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True market leaders don’t chase demand—they define it.

That’s the premise of Play Bigger: How Pirates, Dreamers, and Innovators Create and Dominate Markets by Alan Ramadan, Dave Peterson, Christopher Lochhead, and Kevin Maney.

Play Bigger reframes digital disruption, showing startups and established companies alike how to create, innovate, and lead the markets of tomorrow.

Creation Wins

The authors believe that success comes from inventing a whole new game: defining a new market category, developing it, and dominating it over time. You can’t build a legendary company without building a legendary category. If you think that having the best product is all it takes to win, you’re going to lose.

The most transformative companies don’t just compete; they create. Through Category Design, they rise to the top as Category Kings, reshaping how people live, work, and think. Often, they solve problems people don’t even recognize—or expose inefficiencies simply accepted as “the way it’s always been.”

Think about transportation, for example: before Uber, the only option was waving at passing taxis on busy streets. Today, that feels archaic.

Category Kings shift our perspective. They redefine what’s possible, making the old ways look slow, inconvenient, and obsolete. They don’t just win the game—they change it entirely.

Category Design in Action: A Step-by-Step Guide

​​To make this actionable, the authors outline the following steps:

1. Identify the problem and who has it
2. Lay out the components of the solution
3. Choose your category name
4. Map the entire thing in a Blueprint
5. Lay it all out in a provocative POV
6. Mobilize your company behind the category
7. Bring it into the world with Lightning Strikes

PR As the Spark Behind Your Marketing Lightening Strike

It is within step seven where PR comes into play.

Like a flash of lightning, the authors assert, the right planning can give your brand a moment of market-wide attention. A true lightning strike happens when every message—whether from employees, executives, or campaigns—aligns for maximum impact.

But without PR in the mix, that impact can fall short. The biggest mistake is siloing PR separate from the strike. To fully leverage the energy, PR must be part of the plan.

Amplify Your Narrative With Thought Leadership

Every lightning strike should carry a message, and PR is how you broadcast it beyond your company walls. Interviews, contributed articles, and thought leadership pieces let your experts reinforce the core message of your strike. Let’s dig into a few examples:

A retail tech company unveiling a new AI-driven checkout system might have its CEO speak with business publications about the future of frictionless shopping and the upcoming holiday season, while the head of product contributes an article to Total Retail on reducing shrinkage with AI.

A digital health startup launching a telemedicine platform might have its CEO on healthcare podcasts discussing the future of virtual care, while its Chief Medical Officer contributes a byline to Modern Healthcare on improving patient access through technology.

An edtech company introducing an adaptive learning product could have its CEO speak with Education Week about personalized learning trends, while its head of curriculum contributes to EdSurge on bridging gaps in student achievement with technology.

Multi-channel coverage hits your audience from all angles, positions your leaders as experts, and makes your marketing message resonate long after the initial announcement.

PR Builds Third-Party Credibility

Your marketing can tell the world how great you are, but third-party validation takes it further. Media coverage—from trade interviews to contributed articles across trade and business outlets—adds credibility and signals that your message matters beyond your own channels. Buyers often consume multiple pieces of content before engaging with sales; when those pieces come from respected external sources, your marketing strike can hit harder and resonate longer.

Maximizing Reach

Media coverage doesn’t just reinforce your message—it introduces your brand to new audiences. From niche trade publications to national outlets like Forbes or WSJ, PR lets you target the readers you might never reach through your own channels. By aligning PR with your marketing lightning strike, you amplify your message, reach the right people, and ensure your brand stays top-of-mind across both broad and specialized audiences.

As Play Bigger illustrates, category kings don’t just sell; they define the game. Integrating PR into your marketing lightning strikes ensures your message resonates, builds credibility, and reaches audiences that matter most.

To learn more about how Zer0 to 5ive can help drive visibility and industry leadership for your company drop us a line.