This Barbie Takes Corporate money
I finally saw the Barbie movie! I wasn’t planning on a Barbie post and it’s so late now; I wonder why I am holding myself to this.
Midnight Fundraiser is not a marketing blog so we are going to skip all of that. I want to focus on the product placement in the actual movie, how it relates to leveraging corporate dollars in fundraising and the similarities between art and charity. I am not usually a fan of taking “business lessons” and trying to shoehorn them into fundraising strategy. In the spirit of Barbie, however, I figured this was a fun little thought exercise and I wanted to share.
Take this post for what it is worth and resist the urge to overanalyze. You’ll see where I am going with it. Kind of like the Barbie movie.
“Corporate Relations” can be its own position or even team in larger nonprofits. At smaller ones, it can be difficult to balance but still worth pursuing. You are seeing the results of partnership all the time. Think of something like “The Microsoft Leadership Pavilion at Barbie’s Dream Facility”. Often, the “donors like you” being thanked are not people, but corporations (same diff right hehe).
It’s easy to feel like donors should give because they WANT to, they are so inspired and compelled by us Doing The Work. That we exist in a blissful world outside of the corporate grind. The narrative is the same for creating art. The artist is supposed to tap into their creativity and the arts flows, untethered from conglomerates, supported by adoring patrons.
Much like Barbie Land, that is an ideal not a reality. And that’s OK. If the funding source makes sense, I am jumping off my high horse faster than a Ken.
Now, I can’t pretend to know the team’s vision for Barbie. However, at the end of the day, everything about the Barbie movie was art, as most movies are. Movies are very expensive art. Cue…the Chevy “commercial” smack dab in the middle of the movie. And the “Warner Brothers” building in the background of the boardroom shots and well, Mattel literally being an integral part of the film.
I have worked for many places that have a solid corporate giving program. My first year or two in Development I remember being shocked that it was a $250K gift from <insert Big Pharma Company> that basically enabled a local program to run. And now, I develop these concepts for a living! Why? Because Corporate monies can help you realize potential. And just like accessible art, accessible services need to be funded somehow.
Product placement is not new. Something I found so fresh about the Barbie movie though, was the break from standards that tend to make placements stick out. For instance, both the good guys and the “bad guys” drive Chevy vehicles. If the Warner Brothers Building is that close, the viewer can assume it’s also in Century City, the area that Ken loves and the movie cheekily skews (LA people please don’t come for me). And Mattel is WORSE in the movie than in real life. As many have pointed out the Mattel Board of Directors is *aCtUaLLy nEarLy 50/50 mEn aND wOmeN*. There was something oddly refreshing about the art and ads coming together to make something great. Something with impact that people now love.
In Development, there are often negotiations for these corporate gifts, to the point where they can be quite restricting, just like clunky ad placements. Every fundraiser hopes for the big gift that comes with the freedom to use it as the nonprofit sees fit, not as the donor wants it. I hope in the future corporations committed to philanthropy can take a note from the Barbie movie. Give the creators and visionaries of the project a chance to weave the support into the greater picture, the greater movement.
To drive the point home, I will end with a Real Life story. In early 2022 a five figure gift from <insert Large Transportation Company> totally saved our struggling budget as we dealt with the post-covid funding drops (another post). It was such a relief to take the funding and use it for our own expert vision.
Does embracing corporate funds take the magic away like a Chevrolet Suburban barreling through a scene? Maybe at first. But when done right, it can elevate a vision that goes far behind a few cringe closeups.
What do you think? Do obvious brand deals take away from the film experience? Do you hate to see “Thank you Big Bank” when you’re at your charity of choice? Has Barbie turned me into a delusional corporate bootlicker? Let me know, I finally figured out how to add commenting to posts!
