Episode 26

Barbie, Lightning Strikes, and High-Impact Marketing on a Budget

Marketers have been overwhelmed with lessons from the success of the Barbie movie’s marketing strategy. But those lessons only go so far if you don’t have a 150-million-dollar budget to spend.

This week, Rob, Angela, and Elena explore why Barbie’s marketing was so successful and how other marketers could replicate the principles of Barbie’s strategy with smaller budgets. They’re discussing category design, lightning strikes, and the importance of making bold strategic moves to stand out from competitors.

Topics Covered

• [02:00] How Barbie’s marketing drove its success

• [05:00] Why producing Barbie required bravery from Mattel

• [08:30] Reframing marketing as an investment rather than an expense

• [11:30] Defining category design and lightning strikes

• [13:30] The difference between lightning strikes and guerilla marketing

• [16:30] How big moves break through competitive noise

• [18:00] Balancing long-term brand-building with lightning strikes

Resources:

2023 Lochhead on Marketing Podcast

2022 Category Pirates Article

2023 Variety Article

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