Why most strategies fail - and how to avoid this

Have you ever felt a sense of relief after completing a major strategic project, like a rebrand, innovation initiative or communications strategy – only to realise the real work is yet to be done?

Leading a strategic project is exhilarating, especially when you know it will positively impact your organisation and customers. And after investing what will no doubt have been a lot of time and energy, it’s natural to want to celebrate when the strategy is signed off.

But the true challenge lies in communicating the strategy across the organisation, so that colleagues are engaged and ready to implement it.?

We're going to look at how we do this when launching a new brand strategy.

Bridging the strategy-to-execution gap

There’s a popular Japanese proverb: “Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare”. A strong brand strategy sets the vision, but without action, it remains just that – a dream.

In fact, Harvard Business Review estimated that 67% of well-formulated strategies failed due to poor execution. So, why do so many companies struggle with executing their strategies? The primary culprit? A lack of guided communication.

Your colleagues are your first customers

Engaging key stakeholders and bringing everyone ‘on the journey’ is crucial for realising your brand vision.

While you’ve likely considered how customers would react to the change – such as a rebrand – it’s equally important to think about how it will be received internally, across all departments.

We always encourage our clients to consider their internal audience. Mapping out who needs to be informed, engaged, and trained on a new brand helps ensure that everyone is on board.

We often use the Think Feel Do framework to define how we want to shift attitude, perceptions, and behaviours with the new strategy. Testing the strategy internally first allows for refinements before a full external rollout. ?

Cutting through strategic jargon

Strategies are often discussed at top level, but have you considered what implementation means for your colleagues on the ground? ?

Building on the ‘Think Feel Do’ framework and understanding the needs of your internal customers, it's time to translate the strategy into language that resonates across the organisation. It's easy to fall into the trap of using marketing jargon, assuming everyone will grasp the brilliance of the strategy.

To engage your colleagues effectively, you need to communicate in a way that makes the strategy relevant and exciting for them. Ask yourself: WHY should they care?

For a recent re-branding project, we helped our client create a simple, memorable internal communications campaign to bring the brand message to life and make it more tangible for colleagues in their day-to-day work.

Appointing Brand Champions

The success of this internal campaign was also down to the appointment of Brand Champions across various departments. Selected by team leaders, these colleagues worked closely with the brand team, acting as brand experts to inspire, motivate and ensure consistency. They also served as the brand team’s eyes and ears, providing valuable feedback and flagging any issues.

Involving Brand Champions at every step of the process improved outcomes and facilitated a smoother implementation.

Conclusion

When launching a new brand strategy, involving colleagues is critical to success. Take the time to identify key stakeholders, understand their needs and concerns, and bring them with you on the journey.

Remember, launching a strategy is not a one-time event but an ongoing process of evolution and adaptation. By winning the trust of colleagues, you’ll navigate changes more effectively and stay relevant in a dynamic market landscape.

What are your tips for successfully embedding a new strategy?

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Author: Christina Bertram

Christina is a Senior Brand Strategist, adept at combining a clear strategic vision with commercially driven execution. She has a track record in strategic marketing and brand management spanning over two decades, having worked in global roles at the Absolut Company in Sweden, as well as Campari in the UK where she spearheaded the launch of Aperol Spritz. In her role at Blue Feathers, she’s supported respected brands including Tesco, Aviva, Primark, Cambridge University Press & Assessment and Booking.com with the development of their brand strategies, marketing plans and team success. Christina is passionate about connecting brands and consumers through relevance, emotion, and purpose.