Mean Girls is Our New Media Empire
Image Courtesy: Stereogum
If you have been watching any TV lately, then you probably have seen the surge of Mean Girls content in the media right now. Between Walmart’s new iconic Mean Girls ad, Tinder’s new ad alluding to the movie, and the musical film coming out in theaters this January, Mean Girls is taking over the media.
Tinder Ad
The recent resurgence of the Mean Girls media empire all began on October 3rd, or more comically known as Mean Girls Day. Tinder released a Mean Girls themed advertisement timed around October 3rd, which is also known as World Romance Scam Prevention Day. The ad starred famous Mean Girls cast member Jonathan Bennett decked out in the beloved Mean Girls color, pink. Here, the actor preaches there are “mean people you should avoid online” to prevent cyber hate. The tie between the movie and Tinder will likely foster a greater presence on the dating app as the ad connects to millennial and Gen Z consumers who are fans of the film. With this advertisement, fans will now be able to see their favorite Mean Girls characters on their phones whenever they want in the Tinder app.
Image Courtesy: Marketing Dive
Mean Girls Shopping at Walmart?
In their new Black Friday ad, Walmart features the famous Gretchen Wieners back with a whole new posse and many of the 2004 films stars. Fans of the movie were excited to see Lacey Chabert, Amanda Seyfried, and Lindsay Lohan bring the Plastics back together again The commercial reinvented some of Mean Girls most favorite scenes, such as Karen's weather reports and North Shore's famous “Jingle Bell Rock” performance.
The company used the beloved film as a segue to promote their special Black Friday deals. Fashion is a big deal in the movie, and in the commercial, Gretchen tells her daughter, "Oh, sweetie, it's Wednesday, you're wearing sweatpants," as an insult, proving that fashion is still a big part of the Mean Girls franchise. The daughter responds by saying she needs to be comfortable because she is going to be spending all day shopping at Walmart (shameless promo!).
Image Courtesy: Walmart
Blockbuster Feature:
Walmart’s and Paramount released Mean Girls themed ads on the same morning (no coincidence here) to promote the new Means Girls musical film, starring Renee Rapp. Both Paramount and Walmart are partnered to promote their products and services, and their fans' love of the film.
Casting Renee Rapp as the lead in the movie was a genius marketing tactic by the producers as she is currently one of the biggest faces of social media. From having her own hit TV show “The Sex Lives of College Girls” to promoting body inclusivity in Broadway productions, people everywhere are talking about Renee Rapp.
Image Courtesy: Billboard
Whether it is the reunion of your all time favorite cast members on-screen, your love of pop-culture social media stars, or your fondness of a good Walmart discount, you are bound to be connected to the Mean Girls film. These brands are creating another marketing empire following the recent domination of Barbie on everyone's screens. By advertising media on social channels to enhance the sale of their products and services, these brands are uniting social media stars with the nostalgic feeling of seeing their favorite actors on the big screen and their little screens.
Carly Zymet