Oh SpongeBob…Why?

Follow the damn plan.

One of the more prevalent problems I see in the marketplace (among clients and agencies alike) is the desire to seek, request (and pay for) the development of a solid marketing or brand strategy from those of us who create them…only to completely disregard or “Frankenstein” the plan to a such a point that it loses all impact and relevance.

“Oh SpongeBob…whyyyyyyyyyyy???”

This continues to baffle me. Especially when the results are completely absent during a post-mortem and there is inevitably this ridiculous look of shock, disbelief and the start of the blame game on why the marketing failed.

As one of many veteran brand strategists and industry experts, I can tell you that this is extremely infuriating, especially with the amount of work and time we put into every plan.

When an organization finally understands the need for outside expertise, or rather begins to see that they require firepower that they may not have internally (or simply are too close to), then they need to embrace what is being brought to them and utilize it to gain results.

Otherwise, don’t bother.

Simply put, if you are asking for help, then stay out of your own way and listen to the people you bring in (and again, pay) to assist you. That’s why you asked in the first place.  

I have spent countless hours developing comprehensive strategy plans, which, in my case, often involve every single aspect of an objective from start to finish. From tonality, positioning, creative, content, visuals, market research, analytics and competitive, to a complete roadmap and go-to-market plan for success. Each one designed to drive the car (so to speak) directly into the homes of the target. And more importantly, backed by research and market data that support the recommendations.

I have also spent countless hours witnessing the atrocious dissection of that plan, the removal of key components or necessary elements that were the structure of its success, because those within the organization cannot comprehend that maybe someone knows more about how their brand is being perceived in the market than they do.

(Which, as a reminder, is exactly why you hired them.)

Now is this every client? Not at all. Some embrace the plans, the expertise and the direction…and low and behold, the results are achieved. My success stories far outweigh the “Franken-plan” situations, but they are still out there, and they are still leave me dumbfounded.

Despite all the technologies and the AI’s, the platforms and the analytics, branding and marketing is about understanding and developing strategies that create emotional connections with audiences.

That’s it folks. We’re not discovering dark matter here. As brand strategists and experts, our job is to create a narrative and a detailed roadmap to achieve what the target you are looking to sell to…needs to hear…for them to buy from you.

We don’t make this up.

We don’t fabricate directions.

We don’t just throw things on a wall and hope for them to stick.

We create these plans wrapped in analytics, research and data, combined with specific executions to achieve what is needed for you to be the voice of that narrative.

And despite it being hard to release the reigns from time to time, all you need to do is trust it and us.

And follow the plan.