The Barbie movie has made history as the highest-grossing movie directed by a woman just two weeks after its release, so we’ve set out some Barbie-inspired tips below to help your business succeed. A word of warning – this article contains spoilers!
1. Promote and protect your brand
Part of Barbie’s huge success at the box office has been due to the immense marketing campaign around it. From a real-life Barbie Dreamhouse and a pink beach pool in Bondi, to pink-themed parties and red carpet events, the Barbie logo has been seen all around the world. When thinking about how to brand your own business, it’s important to reflect your business’s culture and product, so your brand is authentic and memorable. You’ll also need to prevent others copying your brand and marketing, so they don’t take advantage of your hard work. You can find guidance on how to best advertise and market your business in our Q&A.
Don’t forget to use NDAs to protect your confidential information; Barbie’s marketing team kept most details of the movie under strict wraps until the premiere. You can use our Protecting IP and confidential information toolkit to protect your brand and confidential information.
2. Don’t disadvantage staff who go on parental or sick leave
Barbie and Ken left Barbieland to visit the real world and help a mother and daughter escape the patriarchy. Unfortunately for Barbie, when she returned to Barbieland her job and house had been taken over by the Kens.
If your staff go on parental or sick leave, make sure you’re aware of the rules around keeping their jobs open and providing the correct pay and benefits while they’re off. Staff who go on extended periods of leave usually come back with different skill sets and life experience which enriches their ability to do their jobs, too!
3. Keep an eye on staff parties
Barbie threw the best parties which went off without a hitch; this was probably helped by the lack of any alcohol, transport issues, or tricky workplace relationships. If you’re throwing a staff party, you should have the appropriate workplace policies in place so that everyone is clear on how they should behave. You can use our Staff handbook which contains all the HR policies you need. Consider arranging transport or making sure your party is close to public transport links, so everyone gets home safely.
4. Don’t forget about health and safety!
In his efforts to impress Barbie, Ken threw himself at a large plastic wave during his job as ‘Beach’. Luckily his plastic limbs healed almost immediately, but your staff won’t be so lucky if they have workplace accidents. Use our health and safety policy and risk assessments to assess and prevent workplace risks.
5. Know how to deal with repairs or alterations at your business premises
Ken moved into Barbie’s Dreamhouse and turned it into a ‘Mojo dojo casa house’, complete with mini beer fridges, La-Z Boy recliners and saloon-style front doors. Be wary if you want to make alterations to your own business premises, as you’ll usually need your landlord’s consent before making any structural changes. In some circumstances, your landlord can require you to pay them compensation if your alterations cost them money and/or require you to reinstate the premises to their previous condition.
If you need to repair or maintain your premises, check your tenancy agreement to see who is responsible for these costs. You can find out more in our Q&A.
6. Embrace diversity
It goes without saying that diversity is a key part of a healthy workforce. But, as pointed out in the Barbie movie, globally men currently hold more positions of power in the workplace. This can often be due to those positions not being flexible enough and/or not taking account of cultural and health differences, such as where women need to take time off to start families, care for relatives, or when they are going through menopause. Of course family and health issues can affect men too, so be open-minded to what your staff need so you can support them all to do the best job they can. Use our flexible working policy to start a conversation with your staff members.
The content in this article is up to date at the date of publishing. The information provided is intended only for information purposes, and is not for the purpose of providing legal advice. Sparqa Legal’s Terms of Use apply.
Marion joined Sparqa Legal as a Senior Legal Editor in 2018. She previously worked as a corporate/commercial lawyer for five years at one of New Zealand’s leading law firms, Kensington Swan (now Dentons Kensington Swan), and as an in-house legal consultant for a UK tech company. Marion regularly writes for Sparqa’s blog, contributing across its commercial, IP and health and safety law content.