Marketing Tips
from Kate Bar

Brace yourself—I’m launching a series of harmful advice poems. Yes, you read that right. But don’t worry, they come with actual, doable marketing steps (so you don’t accidentally destroy your business).

Every week, I’ll be dropping a new “bad” marketing tip—the kind that some businesses actually follow (oops)—and then I’ll show you what to do instead. It’s gonna be fun, sarcastic, and painfully relatable.

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👇 Check out the ones I’ve already published!

Because what’s better than learning from mistakes? Laughing at them first. 😈

Okay, so this isn’t the freshest news, but it’s been bugging me ever since I read it. Airbus has officially pushed back its plans for a hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft, saying the technology and infrastructure just aren’t moving fast enough. Given how loud they’ve been about hydrogen being the future of aviation, this feels like a plot twist.

For years, Airbus has been one of the biggest cheerleaders for hydrogen aviation—flashy zero-emission aircraft concepts, ambitious targets, and big PR pushes. And now? Suddenly, they’re hitting the brakes.
Which raises some serious questions:
- Did they overestimate how fast the tech would evolve?
- Are investors getting cold feet about hydrogen?
- Or is Airbus just playing it smart—letting startups do the heavy lifting before swooping in at the right moment?

Here’s the thing—Airbus wasn’t just talking about hydrogen aviation. They were investing in it. In fact, they were one of the biggest investors in ZeroAvia’s Series C round. And that didn’t happen overnight.
It took more than six months of Airbus teams visiting ZeroAvia’s sites, meeting different departments, diving deep into the tech, and basically running the company through every possible test. And at the end of all that? They were convinced enough to put their money in.

So what changed? Does this delay mean Airbus no longer believes in hydrogen aviation? Or did they learn from ZeroAvia that this transition is going to take way longer than expected?

For startups in this space, this is a critical moment. If a giant like Airbus is backing off, the smaller players will need to step up their storytelling, investor confidence, and market positioning to keep the momentum alive.

Big news in clean aviation! Beyond Aero just secured $20 million to develop hydrogen-electric private jets, aiming to launch an eight-passenger aircraft by 2030. That’s a huge step for sustainable aviation—and a sign that investors are getting serious about zero-emission flight.

Aviation is under massive pressure to cut emissions, but most of the focus has been on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). While that helps, it’s not a real zero-emission solution. Hydrogen-electric propulsion, on the other hand, has the potential to completely change the game—if companies can solve the tech and infrastructure challenges. Seeing investors back Beyond Aero shows this shift is gaining momentum.

This isn’t just another piece of industry news for me—it’s personal. Back in 2022, I was one of maybe half a dozen marketers actually building this market from scratch with ZeroAvia. At that time, hydrogen aviation wasn’t even considered a niche—it didn’t exist in public perception. We had to create the demand, educate investors, and make sure people took it seriously. Seeing funding like this flow into the sector now? It proves we did something right. But it also means companies like Beyond Aero will need to get their messaging, branding, and market positioning right to make this a real success.

For years, we’ve been hearing that space tourism is coming soon—but so far, it’s mostly been a billionaire hobby. Now, companies like Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin are saying they’re ramping up flights to make space travel more accessible. But is this really happening, or just another “almost there” moment?

Space tourism isn’t just about sending rich people to orbit—it’s about proving that commercial spaceflight can scale. Right now, prices are insane, and only a handful of people can afford it. But history tells us that every breakthrough technology starts as a luxury. Think about air travel—once for the elite, now for (almost) everyone. If these companies can improve safety, reduce costs, and create real demand, space tourism could be the next big industry shift.

I’ll be honest—I dream of going to space. And unless I magically become a billionaire, I’m relying on the industry to make it affordable. Yes, I literally have a piggy bank labeled “Space Trip Fund” (it’s not looking great so far, but hey, I’m an optimist).

And beyond my personal space obsession, I actually work with clients in the travel and tourism industry—and I cannot wait for the day when we can add “Space Tours” to their offerings and start marketing the experience. Just imagine: "Weekend trip to the Moon—book now!"

So, big news (well, for me at least)—I’m officially expanding my marketing consultancy services to focus on startups and SMEs in hydrogen, space, and aviation. Basically, if your company is working on something futuristic, high-tech, and borderline sci-fi, I want to help you get noticed, get funded, and actually sell what you’re building. Because let’s be real—cutting-edge tech doesn’t sell itself. If it did, we'd all be zipping around in hydrogen-powered jets by now.

Why these industries? Because I’ve been in the trenches—from branding hydrogen aviation when it was barely a thing to working with startups that are building the next big thing in aerospace. I know how hard it is to explain groundbreaking tech without sounding like a mad scientist, and I also know how to make investors, customers, and partners actually care. So if you’re working on something that deserves the spotlight, let’s talk. 🚀