The barbell framing is sharp but there's a third thing hiding inside it that I think gets missed. The brands dying in the middle aren't just picking the wrong channels. They're operating on the wrong feedback loop. Middle marketing (TV, print, billboards) gives you metrics that describe what you spent. The two extremes you're describing give you metrics that describe what actually happened. A sampling event at Coachella that gets filmed tells you in 48 hours whether people genuinely reacted to your product. An LLM surfacing your brand in a response tells you whether your content is actually relevant enough to be cited. Both extremes give you real signal. The middle gives you a media buyer's PowerPoint and a brand lift study that nobody can connect to a single sale.
The part I'd add from the brand side is that the barbell also applies to how you allocate capital, not just marketing. The brands I study that collapsed were almost always over-indexed on fixed costs that served the middle (big retail footprints, national broker networks, trade spend committed 18 months out) while the brands that survived were running light on fixed costs and heavy on the two extremes you're describing. The barbell isn't just a marketing framework. It's a capital allocation framework. The brands that die in the middle aren't just marketing wrong. They're structured wrong
We prepped for this a long time go and priced our units appropriately to make allowance for the inflated operating costs architectured by the finance bros and bras. You are not wrong tho www.obeehavenaturals.com
Another great article, G. I've gained useful insight and value here once more, which, in itself is far from surprising. Thanks for being you and keep trekking, my friend.
I just received a patent for a new consumer bedroom furniture product. We'll be reaching out to Sasha Group to help us. We plan to launch the product before the holidays 2026. My partner and I are studying your books ( Day Trading Attention), content (Substack, Underpriced Attention) and strategies very closely. Thanks for the pearls of wisdom!! They will be at the core of our marketing and business development strategies.
Tech connected the world. Now the edge is creating places worth disconnecting for. The winners will be the ones who turn real-life experiences into something people can’t scroll past.
@gary The knowledge you continuously give for free is astounding and has been since I started following you in the early days. i have taken much of your outlook and applied it to be very successful. I do have one thought about the ai driven content as it seems that ai would continuously give people the same content base don the industry and market. What are your thoughts on that?
The barbell framing is sharp but there's a third thing hiding inside it that I think gets missed. The brands dying in the middle aren't just picking the wrong channels. They're operating on the wrong feedback loop. Middle marketing (TV, print, billboards) gives you metrics that describe what you spent. The two extremes you're describing give you metrics that describe what actually happened. A sampling event at Coachella that gets filmed tells you in 48 hours whether people genuinely reacted to your product. An LLM surfacing your brand in a response tells you whether your content is actually relevant enough to be cited. Both extremes give you real signal. The middle gives you a media buyer's PowerPoint and a brand lift study that nobody can connect to a single sale.
The part I'd add from the brand side is that the barbell also applies to how you allocate capital, not just marketing. The brands I study that collapsed were almost always over-indexed on fixed costs that served the middle (big retail footprints, national broker networks, trade spend committed 18 months out) while the brands that survived were running light on fixed costs and heavy on the two extremes you're describing. The barbell isn't just a marketing framework. It's a capital allocation framework. The brands that die in the middle aren't just marketing wrong. They're structured wrong
We prepped for this a long time go and priced our units appropriately to make allowance for the inflated operating costs architectured by the finance bros and bras. You are not wrong tho www.obeehavenaturals.com
Another great article, G. I've gained useful insight and value here once more, which, in itself is far from surprising. Thanks for being you and keep trekking, my friend.
I just received a patent for a new consumer bedroom furniture product. We'll be reaching out to Sasha Group to help us. We plan to launch the product before the holidays 2026. My partner and I are studying your books ( Day Trading Attention), content (Substack, Underpriced Attention) and strategies very closely. Thanks for the pearls of wisdom!! They will be at the core of our marketing and business development strategies.
Tech connected the world. Now the edge is creating places worth disconnecting for. The winners will be the ones who turn real-life experiences into something people can’t scroll past.
@gary The knowledge you continuously give for free is astounding and has been since I started following you in the early days. i have taken much of your outlook and applied it to be very successful. I do have one thought about the ai driven content as it seems that ai would continuously give people the same content base don the industry and market. What are your thoughts on that?
Thought provoking per usual, Thanks Gary