The idea was to engage Barbie and “Zoolander 2” fans and followers through a social marketing campaign and promotion via the @barbiestyle, @zoolander, and partners’ Instagram accounts. A storyline was developed around Barbie interacting with the key characters from “Zoolander 2” (in doll form) in a variety of hot spots, and photos of these interactions were posted on Instagram.

Leading up to the release of “Zoolander 2,” Mattel created one-of-a-kind dolls in the likeness of the film’s key characters -- including Derek Zoolander, Hansel, Mugatu, Valentina and Alexanya – and fans/followers of @barbiestyle, @zoolander and other partners’ Instagram accounts were treated to regular updates as Barbie, Derek and friends visited and posted pictures from hotspots in Los Angeles and New York. Shopping, lunches, workouts and spa appointments were all on the agenda, with the photos being shot at actual locations like A.O.C., SoulCycle, Chateau Marmont, Paramount Pictures, to name just a few. A total of 22 images were released, with locations in Los Angeles and New York. The final stop on Barbie and Derek’s tour was a walk down the red carpet at the “Zoolander 2” movie premiere wearing custom looks from Valentino. The images were released over the course of two weeks.

Fans and followers showed their excitement over the social media program through a significant number of “likes” and “comments” for each post. A total of 22 images were posted on @barbiestyle, @zoolander and partners’ Instagram accounts reaching over 7.6 million followers, with over 850,000 “likes” received on @barbiestyle alone. The campaign was picked up by a wide variety of press, including articles by Adweek, People, Daily Mail, The Drum, Pret-a-Reporter, MTV and many others.

This promotion is relevant for the Promo & Activation Lions because it utilized the popular social media platform Instagram to engage fans of both the Zoolander films and character and Barbie in an innovative way. The result was significant exposure for the new film “Zoolander 2” and positive feedback for the classic toy brand, Barbie.

Our strategy was to remind the existing fan base for “Zoolander” of the cultural influence the characters have had over the past 15 years, and introduce these characters to a whole new audience leading up to the launch of the new film. Instagram was identified as a key social media platform to showcase the personalities of “Zoolander” characters in a visual way. “Barbie” was the best partner for a social media program, as the historic toy brand represents the latest in fashion and style and has a wide audience, ranging from kids to adults.

The high-fashion comedy “Zoolander,” starring Ben Stiller as male super-model Derek Zoolander was returning after 15 years to the big screen in “Zoolander 2.” The new film once again put a spotlight on the fashion industry and poked fun at some of the stereotypes associated with the industry. In addition to returning characters such as male models Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) and Hansel (Owen Wilson) and evil fashion designer Mugatu (Will Ferrell), new characters were introduced including Italian fashion designer Alexanya Atoz (Kristen Wiig) and international detective Valentina (Penelope Cruz). The fashion theme of the film made a partnership with the most fashionable doll, Barbie, a perfect fit.