While Mattel brand Barbie is working to diversify toy chests—it just released its first doll representing a person with Down Syndrome—Ross wants to expand the range of options in a birthday party drink cooler.
“Being a diabetic always meant feeling a little bit othered,” said Ross. “Barbie has made so many strides in inclusion, and we wanted to align with a brand that everyone can feel a part of and relate to.”
Reverse engineering shelf space
Ross and Ros Blankfein knew that introducing new stock keeping units (SKUs) is what typically stops emerging brands from winning limited shelf space, so they decided to make their way into more Target stores by co-branding its pink lemonade under the same hero identifier. By taking advantage of the buzz around Barbie and repositioning the brand with new art instead of new products, Swoon snagged chain-wide Target placement.
While the Barbie lemonade will only be available in select stores at its launch this month, the product will launch nationally in July and become the first food and beverage business to sell in the Target toy aisle. And once that toy aisle partnership sunsets, the founders are confident that Swoon will stay in all Target beverage aisles.
“A key nugget of this is thinking about partnerships that take you into new parts of retail and into new retailers,” said Ros Blankfein, adding that the Barbie collaboration has convinced other existing partners to offer Swoon in new standalone displays. “It’s about capturing customers that weren’t necessarily looking for you.”
Glamorizing sugar substitutes
This partnership is an extension of the duo’s intention to separate Swoon from the category of diabetic or diet drinks that are seen as an unsexy second choice. The brand, which teamed up with Emma Chamberlain last year to launch a matcha lemonade with Chamberlain Coffee, saw a Barbie collab as another opportunity to deepen its connection to pop culture.
