What are the most common gaps between brand strategy and marketing operations?

A good way to ensure clarity and consistency, is to train your agencies (advertising, digital, PR and others) to ensure they follow guidance setup by brand strategy to the T. I feel the issues of inconsistency occur only because of lack of knowledge and can be avoided - so the external world can get a single brand experience.

In my experience marketing is the keeper of brand strategy. You develop your version of a brand positioning deck and update as the company / brand evolves. The challenge lies when working across departments to understand the essence of what your brand is. Then working to educate your internal teams on the difference between brand and product offering. Easier said than done. The education component is the most challenging part and probably needs to be done more often than once every few years. Using examples outside of your vertical helps your internal teams understand the value of brand. Much easier to showcase what “brand” is when looking at retail products vs. enterprise software solutions.

One consistent theme in my experience is clarity of communications around the strategy, it’s objectives and how to execute or implement. It’s one thing to put a strategy down on paper or on a PowerPoint, however the simplicity of the communication so that all functions and levels of the business understand how they contribute to its delivery, is often poorly outlined. Much of where it falls down can be in how certain strategies are left open to interpretation, which can cause gaps between functions in how they interact to deliver on it. When clarity from the top of the business is not delivered in a concise manner, with clear guardrails and expectations of how each function implements it, the rest can fall down before it starts.

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You will not get the metrics you're looking for if your goals are not clearly defined AND strategically executed. While sales & Ops may have one goal and marketing has another -- they have to find a way to work parallel and create synergy. At the end of the day, what is your call to action and who do you want to respond? How? Figure that out first then work backwards.

One of the most common gaps between brand strategy and marketing operations is the failure to align messaging and execution consistently. Brand strategy sets the tone and direction, but sometimes, in the rush to execute campaigns, the messaging, and the actual marketing materials can diverge from the intended brand image. This inconsistency can confuse customers and dilute the brand's impact. Bridging this gap requires constant communication and collaboration between brand strategists and marketing teams to ensure that every piece of content and communication aligns with the brand's core values and positioning.

The first element is setting appropriate KPIs that are measurable and meaningful, and can be monitored in realistic timeframes to allow for course correction. The second element is going beyond KPIs to ensure that tactics continue to support brand strategies. I've frequently seen tactics morph over time to the point that they no longer relate directly to the ultimate brand objectives. Monthly reviews beyond the numbers can help determine whether operational activities pass the sniff test for achieving brand goals.

If you can't measure it, don't make it a goal? Goals have to be measurable, or you cannot realistically say wether you are winning or loosing. If you cannot track goals, then you will struggle to have accountability; internal and external. Another consideration is resource allocation. You will also have a hard time allocating significant budget to activities without reliable metrics. Budgets are finite.

Navigating the divide between brand strategy and marketing operations is crucial, especially under the pressure to meet targets. One common gap is a misalignment between brand messaging and on-the-ground marketing efforts. When the focus shifts solely to numbers, the essence of the brand can be diluted, impacting long-term value. Another challenge is a disjointed customer journey. If marketing operations prioritize short-term gains without considering the broader brand narrative, it can lead to fragmented customer experiences. To bridge these gaps, foster a unified vision across teams, ensuring that short-term objectives harmonize with the overarching brand strategy.

I've experienced this quite alot in organizations and departmental workflows. Everything about how a department operates in so secluded and compartmentalised, that it breeds a lack of synergy (and consideration) for how other departments need to function. Eg. A brand/marketing department NEEDS to understand HOW a product works on both a technical and functional level. This involves having a good rapport between the production team as well as sales team, so there is a proper exchange of information from the client side and production side. With Branding and messaging, you need to understand how that cycle flows and ways to communicate actively, both sides of the equation in relatable ways for the consumers. It is critical.

Internal and external messaging are equally important. If you do not keep your employees and multidisciplinary teams on the same page, you are going to have gaps across your organization, not just brand and marketing. It is leadership's responsibility to maintain ongoing education and streamline workflows to maintain consistent messaging across employees and across all platforms and mediums. A lot of the times, the inconsistent brand messaging has nothing to do with the brand itself and everything to do with the team.

In many organizations, the brand strategy might be formulated by a dedicated brand team/department, while marketing operations, sales, product development, and other functional units operate separately. This lack of integration often leads to a disconnect between the brand's intended message, values, and customer experience. For e.g., the brand strategy might emphasize certain core values or brand promises, but if these are not effectively communicated to the marketing team responsible for campaign execution or to the customer service team handling inquiries, there can be inconsistencies in messaging and customer interactions. This inconsistency dilutes the brand's identity and confuses consumers, leading to a weakened brand perception.

Because we believe a brand is "everything it does" - brand simply cannot (and should not) operate in silo. Every touchpoint - from first contact through to onboarding, delivery and experience adds up to an overall brand position. Marketing operations can be very tactical - but every move is contributing to an overall brand and should be reinforcing that to create long term value. Integration and collaboration between brand strategy and marketing operations will greatly amplify efforts and outcomes. Disconnect between them can cause many issues - a confused and diluted brand position being one, lack of buy in from internal stakeholders another. Wise marketers and brand strategists will know this and be able to drive synergy - so start there!

Lack of integration and collaboration results a gap, indeed. What I often experience in smaller businesses that brand strategy isn't shared with and clarified for everybody in the company, therefore everyone has a different interpretation, acts on her/his own way and represents the brand differently. Once there is a brand strategy incl. messaging too, it's a must have to share it with all new employees, agencies, external experts, collaborating partners etc. working for/with the company to create consistency, authenticity and efficiency.

DATA ... When you follow your social media data, research data and other methods you've used to gather information about your consumers... You might be shocked to find that there exists a new market (or opportunity) for both your existing product or perhaps a new product. It's also a great idea to pay attention to community forums, reviews and other commentary to know alternative ways people try to use your product.... or at best identify the gaps they complain about, which your product might be able to fill. Eg. How oat flour isn't just good for baking or cereals, it's also great for homemade face masks or great for calming skin irritations. Same one product, different uses. You just need to tweak campaign for that new audience.

Innovation comes about when you bring things together - when 1 + 1 can equal 3, when ideas are able to converge, learnings become more apparent - and overall outputs are more meaningful with greater results. This is a modern way of working - and certainly how we approach things. Trial new things, welcome diversity of thought, test and learn, consider how outcomes in tactical marketing inform brand strategy and vica versa. To have gaps, operate in silos or be locked into rigid ways of doing things will result in missed opportunities rather than adaption and innovation. Brands strong enough to navigate the future are ready to embrace change and "discover" - with 'strong ideas, loosely held'.

Often, the disconnect between brand strategy and marketing operations comes from organizational silos affecting collaboration. Departments operate in isolation, missing synergy needed to function properly. For instance, in a transportation company such as @Roadrunnerltl, the marketing team understands the service intricacies. Collaboration between ops and sales fosters a seamless exchange of our customers’ needs and ops specifics. Bridging this gap entails understanding how branding intersects with operations and sales, ensuring customer-oriented communication. It’s not just about brand messaging; it’s about communicating effectively, merging technical insights from operations with sales’ customer perspective.

Numbers don't lie. At the end what stays is the problems solvers. If our product is no longer solving a problem and we are not seeing it, there is a problem. User centered approaches are the best to follow, always ask, research and collect data. What are people saying about our product? Test your own product? Sometimes even the coworkers don't use the product they sell, and that's a big gap.

Data utilization is frequently a missed opportunity. Insights that should shape strategy often don't trickle down to operational levels, or vice versa.

Strategies can often be tactical without actually digging into what the market and consumer wants. If your strategy isn’t authentic, bedded in first hand insight then the marketing you deliver won’t resonate with your audience

Any strategy plan drawn in board rooms is only as good as an idea if not backed by a CFT of marketing & ops team who are actually supposed to execute and launch it in after market. The CFT should have a representation from all deptts. viz.: marketing, sales, distribution, tech et.all with roles and responsibilities clearly etched out for a smooth launch. It shud be backed by all collateral support, clear launch plan calender, SPOCs in place for GTM launch. Test Pilot shud be done atleast D-2 days before the actual launch day. There should be clear launch calender/Gantt chart from D-30 to D0, with SPOCS for each task, weekly review of actions taken. If all boxes are green, there wont be any gap between Mktg strategy and mktg ops.

Beyond marketing content that shares useful, on-brand resources or information with your clients, using candid customer testimonials and use cases is a great way to display the value you create as it builds trust in your promise, sets realistic expectations about what value your customers can expect and helps them to imagine that value in their own context. Authenticity is always key. One of the main points of brand strategy is to ensure the unique value you can offer to a certain group is as aligned and communicated as effectively as possible. If you don't give people a good reason to trust your brand promise – or even worse, if you don't deliver value and break your brand promise – then both your brand and marketing will suffer.

Often, a gap exists when strategies fail to focus on delivering tangible value to customers. For instance, a transportation company might promise reliable service but falls short due to inconsistencies in delivery or communication. Bridging this gap involves ensuring brand promises align with the actual customer experience. At Roadrunner, we are using candid customer testimonials and use cases into marketing content which enhances transparency, fostering trust by demonstrating the real value delivered. Authenticity in showcasing value builds stronger connections. The essence lies in offering compelling reasons for customers to trust the brand, ensuring that both the brand and marketing efforts uphold and fulfill the pledged value.

Often we have noticed that plan and execution on ground doesn't match. Once the strategy is launched, there needs to be a regular feedback from the ground team regarding the execution of strategy. The strategy has to be flexible and should take care of key aspects which are accessible to Ground team only. For example-A plan devised in Board room might have taken inputs from all the verticals, but unless the execution is done and reaction of key people-customers, vendors, promoters and Field team is not recorder and strategy modified accordingly, achievement of long term goals will be tough to achieve.

The misalignment of messaging and customer experience is the biggest issue. For example, a luxury hotel brand that markets itself as offering an exclusive, bespoke experience but has an impersonal, automated check-in process, or staff who are not trained to provide personalized attention, will create a disconnect. Customers experiencing this gap might perceive the brand as inauthentic, leading to a loss of trust and loyalty. Another gap can be the inconsistency in communication channels; a brand may develop a sophisticated online presence but fail to translate that experience to physical locations or print media.

I don't know if there are most common gaps, but the common thing is that there are gaps. Typically this is not about the deliverable (the brand strategy). It is about the process in which the deliverable was created. The brand strategy process is not about the destination - because a brand strategy needs to be adaptable. It's the journey whereby everyone, every stakeholder in the company is aligned to a single direction. That's the powerful part of brand strategy that lasts beyond a document.

The challenges I see lies in finding individuals or teams who can effectively straddle both domains. A CMO must balance the visionary work of brand strategy with the pragmatic execution of marketing operations. This often necessitates collaboration and alignment between different departments, as well as a holistic understanding of how these two facets work in tandem. The gap between brand strategy and marketing operations is a common challenge faced by CMOs. While these areas demand distinct skill sets, the success of a brand often depends on effectively reconciling the two. Finding the right balance and fostering collaboration can lead to a brand that not only looks good on paper but also thrives in the real world.

There's a speed mismatch. Brand strategies sometimes evolve slower than the fast-paced changes in marketing operations, especially in digital realms, causing strategies to become outdated quickly. Bridging these gaps requires seamless integration and agile adaptation of strategy in operations.