Why Aerospace Marketing is Different from Other Marketing

And How to Adapt Your Strategy Before Growth Stalls

I’ve worked in marketing for over 20 years—starting in aviation with JetBlue Airways and Frontier Airlines, then moving to some of the country’s best-known brands like Equinox, Starwood, and Barry’s. After time in B2C startups, I transitioned into complex B2B businesses and ultimately found what I love most: aerospace.

And I can tell you: marketing in this industry is unlike anything else.

While I’ve spent my entire career reminding CEOs and hiring managers that marketing skills are transferable, I launched The Space Marketers to highlight the specific nuances of this field and bring together the marketers navigating it every day. Aerospace will challenge you, but they also shape the future. And marketing deserves to keep pace.

Between long sales cycles, complex regulations, highly technical products, and a rapidly crowding market, the pressure to stand out is higher than ever. Understanding what makes aerospace marketing different can help you move faster, show up smarter, and ultimately grow stronger.

What Makes Aerospace Marketing Unique

1. Long Sales Cycles

Many aerospace deals take months or years to close. The sales funnel looks nothing like traditional B2B. Audience segmentation is critical, content needs to be high-value and well-timed, and your buyer’s journey will zig, zag, and stall—but still needs to be mapped. Marketers must plan for sustained engagement, keeping prospects warm and informed through every twist. Be prepared for multiple stakeholders who need their problems solved at all levels.

2. Finite Customer Base

For many companies, especially those marketing to the DoD and government, the total addressable market is relatively small. That makes traditional paid media tough. Sometimes, the audience is so specific that you can’t even run a paid campaign. Meanwhile, those same customers are bombarded with pitches just like yours. What are you doing to stand out?

When your TAM is limited, you must be laser-focused on your ICP and buying committee. Who are the primary decision-makers? Who are the secondary influencers? How are you expanding your TAM over time?

3. Complex Products and Solutions

Aerospace companies are often founded by engineers, military veterans, or technologists who identified a mission-critical gap. Sometimes, the product is vaporware. Sometimes it’s real, but built in "engineer speak."

The challenge? Translating that complexity into messaging that resonates with customers, investors, and the media. One of the most common questions I get is, "How technical is too technical?" The answer: it depends on the audience. Great marketers simplify the story without dumbing it down—and they tailor it to every stakeholder in the room.

4. B2G Meets B2B

Many aerospace companies operate in both commercial and government markets. And marketing to the Department of Defense (DoD) is an entirely different beast:

• Strict regulatory requirements

• Complex bid and proposal processes

• Procurement-driven buyers who don’t operate like traditional customers

  
  

This is probably the most unique and difficult part of aerospace marketing. It relies heavily on relationships and community involvement, and your messaging, visuals, and go-to-market strategy need to flex accordingly.

5. The Myth of "No Marketing Needed"

It’s shockingly common to see aerospace startups with zero marketing presence. Many founders believe the tech will sell itself, or they assume marketing is only for consumer brands. Others simply don’t know where to start, so they skip it altogether.

But no matter how innovative your product is, if you can’t clearly communicate its value, you’re leaving revenue on the table. In fact, with so many companies ignoring marketing, the bar to stand out is lower than you think.

6. A Non-Traditional Marketing Team

In aerospace, your marketing needs can spike during fundraising, M&A, IPO prep—or even bankruptcy—and then settle down again. You need brand, PR, content, events, and competitive intel, but not a full-time headcount for every role. A flexible, senior-level team model gives you the expertise you need when you need it, without the overhead when you don’t.

What Should You Be Thinking About?

Whether you’re still in stealth, raising your Series B, or prepping for IPO, these areas are critical as you scale:

• Establishing Your Aerospace Brand

• Building Your Aerospace Marketing Team

• Facility and Workplace Branding

• The Marketing Tech Stack for Aerospace

• Digital Marketing for Aerospace

• Account-Based Marketing in Aerospace

• Events and Tradeshow Optimization

• Proposal Writing and Pitch Decks

• Sales Enablement and Product Marketing

• Communications and PR

  
  

Closing Thoughts

Aerospace marketing isn’t just tech marketing with a twist—it’s a discipline all its own. At The Space Marketers, we’re here to demystify the process, share actionable strategies, and help marketing leaders bring structure, clarity, and momentum to their mission.

We’ll be diving into each of these topics in future posts with insights from contributors in and outside the industry. Consider this your one-stop-shop for space and aerospace marketing know-how. Because space deserves better marketing—and so do you.