Lead Art Director and Designer: Ingrid Pettersson
Lead Art Director and Sr Manager, Social: Zlatan Kusnoor
Lead Account and Project Manager: Jenny Content, Taylor Schatan

As Creative Director, I was honored to lead and collaborate with extraordinary talent across Mattel and Warner Bros.for the global launch of Barbie The Movie—a once-in-a-generation cultural event that redefined brand marketing. From doll lines and in-store merchandising to large-scale international activations, our teams ensured creative consistency, premium execution, and a unified vision across every touchpoint worldwide.

With a 65-year legacy of empowerment and 99% global brand recognition, our objective was to deepen connection across generations—recapturing those who thought they’d outgrown Barbie while introducing new audiences to her bright pink world. The marketing and merchandising efforts went far beyond promoting a film; they became a global movement, proving that Barbie’s message of confidence, creativity, and possibility remains timeless.

Over eight months, we built an omnipresent campaign that quite literally painted the world pink—so much so that, during set construction, production used so much pink paint it caused an international shortage. From DreamHouse recreations at Zara and retail takeovers at Bloomingdale’s, Selfridges, Myer, and Walmart, to Barbie The Movie-themed Alexa interfaces and immersive fan experiences like The World of Barbie and the Malibu Café, Barbie became everywhere at once—online, in stores, and in the cultural imagination.

Social media was ablaze with #Barbiecore (625M+ TikTok views) as fans worldwide embraced the campaign’s playful spirit. Influencer collaborations, interactive activations, and global partnerships invited audiences to participate and express themselves in pink.

The results were unprecedented. Barbie The Movie earned $1.4B at the box office, becoming the #1 film in Warner Bros. history and the top-grossing movie of 2023—a marketing masterclass now studied as a global case study. The soundtrack reached 2B+ streams, while over 165 brand collaborations drove sellouts across major retailers (Béis sold out in just 26 minutes). The campaign generated 3.3B PR impressions, 4.6B social views, and $7M in media value, with doll sales surpassing $50M and multiple collections selling out worldwide.

The “B” in Barbie now truly stands for Billion—and for a cultural moment that turned the entire world pink.

Archivist: Eliana Ruiz
Barbie Doll Historian: Bill Greening

I partnered with the Archive Team and Barbie Product Design Historian to reimagine the brand’s historical narrative — shifting it from one rooted in perfectionism and materialism to a story told through careers, achievements, and cultural influence across decades.

The result was a comprehensive decade-by-decade presentation used both internally and externally, including with brand partners such as Margot Robbie and the Warner Bros. team. These materials directly informed the storytelling, script, and visuals for Barbie The Movie — from the opening lineup of career dolls to the rare, authentic, and humor-infused characters featured throughout the film and closing credits.

For a 65-year-old brand, this historical storytelling continues to guide our creative direction — shaping anniversaries, live events, museum exhibitions, timelines, and product development. This deep-dive research and narrative work has since expanded to include The History of Ken and The History of the DreamHouse, reinforcing Barbie’s ongoing legacy within the cultural zeitgeist.

Lead Art Directors: Rachel Ritter, Ingrid Pettersson
Lead Account and Project Manager: Mandy Hughes
Agency Partners: Verizon, Ogilvy, Method

Following Barbie’s 2023 debut as one of several celebrity “spokespeople” for Walmart, the next evolution was monumental: in 2024, Barbie became the sole spokesperson and on-screen talent for Verizon’s holiday campaign — a first in brand history.

Our team had long worked to establish Barbie not only as an iconic doll but as a true tastemaker and cultural voice — paving the way for major brands like Verizon to seek her out. The partnership reveal generated over 84 million press impressions, building on the brands’ earlier collaboration: a surprise Super Bowl spot featuring Beyoncé as “Bar-Bey,” in her quest to break the internet in 2024.

For the Barbie x Verizon StreamHouse campaign, the creative challenge was to make the invisible—Whole-Home Wi-Fi—both visible and relatable. By casting Barbie heroes in everyday DreamHouse moments—gaming, streaming, podcasting, meditating—we showcased Verizon’s integration throughout a home built for imagination.

Working alongside Verizon and Ogilvy, we developed the concept, humor, VO, visuals, and production approach to ensure creative alignment and brand authenticity. With just eight weeks and one day from brief to launch, we led internal teams of animators, puppeteers, set designers, stylists, and writers to bring the campaign to life with heart, wit, and cinematic quality.

Timed with the video’s debut, we helped bring the experience into the real world through a three-story, life-sized Barbie StreamHouse pop-up in SoHo (December 12–15). Immersed in pink, guests were invited to “Live Like Barbie.” They decorated cookies in Barbie’s kitchen, took photos in a life-sized doll box, streamed Netflix in a Verizon-powered living room, and even entered to win a limited-edition Barbie StreamHouse router cover created in collaboration with Mattel.

We curated the event’s art and interiors to reflect Barbie’s history and brand DNA — from vintage DreamHouse galleries and dance photos to a technology timeline adorned with retro telephone illustrations. Every element, from closet ensembles to photo-op spaces, was designed to feel aspirational, authentic, and inherently shareable.

Our social team documented the experience, capturing hero dolls in action before traveling to Las Vegas to oversee Barbie’s debut on The Sphere — an adaptation of the StreamHouse video transformed into a spectacular wrap for the campaign.

Lead Account and Project Manager: Liz Maglione and Taylor Schatan
Agency Partners: 72&Sunny

The Give Limitless Possibilities campaign set out to reframe what it means to give a Barbie—shifting perceptions from gifting a doll to giving the gift of imagination, confidence, and possibility.

The launch film paid homage to parents’ camera rolls, capturing authentic, everyday moments of play and discovery. Through a diverse cast of kids, we brought to life the qualities every parent hopes to nurture—curiosity, courage, empathy, and creativity—showing that a Barbie gift is more than a toy; it’s an invitation to dream.

To bring the message into the real world, the campaign debuted at the WNBA’s first-ever Barbie Game Night at Chicago’s Wintrust Arena, during the highly anticipated matchup between the Chicago Sky and the Indiana Fever. The arena’s pink-lit exterior became a beacon for fans dressed in Barbiecore style, celebrating women in sports and culture.

Inside, the evening was filled with giveaways, family activations, and 10,000 pink rally towels waving across the stands. At halftime, WNBA legend Sue Bird introduced the film to the crowd for an exclusive first look. The event marked a cultural moment—uniting sport, community, and empowerment—and continued Barbie’s evolution into new spaces of representation and inspiration.

VP, Global Marketing Communications, Barbie:: Kristina Duncan
Group Creative Director: Erica D. Green
Sr. Art Director: Yen Nguyen

The expansion of the Barbie Fashionistas® line—introducing three new body types (tall, curvy, and petite) alongside a broader range of skin tones, hair textures, and facial sculpts—marked the most significant transformation in the brand’s 50-year history. Developed under the secret code name “Project DAWN,” the initiative represented a new beginning for Barbie—one rooted in realism, inclusivity, and empowerment.

Launched in early 2016, the line took the world by storm, earning widespread acclaim as a long-overdue and necessary evolution. The dolls were praised for offering more realistic and diverse representations, countering the unattainable beauty standards the original Barbie had come to symbolize. The project was also a strategic response to years of cultural criticism and shifting consumer expectations, repositioning Barbie as a brand aligned with authenticity, diversity, and self-expression.

The campaign made history when Barbie became the first toy brand ever featured on the cover of TIME magazine, signaling a powerful cultural milestone. The brand’s reinvention and creative process were also documented in the Hulu original documentary Tiny Shoulders: Rethinking Barbie—a rare instance of a product launch inspiring a feature-length film. Directed by Andrea Blaugrund Nevins, the Emmy Award–winning and Oscar-nominated documentary provided an intimate look at Project DAWN, contextualizing Barbie’s evolution within six decades of shifting cultural attitudes toward women, beauty, and identity.

Analysts and executives credited the relaunch with revitalizing Barbie’s image and reconnecting the brand with a new generation of parents and children who could finally see themselves reflected in the dolls. Building on the 2015 introduction of new skin tones and hair textures, the 2016 Fashionistas® line laid the foundation for Barbie’s ongoing commitment to representation and inclusion.

The internal Barbie Design Team developed a cohesive suite of global assets to support the launch, spanning packaging, retail, digital, and media touchpoints. In recognition of its cultural and creative impact, Mattel received the prestigious Toy of the Year (TOTY) Award in the “Doll of the Year” category for Barbie Fashionistas®, cementing the line’s place as a landmark achievement in the brand’s evolution.

Agency: Highdive, Rocket Mortgage In-House
Director: Ole Sanders

In a competitive housing market, buying the home of your dreams can feel impossible—unless you have a little help from Barbie. The Barbie Dreamhouse Super Bowl LVI commercial reimagined the classic doll’s world against the backdrop of modern home-buying realities, from cash-flush speculators to endless bidding wars. Starring Anna Kendrick alongside Barbie and friends, the spot humorously showed Barbie landing her Malibu Dreamhouse with a little help from Rocket Homes and Rocket Mortgage—the one-stop shop to find and finance your dream home.

Main Video

Airing during Super Bowl LVI, the commercial struck a chord with millions of viewers. Its playful tone and sharp cultural insight made it both memorable and relatable, turning Barbie’s familiar pink fantasy into a timely commentary on real-world housing struggles. The spot’s combination of humor, nostalgia, and real-life tension propelled Rocket Mortgage to the top of the night’s rankings.

Supporting Teasers & Social

A series of teaser videos and social-first extensions across Twitter, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube deepened engagement and anticipation before and after the game. Each piece leveraged Barbie’s iconic visual language—color, tone, and wit—to extend the campaign’s reach and conversation well beyond the broadcast.

Out-of-Home: The Detroit Billboard

On the night of the Super Bowl, a 98-by-137-foot billboard illuminated downtown Detroit from the Cadillac Building overlooking Campus Martius. Cloaked in Barbie’s signature pink, the installation drew attention for months, celebrating Rocket’s hometown roots while amplifying the campaign’s visibility across the city.

Recognition

#1 on USA Today’s Ad Meter — Voted best Super Bowl commercial of 2022 (second consecutive win for Rocket Mortgage)

Five stars from Advertising Age and a “B” rating from Kellogg

High social engagement across all major platforms

Praised for creative concept — a witty juxtaposition of Barbie’s idealism and the realities of homeownership

Lead Art Director: Ingrid Pettersson
Account Management: Mandy Hughes


The Design Museum, London
Barbie, The Exhibition

Museum of Arts and Design, New York City
Barbie: A Cultural Icon

Pop-Up, Los Angeles
World of Barbie Experience

Creative Director: Kristina Duncan
VP Global Barbie Marketing: Lisa McKnight
GM & SVP, Barbie Brand: Richard Dickson

The Barbie 50th Birthday campaign marked the largest and most ambitious initiative in the brand’s history, backed by a $10M global budget and reaching over 3.8 billion consumers in the U.S. alone.

The celebration launched with the Barbie Runway Show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Bryant Park, produced in partnership with the CFDA. The first-ever Barbie runway show featured 50 top American designers interpreting Barbie through fashion, with more than 1,500 guests in attendance.

The campaign extended beyond the runway with a Bloomingdale’s flagship installation—the largest Barbie doll exhibit ever presented in the U.S.—and 12 feature window displays along Fifth Avenue, transforming the city into a living tribute to Barbie’s legacy.

Campaign assets, fashion collaborations, and event experiences were then rolled out globally, inspiring retailers and partners worldwide and solidifying Barbie’s status as both a cultural icon and a fashion muse.

PARTNERS:
CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America), Mercedes-Benz, MAO PR, HL Group, Bloomingdale’s, La Rinachente, Bec Stupac, Mr Wilson DJ, HL Group, Rootstein

Creative Director: Kristina Duncan
VP Global Barbie Marketing: Lisa McKnight
GM & SVP, Barbie Brand: Richard Dickson
Sr Art Director: Diane Kondo

The Ken campaign rolled out in three phases, blending nostalgia, pop culture, and fan interactivity to bring Barbie’s iconic counterpart back into the spotlight.

The launch kicked off during Fashion’s Night Out, where Ken made his debut as “The Ultimate Dreamdate.” The event featured a live-model mobile truck experience and introduced the brand’s first web-reality series, “Genuine Ken: The Search for The Great American Boyfriend.”

The second phase launched Ken’s campaign to win Barbie back, with playful billboards and US Weekly ads inviting fans to vote on whether Barbie should take him back. Through an online interface, fans cast their votes and followed the story in real time, deepening engagement and emotional connection.

The campaign culminated on Valentine’s Day, when Barbie officially announced their reunion — “She Said Yes!” — celebrated through sweetheart pop-ups in Times Square and The Grove, and commemorated with a limited-edition Barbie & Ken gift set.

PARTNERS:
CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America), Christie’s Auction House, Vogue, Fashion’s Night Out, Times Square, NASDAQ, MKTG, Magnolia Cupcakes, US Weekly, Hudsen Media, Attention, HL Group, Paul Sevigny

Creative Director: Chris Tinnesz

I was part of the core creative team that developed and launched PINK, the Victoria’s Secret sub-brand created to fill a critical gap in the market and connect with a younger demographic. The goal was both strategic and emotional: to cultivate brand affinity earlier in a customer’s life and extend Victoria’s Secret’s reach into a new generation.

Our creative vision was to merge the youthful, accessible energy of Aerie with the bold color and confidence of Dolce & Gabbana, creating a line that felt playful, aspirational, and effortlessly cool. Through extensive concept exploration, we tested a range of visual and tonal directions—from soft and feminine to graphic and pop-driven—and identified the college and pre-college audience as the space with the most opportunity for growth. This insight guided every creative decision: the logo, graphic system, color palette, messaging, and in-store experience, all designed to feel modern, inclusive, and authentic to young women’s everyday lives.

When PINK launched in 2004, it immediately resonated. The line became a cultural phenomenon—offering loungewear, lingerie, and lifestyle products that celebrated comfort and personality over seduction. By 2010, sales surpassed $1 billion, establishing PINK as one of the most successful brand extensions in fashion retail history. It became a key growth driver for Victoria’s Secret, doubling sales over a five-year period and expanding to more than 130 standalone and co-located stores across North America and the U.K.

Beyond its commercial success, PINK fundamentally reshaped the way Victoria’s Secret engaged with consumers—serving as both an entry point for future customers and a standalone lifestyle brand that spoke to individuality, confidence, and fun. The sub-brand’s success inspired widespread industry recognition and new models for youth segmentation and brand pipeline strategy.

Through early partnerships with the NFL, MLB, and Collegiate Licensing Company, PINK introduced the Collegiate Collection, connecting directly with campus culture and further solidifying its position among its core audience. It became a fixture in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, complete with its own runway segments and celebrity performances.

What began as a strategic experiment evolved into a billion-dollar powerhouse, driving both revenue and relevance—and redefining how an iconic brand could evolve to meet a new generation on its own terms.

Impact Highlights

$1B+ annual sales by 2010, doubling over five years

137 stores across North America and the U.K. by 2010

Major sports and collegiate licensing partnerships (NFL, MLB, 60+ universities including HBCUs)

Runway debut in 2006 at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show with Justin Timberlake performing “SexyBack”

Became a core driver of Victoria’s Secret’s long-term brand pipeline and growth strategy

GM & SVP, Barbie Brand: Richard Dickson
GlobalCreative Director: Kristina Duncan
Sr Art Directors: Ingrid Pettersson, Diane Kondo

Launched in 2015, the You Can Be Anything campaign redefined how audiences perceived Barbie—shifting the narrative from appearance to possibility. The initiative sought to inspire and educate by showcasing the developmental benefits of imaginative play and storytelling through Barbie.

The campaign debuted with the brand film “Imagine the Possibilities” (by BBDO San Francisco), a two-minute spot that became a viral sensation on YouTube, earning tens of millions of views and widespread praise for its empowering message. True to Barbie’s heritage, the piece celebrated a young girl’s journey of self-discovery, imagination, and confidence—and quickly became part of the cultural zeitgeist. The campaign’s success contributed to a measurable boost in Mattel’s sales and stock price, signaling a pivotal brand turnaround.

The internal Barbie Design Team developed a unified visual language and asset system aligned with the brand’s purpose—to inspire the limitless potential in every girl. The 360°, multi-year campaign extended across digital, e-commerce, gaming, apps, merchandising, outdoor, print, and live events, with creative rolled out globally to partners and retailers.

AWARDS + RECOGNITION
2017 APG Creative Strategy Awards – Grand Prix Winner, honoring the strategic foundation that drove a major brand transformation.
2015 YouTube Ads Leaderboard – “#TheYouTubeAd That Restores Your Faith in Humanity” winner, recognizing its viral reach and emotional impact.

Lead Art Directors: Erin Foote, Rachel Ritter, Shelby Alexander
Sr Art Directors: Andrea West, Diane Kondo, Melinda Puentes
Lead Account and Project Manager: Jennifer Content, Mandy Hughes, Kaitlin Flagg
Doll Photographer: Jason Tidwell

In 2009, we launched the global Barbie 50th Birthday celebration, a campaign rooted in nostalgia and fashion. We refreshed the original 1959 logo, revisited Barbie’s debut black-and-white swimsuit, and unified the brand worldwide by rallying around a single, signature pink—Pantone 219—and one iconic Barbie image.

That milestone became the foundation for a new era. In the years that followed, the brand embraced a deeper purpose—launching the long-running “You Can Be Anything” campaign, debuting the Dream Gap Project, and evolving into the world’s most inclusive and diverse doll line.

After more than a decade of shifting perceptions—and following the billion-dollar success of Barbie The Movie—we re-energized the brand for a broader, modern audience. We introduced a refresh of the core brand look, updating the philosophy and visual language to reflect optimism, humor, and playfulness through bold, graphically driven creative.

Our team defined the mission, guardrails, and creative direction for the entire Barbie organization—from packaging and consumer products to digital and global retail. The result was a comprehensive global brand guide, inspiring fresh, cohesive storytelling that resonated across teams, markets, and generations.

Group Creative Director: Erica D. Green
Exec Producer: Lorraine Kraus
Sr Art Directors: Yen Nguyen, Erin Foote
Additional Designers: Andrew Wagenhals, Ingrid Pettersson

The year-long global celebration honored Barbie’s 65-year legacy by blending nostalgia, fashion, innovation, and culture into one unforgettable milestone. In New York City, an immersive Barbie pop-up experience celebrated the brand’s past, present, and future—equal parts fashion tribute and art installation—reimagining Barbie as both icon and inspiration. The “Be Anything” Tour with Walmart, which kicked off in Bentonville, Arkansas with GRAMMY-nominated artist Kelsea Ballerini, brought empowerment and play to families across 36 U.S. Walmart locations. Meanwhile, “Barbie Presented by Amazon” pop-up stores opened in five major U.S. markets, bringing Barbie’s world to life through Amazon’s innovative retail model. Around the globe, landmarks including New York’s Empire State Building, TOKYO SKYTREE®, Toronto’s CN Tower, and Sydney’s Bondi Beach were illuminated in pink to mark the occasion. And for the first time, Barbie became an Airbnb host, opening the doors of her iconic Malibu DreamHouse for fans to experience firsthand—an imaginative nod to Barbie’s enduring influence and global appeal.

As Lead Contributor, I helped define and establish the visual look of Mattel Corporate—a creative direction designed to express optimism, warmth, and approachability. Our photography centered on children outdoors, framed by expansive areas of grass and sky to evoke a feeling of lightness and joy. Strategic accents of Mattel red unified the imagery and became a signature element across all brand materials.

The resulting visual system served as the cornerstone of Mattel’s corporate identity for more than two years. The photography and design language were applied across annual reports, the corporate website, global advertising, trade show environments, and internal communications, creating a cohesive and uplifting expression of the company’s mission and values.