The movie-musical defying even Barbie's marketing to become the next Popular Hollywood hit and how capitalism aided its success.
Do we need Wicked mac and cheese? What about crocs? Heels?
The answer: no. We don’t need pink and green mac and cheese or crocs or heels, or anything really but here we are in 2024 buying all this merchandise.
Most films appealing to a widespread audience tend to collaborate with famous brands in order to create more buzz leading up to the movie's premier; but Wicked takes marketing to a new level. Even Barbie, famous for its Kenough shirts, couples costumes and plastic dolls could never take its marketing to this level. In the last few months Wicked has become inescapable. As Caelyn Osbern, a Léman class of 2025 student and theatre enthusiast put it “ I’ve … seen it [Wicked] advertised in general a lot.” She added, “The Barbie merch was more generalized, like Halloween costumes and T-shirts, but the Wicked movie’s merch has been very in-your-face with its marketing…I think [the Wicked marketing is] really really smart…”
It surprised me that out of all the films this year Wicked, a movie musical, was the one to have this level of marketing, a musical which didn't even win the Tony for Best Musical, a musical that's 20 years old, but above all else a musical? In recent years movie musicals have turned into massive flops: Dear Evan Hansen, Cats, Joker: Folie a Deux. So why would Wicked go so big on its marketing? There is no denying Wicked is a pillar of the modern musical canon and a staple for Broadway fans. Every soprano has sung Popular and every Tenor has Danced through life, but that's still a niche for such a massive project.
Maybe Wicked is trying to give into the Barbification of it all. But why?
There is no denying that the Barbie merchandise made it the staple of 2023 and unforgettable but this commercialisation is also what many believe to have cost Barbie awards at the Oscars. It is generally believed that films that appeal too much to audiences usually don't bode well with critics, so why risk costing Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo an award, after years of hard work and craftsmanship? Why risk it for Crocs?
Of course there is the off chance that the Oscar-Marketing correlation is pure speculation. However, it is also possible this marketing was a way to salvage the movie and fix the film's image. With the Ariana Grande/Ethan Slater drama, the Cynthia Erivo poster controversy, etc., Wicked has had an image of hostility; to the day to day person who knew nothing of this film it seemed like the cast was massively controversial and toxic.
Additionally, Wicked isn't really Wicked, more so ‘Wicked Part One’. The Wicked film which came out this year consists solely of the first act, which is also the most famous. With songs like Defying Gravity and Popular this first part will be the most recognizable for the average movie goer. Wicked Part two not so much; apart from For Good the second act's songs have less buzz. Here’s the twist: Wicked Part two is coming out exactly a year from now. Now it makes sense why the marketing team is working over time to have Wicked everywhere, they need it to be so in your face so we'll still care about it by the time the sequel rolls along.
At the start of this article I mentioned how Wicked didn’t win Best Musical at the Tony awards the year it came out. This might come as a shocker to you; it certainly did to the Broadway community back in 2004. But how does a loss at the Tonys connect to marketing? Well, though there are arguments to be made that Wicked did not deserve the Tony, it is widely believed that Wicked lost because of its adversaries marketing campaign.
Around the same time Wicked dazzled Broadway audiences, another musical made waves too: Avenue Q. Both musicals did well on Broadway but Wicked was the clear favorite to win Best Musical that year. So Avenue Q stepped up their marketing, through a campaign that incentivised people to vote their heart; Avenue Q was everywhere, newspapers, billboards, they even made public performances throughout New York. Avenue Q connected not only with its audience but also offered special viewings and parties for Tony voting committee members. Most impressively Avenue Q was able to connect itself with the political landscape of the time and that year's presidential elections, all of which led to their win at the Tonys.
Now 20 years later Wicked has learned from its mistakes and is adopting the same techniques. The massive billboards, the huge ad campaigns, the endless press tour, the marketing collabs are all a part of this. Though connecting with members of the Academy is frowned upon and more regulated than before, in its own right Wicked is making its mark. It's also curious that Wicked released in the year of the presidential election. Though it could have been released any year, Wicked came out now. Why? Wicked is doing exactly what Avenue Q did, Wicked is turning political. The whole message behind Wicked has always been about how discrimination and stereotypes can lead to false narratives, something that resonates with marginalized communities and a message that is particularly strong in the wake of the most recent elections.
Apart from the technicalities of this over the top marketing, it was shocking to see people buy all this. I think the obvious cause for this is social media. In recent years social media has incentivized overconsumption through merch hauls and unboxing videos.
The social media buzz surrounding Wicked has been equally as powerful as the merchandise.Wicked, like most modern films, reached out to influencers and provided them a first row seat to Wicked screening events and premiers. This was a masterful move, as it involved people from all walks of life who happened to be on social media with this film and built up the hype and anticipation. Additionally, most of these influencers also received merchandise which they made a point to review along with the movie, again reiterating this idea that the Wicked merchandise is a must-buy to any movie goers.
Social media factor aside this hyperconsumerism can be tied to the rise of online shopping and fast fashion. With the creation of platforms like Shein and Temu, which offer a range of products at a low price, we have been conditioned to add to cart even if we don’t really need these things. In response to these virtual platforms the rate of consumption has grown too. In order to meet this rising demand stores like H&M and Zara have turned to fast fashion to increase their production. With all these stores catering to our growing appetites our attention spans have truly been getting shorter and shorter as trends last less and less. Wicked is just taking advantage of this; as soon as we get bored of the R.E.M. makeup collection we can go to Starbucks and buy a Wicked cup.
A month ago we were obsessed with anything ‘demure’ or ‘cutesy’, the month before that we loved Brat and a year ago we were obsessed with Barbie and anything ‘coquette'; now it's Wicked. Perhaps Wicked’s marketing is just highlighting our preexisting societal issues rooted in American capitalism.
Wicked the movie isn't the product being sold, its merchandise is. They aren't trying to get us to the cinemas, they want us to want to be a part of this. The exclusive private screenings, limited edition products; the image being sold is the ephemeral movement Wicked represents. And in this fast paced world where nothing lasts For Good we want to remember the good old days, the age of Barbie, and Wicked and what lasts forever; plastic and photos. The photo of trying that green mac and cheese, the rubber green crocs; that's what they are selling and we are buying it. Why? We are on the edge of ultra capitalism; capitalism which romanticizes overconsumption and an emphasis on materialism. I can’t help but admire the marketing team that learned from the musical's failures and helped launch this meager little movie musical into the next cinematographic success.