The New York Times · 12 Sep, 09:02 · Business briefing

How to Lure the Spendy and the Thrifty? Bring On the ‘Barbell.’

The New York Times reports on the 'barbell strategy,' a marketing approach where companies simultaneously target high-end luxury consumers and price-sensitive bargain hunters.

What it means for you ↓ Courses for this story

26%average salary uplift after a professional certificate

2.7xfaster promotion for certified professionals

71%of leaders prefer candidates who upskill continuously

20days to your first credential

The briefing

The story
in brief.

What happened, who it affects, and why it landed on our intelligence desk — in plain English, sixty seconds or less.

The New York Times reports on the 'barbell strategy,' a marketing approach where companies simultaneously target high-end luxury consumers and price-sensitive bargain hunters. This model bypasses the shrinking middle market, focusing instead on the two extremes of spending behaviour. Organisations adopt this tactic to maintain revenue stability amidst economic uncertainty. By offering premium products to affluent clients while providing basic, low-cost options to thrifty shoppers, businesses can mitigate risks associated with volatile consumer confidence. This dual approach allows brands to capture value from both ends of the economic spectrum, effectively ignoring the increasingly uncertain middle ground in contemporary retail and service sectors.

Employer demand for Strategic Marketing skills — indexed growth since 2019
Indicative index of skill mentions in professional job postings for the field this story moves (2019 = 1)

Your move

What this means
for your career.

Every headline redistributes opportunity. Here is who this one rewards — and how to be on the right side of it.

This shift means you must master segmentation and value proposition design. Professionals in marketing and strategy should focus on understanding polarised consumer psychology. If you work in product development, learn to build distinct offerings for luxury and economy segments without brand dilution. Data analysts must sharpen their skills in identifying these distinct customer cohorts. A smart professional would immediately audit their current market positioning. Are you serving the vanishing middle? Pivot towards clear, differentiated value propositions. Upskill in strategic marketing and behavioural economics to navigate this divided landscape. Develop the ability to communicate premium value to high-net-worth individuals while optimising cost-efficiency for budget-conscious consumers. This dual competency will make you indispensable in an era of economic bifurcation.

For this story, the fields that convert it into pay are Strategic Marketing, Business And Management, Psychology and Data Science — exactly the programmes matched below. The chart shows the indicative salary uplift certified professionals report in each of those fields; every one of them is a click away, from £79, finishing in as few as 20 days.

Indicative salary uplift in the fields matched to this story
Indicative ranges from published continuing-education salary studies, by field — each field is a recommended course below

Matched to this story

Enrol in these
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These programmes position you for exactly this shift — online, self-paced, and finishing with a verifiable certificate you can share the day you pass.