Ever wondered why Barbie was a phenomenal success but She-Hulk flopped? Both dealt with some complex themes about gender equality and challenged societal norms. Both had a great cast with strong actors in leading roles, but Barbie resonated in a way that She-Hulk never did. There are a lot of reasons for this but the simplest and most obvious is Barbie was successful in matching its message to its audience, and She-Hulk wasn't.
I should add here this article means no disrespect to She-Hulk - I thought it was great, and am actually quite bummed it didn't do better. Here are my thoughts on why that didn't happen.
Image from Warner Bros Pictures
Barbie delivered a familiar brand to people who already identified with it. Young girls who played with the dolls connected with the format and saw themselves represented on screen. But the movie went deeper too - it appealed to those little girls who played with Barbie as children but who are now grown up, and are experiencing the harsh realities and injustices of adult life. So little girls took their moms to see the movie, and the moms talked to each other and insisted their husbands, sons and fathers also watch it. And voila - it reached a much bigger audience than would have been initially possible.
Image from Marvel
Now look at She-Hulk. Who was it for? Before the movie, She-Hulk wasn't a character known to many outside of the comic-book community, plus she only exists as an extension of the familiar Hulk character. So who will see this and find the brand familiar? Tween and teenage boys (among others, but this is the core of the audience Marvel is talking to with Hulk).
What do these teenagers think they're getting when they see the name She-Hulk and a scantily clad attractive (now green but still beautiful) woman in the advertising? They're probably expecting a good but predictable action flick where the woman in the lead is there as an idol to be admired and desired, rather than someone with her own voice and something to say.
What we actually got was a spunky, think-way-outside-the-box series that broke the fourth wall and challenged a lot of gender stereotypes. As a middle years woman this was a delight to watch, but I doubt the teenage boys who actually saw it were all that into it. My demographic, who it was really aimed at never saw the film because the title, branding and overall initially impression didn't appeal to us.
SO what can we learn from this?
To resonate with your audience you have to talk to them specifically.
That means thinking about how they encounter your brand and the impression they get when they do. Ask yourself - if I was the person I'm aiming at, what would I think if I saw this communication?
It also means ensuring you're appealing to who you think you are. Many businesses write about what they want to say, rather than what their audience wants to read. If you don't line those two things up you'll often end up talking to a completely different market. Sometimes that can be good, since it opens up new opportunities, but more often than not it means your message just falls flat.
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Want to try this theory out? Have your marketers write their next communication while thinking from the perspective of the desired customer. Next, invite a small sample of your target audience to give honest feedback on the communication. Specifically ask them if they felt the communication was aimed at them. How close did you get? If it missed the mark, ask them how you could have done it better.
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