A Marketing Collaboration Created in the Stars!

One of the most famous pieces of art is THE STARRY NIGHT by Vincent van Gogh, which was painted in mid-June 1889 (thus, I'm celebrating today on my blog since it's mid-June). And since 1941, the artwork has been on view at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City.

How do you introduce art to people who don't ordinarily embrace art? One way is to create interesting marketing collaborations with famous brands, and MoMA has definitely done that with Mattel.

SHARE THIS: By partnering with other brands and businesses, you can amplify your marketing efforts to reach new audiences and create more engaging campaigns. ~Bynder #MarketingCollab #Cobranding #MarketingTips #DebbieLaskeysBlog

Artnet reported last November, "Mattel and the Museum of Modern Art have entered a sweeping five-year global partnership. The debut line-up includes seven MoMA-inspired products available online and at MoMA Design Stores in New York and Japan, each drawing directly from some of the museum's most famous artworks and their artists. Among the standouts is "Van Gogh Barbie," whose gown shimmers with the cerulean swirls of Starry Night (1889) and whose coiled updo echoes the painting's vortex of brushstrokes."

Here's a description of THE STARRY NIGHT from MoMA's website, "In creating this image of the night sky — dominated by the bright moon at right and Venus at center left — van Gogh heralded modern painting's new embrace of mood, expression, symbol, and sentiment. Inspired by the view from his window at the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Rémy, in southern France, where the artist spent twelve months in 1889–1890 seeking reprieve from his mental illnesses, The Starry Night (made in mid-June) is both an exercise in observation and a clear departure from it. The vision took place at night, yet the painting, among hundreds of artworks van Gogh made that year, was created in several sessions during the day, under entirely different atmospheric conditions. The picturesque village nestled below the hills was based on other views — it could not be seen from his window — and the cypress at left appears much closer than it was. And although certain features of the sky have been reconstructed as observed, the artist altered celestial shapes and added a sense of glow. Van Gogh assigned an emotional language to night and nature that took them far from their actual appearances. Dominated by vivid blues and yellows applied with gestural verve and immediacy, The Starry Night also demonstrates how inseparable van Gogh's vision was from the new procedures of painting he had devised, in which color and paint describe a world outside the artwork even as they telegraph their own status as, merely, color and paint."

And according to Mattel Creations' website, "The MoMA-inspired "Van Gogh Barbie" captures the essence of modern creativity — sleek lines, abstract color palettes, and fashion that echoes the harmony between art and individuality. Barbie's look feels at once timeless and contemporary, bridging childhood nostalgia with the sophistication of gallery-worthy design. Inspired by Vincent van Gogh's masterpiece "The Starry Night," which is on display at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City, the doll transforms one of the world's most iconic paintings into couture fashion. Barbie wears an exquisite evening gown in swirling shades of deep blue and turquoise, echoing the brushstrokes and rhythm of Van Gogh's night sky. The fabric captures the motion and emotion of the artwork, while her sculpted blonde hair, accented with shimmering blue tones, mirrors the painting's luminous energy. Every detail — from the fluid silhouette of the dress to the sculptural curls framing her face — pays homage to van Gogh's vision of light and movement. The Doll Designer was Annalise Lao, and the Packaging Designer was Sal Velazquez. Experience the joy of fashion design infused with the creativity of timeless art, a collaboration that could only be made possible by Mattel Creations and MoMA."

By now, you can probably tell that, as a fan of art. museums, van Gogh, and Barbie, I purchased the "Van Gogh Barbie." The descriptions don't do the doll justice...it's really too beautiful to be called a doll! And when I received a post-purchase email from the MoMA Design Store, I certainly shared my positive feedback.

So, what can your brand learn about marketing collaborations from MoMA and Mattel?

SHARE THIS: Mattel Creations is a brand built at the intersection of art and play. In collaboration with MoMA, this collection re-imagines Mattel's most iconic toys through the lens of world-renowned art from MoMA's collection. ~@MoMADesignStore #MarketingCollab #BrandStorytelling #DebbieLaskeysBlog

Image Credits: Mattel/MoMA and MoMA.