collection that allows both brands to flow into each other’s ecosystems effortlessly.
Collection Brand Positioning
Be it breaking the glass ceiling or breaking through a new growth milestone, the Barbie x DOM Collection brings the world of dreams & fantasies alive.
With both brands enabling their young customers to dream a dream fearlessly, in spirit and in slumber, this Collection enables them to bring to life their visions & hopes.
With a collection that’s created to bring together the world of fantasy and possibility, the Barbie x DOM Collection truly enables the audience to #MakeDreamsPossible.
Product & Packaging Strategy
Given the branding direction, the collection had to reflect this [Collection Brand Positioning] ethos while providing high value to the consumer.
In addition, the audience analysis made it apparent that this evolved consumer wanted a no-compromise experience of aesthetic + innovation + value for money.
Collection Design Approach
Luxury, lifestyle-oriented, feminine.
Create long-term, evergreen & sophisticated products that justify the premium the collection is be benched at.
Create an effortless 'Playhouse to Real Life' feel with this collection.
Strike a balance between Barbie’s playful, feminine aesthetics and Evolur’s elegant & modern charm.
Featured here is my original, rough product sketch and the final collection piece that was manufactured.
Each piece of the collection worked towards striking a balance between the femininity of both brands & target audience, and the functionality required by the parents.
My sketch detailing the dual-feature hutch/bookcase that is to be doubled up as a doll-house.
The final Product as part of the Barbie x Evolur Collection - The Rose Hutch/Bookcase.
Packaging Direction
The goal was to bring the fantasy, feminine, luxurious world of this collection to the packaging design, creating an experience for the consumer from the get-go.
The aim was to also ensure it jumps out at consumers within physical retail stores.
Product Naming Strategy
The approach was to craft names for the products that aligned with the collection’s positioning of empowering and inspiring.
Launch & Marketing Strategy
The Marketing plan was a multi-touchpoint approach, to be executed in a phase-wise manner to tease, excite and engage – kicking off with high UGC & Creator churn rate to drive retail success followed by [collection] brand building activities that combined engagement, innovation and driving product curiosity.
This was coupled with strategic PR announcements and packaging + add-on innovations to increase WOM & organic sharing of the collection.
The Collection in Action!
