Megan Thee Stallion on Broadway: What I'd Do as Her Strategist
A couple weeks ago I dropped a Threads post breaking down the marketing strategy behind Megan Thee Stallion booking Broadway. It went viral. If you're here because of that post, welcome. If you've been here, hey boo.
Here's a quick recap for anyone who missed the thread:
• Meg is playing Zidler in Moulin Rouge on Broadway starting March 24th. She's the FIRST woman to play this role in any production worldwide. The show closes in July.
• The casting is strategic on both sides. Moulin Rouge needs her star power to go out strong (or perhaps even, to save the show after an expensive 7-year run). Meg needs this stage for her EGOT pipeline (she's a 3x Grammy winner and Broadway is her Tony door).
• Her ecosystem made her undeniable for this role. From partnerships with Nike, Planet Fitness, and the Dunkin' Pro-Tina (protein drink) campaign, to A24 film credits, She-Hulk, P-Valley, hosting SNL, and a full public glow-up arc from the Tory Lanez trial to a Lover Girl era... None of those alone got her here. The combination did.
• The crossover potential is massive.
• Every partnership, every check, every move Meg makes is funding a bigger mission.
If you want the full thread with all the detail, I'll link it here.
But here's what I didn't get into on Threads: what I'd actually do next if I were sitting on Meg's strategy team right now.
So let's go there!
Before I get into it, two things:
First, some of what I'm about to lay out crosses into business strategy and talent management territory. Negotiating roles and restructuring brand deals isn't a marketing strategist's job. But a great marketing strategist sees the full board, and what's in the budget; not just their corner of it. So I'm going to call out the opportunities I see AND tell you exactly what I'd build on the marketing side if those doors opened. That distinction matters. Plus it's FUN! Here's why it matters for YOU: it's the same way I'd approach your business/brand. I'm not going to pretend marketing lives in a vacuum. If I see a business decision that would give us better raw material to market, I'm going to point at it. But my job is the strategy for what happens AFTER that decision gets made.
Second, in the real world, the strategist who has a seat at the table and strong relationships with brand partners' teams CAN coordinate a lot of what I'm about to describe. Co-marketing through partner distribution channels is a well-established practice in the industry. The question isn't whether it's possible, but whether the relationships and the deal terms support it. And if I were on Meg's team with those relationships already built or with the opportunity to have a say in how they're built, here's exactly what I'd do:
"🎶 Welcome to Burlesque 🎶 ..."
The opportunity (business/management move): Burlesque The Musical had a sold-out run at London's Savoy Theatre last summer. It's coming back in TWO forms this year: a UK tour launching July 25th, and a return to London from September 12th through January 2027. Christina Aguilera is the executive producer. Neither cast have been announced yet. Meg's 'Rouge' run ends May 17th. The UK Burlesque tour starts July 25th. That's a two-month window to get Meg's management on the phone with Xtina's and Todrick Hall's (Director/Choreographer)'s teams and negotiate a limited guest appearance. The goal here is international theatrical exposure. Meg proving she can carry a Broadway stage is one thing. Meg crossing over to the West End puts her in a completely different conversation as a performing artist.
What I'd do with it as her marketing strategist: If that deal happened, I'd build a campaign around the Moulin Rouge-to-Burlesque pipeline as a narrative arc highlighting Meg. Not two separate bookings. One story. The visuals, the press rollout, the content across every channel would all frame Meg's theatrical journey as a chapter unfolding, not isolated cameos. I'd coordinate the announcement timing with Burlesque's own marketing so both productions benefit from the buzz. And I'd seed the narrative in entertainment press early: "the woman who made history as the first female Zidler is crossing the Atlantic" is a headline that writes itself.
"Creole Lady Marmalade"
This is separate from 'Rouge' and 'Burlesque', but the timing would be way too delicious to not try to make it happen! The 2001 song "Lady Marmalade" was made for the Moulin Rouge film. Lil' Kim rapped the verse. Meg is now IN Moulin Rouge on stage. HELLO?! Iconery, loading...'
The opportunity (business/management move): A "Lady Marmalade" 2026 remake with Meg stepping into Kim's rap verse and fresh, known musical talent filling the Xtina, Mya, and Pink vocal roles. It could also be incredible to have the original lineup and the legendary Ms. Patti LaBelle (who pioneered the original track back in 1975 and who recently worked with Meg on KPOPPED; a music show where musicians reimagine their hits with K-pop idols) appear in the music video and/or in social media promo spots to co-sign the new generation and pass the torch. If not a full-on remade track; at the very least, I'd advocate for a branded promo spot to celebrate the show's iconic closing with just the principle cast using that song and Meg rapping on Kim's part. If I could do both; I'd drop the promo spot with the principle cast as an easter-egg'd subliminal promo for the full track with Meg and current popular artists.
What I'd do with it as her marketing strategist: I'd time the single release to overlap with the final weeks of Meg's Moulin Rouge run so the song and the show amplify each other. The press angle writes itself: the woman performing in Moulin Rouge just remade the song that was MADE for Moulin Rouge. I'd seed the conversation in entertainment press and on social media weeks before the release to build anticipation and let the public start fan-casting the other vocal roles (which drives engagement for free). If the original artists appeared in any capacity, those assets become their own campaign layer across every platform. And if Lady Marmalade 2026 existed while Meg was also appearing in Burlesque? That song becomes the connective tissue between both shows and both eras. It's memorable, it's sticky, it's SURE to have virality and resonance both with Millenials pining for nostalgia, older generations STOKED to see Patti doing her thing, and Gen Z/younger gens seeing their favs.
THE BRAND PARTNERSHIP REFRESH
The opportunity (business/management move): Meg already has relationships with Nike, Planet Fitness, and Dunkin'. Renegotiating deal terms or adding campaign extensions is between her management team and those brands....BUT...
What I'd do with it as her marketing strategist: I'd pitch new creative angles to each partner's marketing team using Broadway as the hook. Performing 8 shows a week requires elite physical conditioning and athetic wear that's as up to the challenge as Meg is. That's the Nike(athletic wear) and Planet Fitness (athletic wear + Stallion "blessed" workouts) campaign: Meg in rehearsal, Meg in the gym, Meg building the stamina for this schedule. The Dunkin' Protein Refresher she launched as Pro-Tina would have the same energy, but new context: fueling the work behind the curtain. Each campaign would feature or cameo Meg; but would focus on showing other athletes and artists enjoying the beverages (either recognizable talent or every day Joe's/Joanne's and Themannes); because all walks of life deserve to be fueled the Hot Girl way; and that way, Meg dodges overexposure. These aren't new partnerships. They're new chapters of existing ones, which means they move faster and cost less to activate.
If those co-marketing relationships were in place, I'd coordinate cross-promotional campaigns through each partner's owned distribution channels. Nike's email list reaches millions of athletes and fitness enthusiasts. Dunkin's app sends push notifications to a massive subscriber base. Planet Fitness communicates with its entire member network. Meg's/Meg-featured content living inside those channels puts her in front of audiences who already trust those brands, without building a single new platform.
THE CONTENT STRATEGY
I'd have her content team filming everything documentary-style from day one. The prep. The rehearsals. The vocal coaching. The nerves. The first time she walks into the Al Hirschfeld Theatre in costume. Drop raw clips on TikTok for the culture-forward audience. Package the high-quality behind-the-scenes footage for an official Moulin Rouge campaign that reaches the Broadway-loyal audience. I'd use one cohesive content bank to reach multiple audiences.
But content doesn't stop at social media. This is where most people's strategy falls apart because they think content equals posts. Content is every single touchpoint your audience interacts with.
Meg's online store already has the Moulin Rouge announcement on the homepagem but I'd keep that fresh throughout the run by dropping limited-edition collections tied to milestones: opening night, a mid-run capsule, closing week. Scarcity drives urgency. Update the product descriptions and homepage copy to reflect the CURRENT moment in the run, not just a static announcement.
Her Spotify and Apple Music profiles should be updated with a Broadway-adjacent playlist, a custom bio reflecting the run, and ideally our Lady Marmalade remake.
This way, Meg's entire ecosystem is once again streamlined and utilized to keep her fabulous momentum goin'. REAL hot girl sh*t!
THE EXPERIENTIAL + COLLAB STRATEGY
Bob the Drag Queen plays his final performance as Zidler on March 22nd. Meg starts March 24th. That's a literal passing of the baton between two pop culture icons in the same role. The content moment there practically directs itself. I'd build a campaign around that handoff: joint content, a conversation between them about the role, a "welcome to the stage" moment that lives forever. This also creates opportunity for Meg to finally be a judge on Drag Race, too. (An opportunity, frankly, I'm baffled she hasn't had yet being that she judged the ballroom voguing show Legendary on HBO Max from 2020-2021). HELLO?!
Beyond digital: There should be talk show appearances timed to opening week. A Times Square teaser performance that generates press AND fan-shot content simultaneously.
Strategic content collaborations with Broadway figures who are already building audiences online would SLAP, too. Jessica Vosk created the viral "Vosk in the City" interview series (229K Instagram followers) and is currently starring in Beaches on Broadway, literally blocks from Meg's theatre. Crossover content between Meg and someone like Vosk introduces Meg to the core Broadway audience through a voice they already trust. Not a cold introduction. A warm one. And that kind of collaboration goes beyond social: think joint newsletter features, podcast guest spots, behind-the-scenes content swaps. Theatre influencer gifting (comped tickets + backstage access for creators who cover Broadway content regularly on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram) so the run gets reviewed and documented by voices the theatre community already follows and trusts.
And here's the activation I'd fight hardest for...The Casablanca Hotel is literally steps from the Al Hirschfeld Theatre where Moulin Rouge plays. It's a boutique property with Moroccan-inspired decor, a lounge called Rick's Cafe, and an intimate lobby that already feels like you've stepped into another era. Theatre-goers, tourists, and regular New Yorkers pass through that lobby and the surrounding block every single day without a second thought.
Now imagine they walk in one evening and the lobby has been transformed. Red lighting. Performers in full 1899 Parisian costume, scattered among the regular hotel guests, performing choreography in short bursts between the furniture. Period-appropriate music drifting from Rick's Cafe. You just walked into your hotel lobby and Paris found you.
On one unannounced afternoon during the run, Meg appears in full Zidler costume. She moves through the lobby in character, welcoming people, pulling someone into a brief dance, delivering Zidler's energy to a room full of people who did not see it coming. Ten minutes. Maybe less. Then she's gone. But by then every phone in the room has captured it, and by morning it's gone viral.
The hotel gets the press of a lifetime. Moulin Rouge gets a viral moment that drives ticket sales for the rest of the run. Meg gets a cultural moment that lives beyond the stage. And every single person who was in that lobby becomes a walking testimonial for the show.
Now walk with me, because here's what this means for you.
You don't need Meg's budget or Meg's fame to apply this thinking. What you DO need is to:
Look at the partnerships and relationships you already have and ask if there's a new angle you haven't explored yet. Meg didn't go find new brands for Broadway. She already had Nike, Dunkin', Planet Fitness. The opportunity is in the ANGLE.
Think about who is already in your orbit that has an audience you want to be in front of. Not a cold pitch to a stranger with a big following. A warm collaboration with someone who's already adjacent to you. Meg and Jessica Vosk are performing blocks apart. Who's" performing blocks apart" from you in your industry right now?
Ask yourself: am I documenting the WORK or just promoting the RESULT? People invest in people they've watched build something. If your audience only sees the polished version, they're missing the part that makes them trust you. The rehearsal footage is the marketing.
Audit every marketing channel/avenue you use right now and ask: does this reflect what I'm doing TODAY or what I was doing six months ago? Your website, your email signature, your LinkedIn headline, your bio on every platform. If someone found you for the first time tomorrow, would they grasp what you do, who it's for, how it would change their life/solve their problems?
And one more: think about the physical spaces where your ideal clients already are. Not online. In real life. Where do they eat, work out, network, get their hair done, attend events? What would it look like to have your name, your brand, your offer present in those rooms without you having to physically be there? That's experiential marketing at any scale. A QR code on a coffee shop bulletin board and a pop-up activation in a hotel lobby are the same strategy at different budgets. The principle is identical: put yourself where your people already gather.
WHEW! I know that was a READ! Y'all, thanks for answering the phone (a.k.a. reading this blog post ), so my strategy brain will let me REST! 🤣
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Jenae Thompson,
Marketing Strategy Consultant & Fractional CMO
Founder, SAYQUOI®