Hi! I’m Barbie.
I am a communications and marketing leader with over 20 years experience fostering brand growth, particularly in ad tech, martech, insights, and gaming.
Currently, I serve as the Global Head of App & Game Developer Marketing for InMobi, a leading ad tech platform. Previously, I served as the VP of Marketing for Spiketrap, an audience insights and contextual advertising platform, from its seed round through its acquisition by Reddit.
Prior to this, I have led marketing efforts for a myriad of companies, from tech & entertainment startups to publicly traded enterprises. Notably, I led B2B marketing at consumer insights platform DISQO, served as the head of marketing for advertising agency AUDIENCEX, and led developer facing marketing at mobile advertising platform AdColony.
I am a founder of iDigress, a marketing consultancy and creative studio that provides succinct services for better brands while also working on an undisclosed publishing project to be announced in 2024.
Committed to meaningful audience engagement, I hold a Master’s in Communications Management from the University of Southern California and was a President’s Scholar at Cal State Fullerton, where I attained my Bachelor’s in Communications.
I am an active member of CHIEF, the private network for women in leadership, and also a member of The Women in Programmatic Network and the International Game Developers Association.
- Leadership Experience 15 years
- Brand Marketing 22 years
- Content Marketing 22 years
- Communications 22 years
- Engagement Marketing 20 years
- Product Marketing 16 years
- Public Relations 14 years
- Performance Marketing 12 years
- B2B Marketing 17 years
- Tech Marketing 12 years
“Barbie is a big picture thinker, she understands how all digital marketing channels work together and what needs to be done in order to create a cohesive message.”
“When I think of a marketing leader — one who is well-rounded, strategic, and insanely knowledgeable — Barbie comes to mind.”
“Barbie has the unique blend of intelligence and compassion rooted to a ‘grind it out’ work ethic, making her the ideal marketing and comms lead.”
“I learned a great deal about the finer points of marketing strategy by working with Barbie. Her presence and mentorship has aided my professional career immensely.”
“Working on Barbie’s team, I benefitted greatly from her clear direction, unrivaled organization, and patient visual design coaching.”
Experience
InMobi
Jun 2022 — Present
Global Head of Developer Marketing
Leading developer marketing for a ML AI mobile platform, creating a unified narrative & strategy to drive over $5M ROI quarterly, garner 500+ new SaaS clients for a key launch, & expand SDK adoption over 20%. Transitioned from consultant to FTE in Q2 2023.
Spiketrap
Aug 2020 — Sep 2022
VP of Marketing
Led marketing from seed through acquisition for an NLP AI audience intelligence & contextual advertising platform. Led positioning, GTM strategy, content, PR, product marketing, lead gen, & CRM to elevate brand presence & drive over 100% growth. Crafted media strategy & bespoke insights for brands & agencies in gaming & entertainment.
DISQO
May 2019 — Aug 2020
VP of Marketing
Led B2B marketing for a consumer insights platform. Increased brand health by 117%, generated 300+ SQLs, and contributed to over 110% revenue growth. Also overhauled narrative & brand positioning for B2C subsidiary with over 10M MAUs.
AUDIENCEX
Jun 2018 — May 2020
Head of Marketing
Led marketing for an ad agency. Delivered a 6.7X ROAS to help drive a 130% CAGR; empowered sales with air cover, messaging, & materials to double close rates. Served on strategy committee to improve campaign performance for a multitude of client brands.
AdColony
Dec 2014 — Apr 2018
Director of Marketing
Led developer marketing for a ML AI mobile ad platform. Developed & led GTM strategies to drive 2X SDK adoption; created & led thought leadership & content marketing strategy to drive over 200 quality press hits; and elevated CRM & events initiatives to nurture CLV. Conducted research & developed guides for user acquisition & monetization that were leveraged by thousands of top app & game publishers.
PCM
Mar 2014 — Dec 2014
Brand Marketing Manager
Led content marketing for an enterprise tech brand. Drove 5X engagement increase & 100+ leads per event. Developed communications stylebook to unify brand voice.
Hero Level Productions
Oct 2011 — Mar 2014
Director of Communications
Headed B2B & B2C marketing for an esports production studio. Led campaigns to increase subscriptions 4X; crafted pitches to garner $5M in revenue & funding from investors, media platforms, leading game studios, and brand sponsors.
CRN Solutions
Jan 2009 — Sep 2011
Director of Marketing
Led B2B & B2C marketing teams for wholesale & retail brands. Led PR, CRM, SEM, content strategy, product marketing, & sales enablement to drive 230% growth.
Protelligent
Jan 2007 — Jan 2009
Marketing Specialist
Executed all marketing initiatives for an IT firm to promote SaaS & managed services, including GTM strategies, content marketing, CRM, & sales enablement.
Century Quality Management
Aug 2011 — Jul 2008
Marketing Assistant
Aided marketing & communications for a senior living complex, helping it achieve 100% occupancy. Contributed to PR, CRM, digital & print campaigns, and events.
Articles
A more personal glimpse into who I am, in brief, from the folks at Principal Post.
Opinion piece written for Adweek exploring the narrative unfolding in gaming & what marketers must do to foster trust amid acquisitions.
Byline in Adweek discussing the video game industry’s center stage role in popular culture and how the advertising industry is finally starting to take notice.
Byline in Campaign US challenging marketers to dump their demographic assumptions and instead seek deeper audience understanding.
BizReport’s Kirstina Knight interviews Barbie Koelker on how marketers can protect their brands when advertising in high UGC environments.
An exploration into the rise and future of Among Us through the lens of audience conversations across social, streaming, and review platforms.
Byline in Target Marketing Magazine discussing the need for marketers to curate consumer confidence, channel consistency, and conserve character amid the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Feature in WWD discussing the lessons learned from a DISQO study on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on consumer attitudes, reported activities, and measured digital behaviors.
Byline in Street Fight Magazine discussing the need for market researchers to foster a relationship of trust with audiences by openly engaging people, diligently protecting their data and privacy, and fairly rewarding them for their participation.
Feature in WWD discussing the results of a DISQO consumer study on ad relevance, which illuminated the need and opportunity for marketers to make their campaigns more interesting and relevant to their audiences.
Interview with MarTech Series sharing perspectives on how the ad tech industry has evolved, advice for other marketing leaders, lessons learned from a DISQO study on the consumer voice, and more.
Interview with ExchangeWire discussing personal experiences in the industry, views on where we’ve been, where I hope we’re going, and advice for people looking to thrive in tech.