Mattel leads our annual list of the best marketers of the year

Even as economic anxiety persisted, for brands, 2023 was a year to go big. At least that is the lesson offered by Ad Age’s 2023 Marketers of the Year. The list is topped by Mattel, which showed that when it came to the “Barbie” movie, there can’t be enough marketing, as countless creative brand collabs gained massive attention and established a playbook the company can use going forward.

Read on to learn more about how Mattel set itself up for future success and see how the other brands that made our list—Taylor Swift, Nintendo, MLS and Olipop—achieved big things with bold thinking. Plus, we present four brands to watch in 2024.