Eight years ago I'd be inclined to agree with you.
However, marketing is quite fragmented and a lot of motivated people are on the internet now.
So large-scale TV campaigns are not as effective as they used to be, which at the primary level gives smaller candidates a chance if they can harness alternative marketing methods.
The existence of a bunch of primaries early on makes large scale financial resources MORE critical not less. Large tv buys will be necessary to win any of these primaries. Iowa and NH will have little significance in the long haul.