Glossy Pop Newsletter: How ‘Wicked’ took over … everything

November 22, 2024 Mary

For months before the July 2023 release of the “Barbie” movie, the Warner Bros. marketing team collaborated on a dizzying array of product collections tied to the movie. With the endless collaborations came a flurry of press as reporters tried to keep track of the launches. It was, perhaps, a futile task. The collections spanned categories including food, beverage, beauty, and apparel, and painted the world a highly identifiable shade of pink in the process.

Few would have predicted that, just a year and a half later, we’d see a movie marketing campaign feel just as large, if not larger. “Wicked,” which hit theaters on Friday, is dousing everything it touches in two colors: There’s pink, for Glinda, the Good Witch, played by Ariana Grande; and green, for Elphaba, the Wicked Witch, played by Cynthia Erivo. The new movie is Part 1 of 2 — Part 2 of the film will be released in late 2025.

“We were able to go all in on pink and green,” said Stephanie Kraus, evp of global product design and development for Universal Products and Experiences, which is part of “Wicked” production company NBCUniversal. “Fans are seeing [these colors] beyond [just] retail, too — it’s in the film’s marketing and even in the talents’ outfit choices for publicity appearances.”

A rep for NBC Universal said the company is not releasing the official number of “Wicked” collaborations, but shared that there are hundreds of brand partners around the world.

Partners include Starbucks and Walmart private-label brand Great Value, as well as Naeem Khan, whose September 9 New York Fashion Week show concluded with a capsule collection that paid tribute to the film. On the apparel and accessories side, there are collections from Gap, Vera Bradley, Beis, Roots, Crocs, Eugenia Kim, Foster Grant, Rebecca Minkoff, Cambridge Satchel and Lingua Franca, among other brands. And Paul Tazewell, the film’s costume designer, created a capsule collection for Target. In the beauty realm, there is, of course, a full collection from Grande’s R.E.M. Beauty. Plus, Shark Beauty has rendered its multi-styling heat tool in a “Wicked” color scheme. There are also O.P.I. nail polishes; Conair hair accessories; It Cosmetics brushes; Beekman 1802 skin care products, including witch hat-shaped pimple patches; Voluspa candles; and Lush soaps and bath bombs; among other products. Universal began talking to potential partners in March 2023.

After a meeting with Universal, the Ulta Beauty team had the chance to preview the movie, which shed light on the opportunity. “I looked around and everyone had tears in their eyes,” said Kaitlin Rinehart, the retailer’s vp of merchandising. “That moment, I was like, ‘This is going to be a great cultural phenomenon.’ … [Plus it] really connects with Ulta and who we are; [we’re about] inner and outer beauty.”

For the uninitiated, “Wicked” tells the story of Elphaba, the misunderstood girl with green skin who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West, and her complicated friendship with Glinda, the Good Witch, in Oz.

Now, “Wicked” has a hub on Ulta Beauty’s website where shoppers can find some of its brand partners’ dedicated collabs. There are 69 SKUs on the page. Rinehart said she understood that these collaborations could come to life across categories, including accessories, makeup, skin care and tools. “We’ve covered the gamut in how we’ve shown up. Every guest has something ‘Wicked’ they can find.”

Likewise, Daianara Grullon Amalfitano, chief brand and product officer at Aldo Shoes, said she immediately knew Aldo should be a part of the cultural moment the movie would create. She saw an opportunity to capture consumers who have been fans of the “Wicked” story and music for decades and to earn “a new fan base that would fall in love with ‘Wicked.’” Grullon Amalfitano noted that Aldo is increasingly becoming known for its culturally relevant collaborations — it collaborated with “Barbie” in June 2023.

The way the collabs work is simple: To secure the rights to use the “Wicked” name, the brand in question pays Universal. “All of our product collaborations are done as a licensing business model,” said Kraus. “We license our IP to partners, collaborating closely to design and develop products that are on trend and innovative and push the boundaries, and that they’re the right fit for the partner themselves. We’re truly collaborating to bring authentic products and our IP to life in fun and meaningful ways.” Universal reached out to some brands to discuss potential partnerships, while others approached the studio wanting to partner.

Kraus added, “We knew there was a passionate fan base that would be excited and eager to show their affinity for this brand, and the best way to do that is through lifestyle products. … We wanted to reach the generations of ‘Wicked’ fans. … We have hundreds of [collaborative] products around the world across fashion, accessories, beauty, travel, home, toys, publishing and collectibles.” The products are meant to echo the themes of the film: “sisterhood, empowerment and equality,” she said.

And every brand involved was eager to play up that theme, according to the sources for this story.

“The story behind the sisterhood between the two main characters and their friendship — the tension and their love for each other — resonated with us,” said Stacey McCormick, CMO at Aerie. Aerie’s “Wicked” collab, which launched on Labor Day weekend, includes sleepwear and loungewear. Aerie began to tease the collab in early September, and its social posts about the collab have received over 2.1 million views. “The sleep [collection] was the most well-received,” McCormick said. “[‘Wicked’-themed patterns] were printed on PJ tops and bottoms. You can’t find the green [anymore].”

“The story of ‘Wicked’ is a celebration of friendship, empowerment and a multitude of hairstyles, so we were thrilled to partner,” said Amy Pellicane, vp of global marketing at Shark Beauty. The brand teamed with Universal Pictures on a limited-edition Shark FlexStyle Airstyling and Drying System in ‘Wicked’ shades.

Glossy Pop Newsletter: How 'Wicked' took over … everything

Rinehart said bringing Ulta Beauty’s extensive “Wicked” assortment to life was the result of a close partnership with Universal. The studio already had relationships with some of the brands, while it looked to Ulta to help bring others to life. It’s also worth noting that Ulta is the exclusive retailer of R.E.M. Beauty — according to the retailer, it got in the kitchen with the R.E.M. team to bring the brand’s “Wicked” collection to life. “We were actively involved in that one, maybe in a different way than others,” Rinehart said. “We wanted to make it feel inspirational and elevated and super enchanting, like the movie feels.”

Sephora, for what it’s worth, has not activated around the film.

Both Aldo and Ulta Beauty are taking the opportunity to create in-store experiences to promote their “Wicked” lines. For its part, Ulta transformed the outside of its stores in NYC’s Herald Square and L.A.’s Santa Monica in pink and green. Each also has a “yellow brick road” leading up to and continuing inside the store.

The collaborations have been rolling out for months: Aldo’s dedicated shoe collection launched on October 17, while Stoney Clover Lane’s “Wicked” pouches didn’t drop until November 20. But, according to a friend, anyone doubting sufficient demand for the abundance of “Wicked” products is “underestimating the pull ‘Wicked’ has on women and gay men aged 27-35.” Many TikToks and Instagram Reels about the movie speak to theater kids’ love for the musical, which first opened on Broadway in 2003.

Among its loyal fans is Hannah Young (9,000 Instagram followers), a self-described former theater kid. In November, Young posted a Reel warning movie-goers that fans will treat the film as a singalong. The post has over 180,000 likes and was reposted by Kristin Bell.

But, although the Broadway debut of “Wicked” in the early 2000s brought about “original Eras Tour-level of excitement,” Young said she hadn’t purchased any products from any of the “Wicked” collaborations. “I might buy my daughter a sweatshirt or something, but I haven’t purchased any of the collabs,” she said.

On TikTok, however, you’ll find users excitedly documenting “Wicked” hauls. This post by user @carianneolder has over 500,000 views. And, in the comments of videos documenting creators’ “Wicked” buys, dozens of commenters share where they’ve found Elphaba dolls, what they’ve purchased so far and which stores have the best merch selections.

Now, as the movie hits theaters, brands and customers may get a movie merch break — that is, until we do it all again for Part 2.