Why marketing without a brand strategy rarely works

Shall we call a spade a spade? Many marketing strategies fail. Not because they’re poorly conceived or badly executed, but because they’re built on a weak foundation. They’re designed and rolled out as an external tool, while fundamental internal questions remain unanswered. What do we stand for? Which choices are we willing to make? How does this shape the way people inside the organisation act?
The result: campaigns that keep running while the brand itself never truly moves.

At Comma, we know this from years of hands-on experience, and it recently formed the core of an in-depth interview with Greetje Demuelenaere, founder and CEO of Comma. Throughout her career in corporate environments and through her own strategic agency, Greetje has seen the same pattern repeat itself: strategies that look sharp on the outside, but offer too little internal grip.

A strategy that doesn’t live, doesn’t work

A strategy that isn’t shared will never be owned. You see it time and again in organisations where plans look strong on paper but achieve little in practice. Employees do what’s asked of them, yet don’t really recognise themselves in the story being told externally about their company. Marketing then becomes a layer sitting on top of the organisation, disconnected from its culture, behaviour and day-to-day reality.

That tension often only becomes visible when results fail to materialise. Adjustments are then made to campaigns, channels or budgets, while the real issue lies deeper. Not necessarily in execution, but in the lack of internal clarity. Strategy should always provide guidance. It should simplify choices, sharpen priorities and offer direction when doubts arise. Without that, a marketing strategy loses credibility.

The gap between thinking and doing

A recurring pattern in many companies is the split between strategic thinking and creative or operational execution. Strategy is often hatched in meeting rooms, with the assumption that “creativity will follow later.” Frequently detached from the original intent. What’s missing is a clear translation to the reality of execution, something management often overlooks in daily practice.

That gap makes strategy fragile. It becomes something that needs explaining rather than something that speaks for itself. Something to defend rather than something people carry. The greater the distance between strategy and everyday reality, the faster marketing deteriorates into a series of disconnected actions with little impact.

Growth requires boundaries

Another structural issue is the tendency to make marketing strategies ever broader. More target groups, more messages, more channels—everything is possible. But in trying to exclude no one, focus disappears. Brands that want to be everything to everyone rarely retain a clear, recognisable face.

Strong marketing strategies start from clear boundaries. They dare to decide what is no longer relevant. That makes it easier to stay consistent, both internally and externally. Those choices require courage, because they can slow things down where speed is expected. But it’s precisely that slowdown that creates focus and makes growth sustainable.

Marketing strategy starts internally

A frequently underestimated truth is that marketing strategy only works if it first makes sense internally. Forget empty slogans or internal campaigns and commit to a shared frame of reference. When people understand why choices are made, why a certain direction is taken and what that asks of them, coherence emerges.

Only then can marketing become credible externally. Not because the story is told more beautifully, but because it shows up in behaviour, decisions and culture. Brands that are fully aligned from the inside don’t need to prove it. It simply radiates outward.

No impact without a foundation

Marketing strategy is not an end point, but a result. A result of clear choices, shared beliefs and an organisation that knows what it stands for. Without that foundation, marketing remains little more than an optimisation exercise with no real impact.

Those who want sustainable growth shouldn’t start by randomly coming up with campaigns, but with coherence. With a strategy that is not only smart, but also workable. Because only when the foundation is right can marketing strategy truly do its job and deliver results.

Want to read more?

This blog is based on an interview by Generation WOW with our Comma founder, Greetje Demuelenaere. The article dives deeper into her personal experience, way of thinking, entrepreneurship and the drivers that shape her career and leadership. Read the full interview on generationwow.be

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