One of the biggest frustrations we see in marketing is what happens after the strategy is finished.
A brand owner comes to us with ambition. We sit down together for workshops, sometimes hours at a time. We dig into the hard questions. We refine positioning. We look for the truth in the product, the customers, the competitive landscape, the future growth path, and the reality of where the brand sits today.
It’s not light work. It takes real thinking. Real honesty. And a lot of collective brain power from both sides. Eventually, we land on something solid which is often a strategy that reflects the brand’s genuine opportunity in the market. At that point, there’s usually a lot of excitement.
But then something interesting happens.
As the initial energy fades and the real work begins (building campaigns, producing creative, rolling out assets, launching marcomms) the strategy can start to feel… familiar. Maybe even a little boring. The big idea is now an old idea, it’s been scrutinised and analysed into the ground. And now we’re kinda over it. And that’s where the danger begins.
Because while the strategy is being built into real in-market work, the brand owner is still living in the same world as the rest of us: endless scrolling, saturated media feeds, constant exposure to other brands doing interesting things. Someone launches a flashy campaign. A new trend pops up. An idea appears on Instagram over morning coffee. Suddenly the thinking shifts.
“Maybe we should try something like that.”
Before long, the brand that spent weeks or months defining its own path starts drifting toward someone else’s. The agency fighting for the original strategy, pleading with the board, or the angsty client, please please please don’t sabotage this! In today’s media environment, it’s almost impossible not to feel this pressure. We are surrounded by new ideas, new tactics, new formats and new trends every single day. But here’s the truth.
Strategy only works if you stay the course.
Brands are not built overnight. They take time to establish meaning in the market. They take time for customers to understand what you stand for. They take time to earn trust, build recognition and ultimately take market share. You can’t plant something on Monday and dig it up on Friday to see if it’s growing. Yet that’s exactly what happens when brands keep changing direction.
Every time you chase the latest shiny object, you step further away from the strategy that was designed specifically for your brand’s opportunity. You dilute your message. You reset the clock. You slow down the compounding effect that strong, consistent marketing creates. Good strategy should act like a compass. It doesn’t stop you from evolving or improving, but it keeps you pointed in the right direction. For me personally, this idea resonates well beyond marketing.
It’s got to do with personality.
Brands are no different to action sports. Progression is sometimes boring. A new trick or reaching a benchmark can take 10,000 hours of relentless attempts. It comes from putting in the time, repeating the fundamentals and staying committed to your own line. Branding and campaigning need this dedication to structure and discipline. The flashy stuff that’s consumed in a second was arduous to own.
In an age where everyone is watching everyone else, the real discipline is staying focused on your own path. Remain strong on the strategy. Let it take root. Let it compound. Let the market gradually understand who you are and what you stand for.
