Most "strategy" is bullsh*t.

Complicated.
Dense.
Timid.

And fundamentally incapable of doing the job it's meant to do: inspiring bold action that creates incredible results.

Great strategy is simple.

It's clear.
It's brave.
It's mischievous.

You can explain it to anyone, and they won't only "get it"; they'll be energised by it.

Follow me if you want to learn how to do strategy this way.

Here's how:

_________

1. Work with me

Each year, I work with 10 clients, and do a number of speaking engagements.

This is for brands who are ready to cut through complexity, and make waves in their market with confidence and clarity.

I’m with you every step.

If this might be you, drop me a DM or check out www.basicarts.org/work-with-alex/ 

_______

2. Get a new strategy technique every week

...by joining 25,000+ others  in the best strategic thinking community on the internet, The Hidden Path. You'll also get two free tools to sharpen and tidy your thinking. Just go here:

www.basicarts.org/template

_______

3. Master the basics for the price of a cocktail

...by reading my book, No Bullsh*t Strategy. It'll teach you everything you need to know in one 138 page hit.

Just search for it on Amazon, or wherever you like to buy books.

______

4. Subscribe to my YouTube for weekly masterclasses

You'll find it here: youtube.com/alexmhsmith

______

5. If you're a small business or strategy pro...

...then you can get my entire approach, ready to roll, in the Strategy Shortcut System. Use it on your own business, use it on your clients - either way it's the fastest and funnest way of getting competitive advantage on the planet.

www.strategyshortcutsystem.com

_________

Never forget, business should be an adventure.

And strategy?  It’s the map.

Let's set out.

Alex

Alex M H Smith

Are there more important strategy skills than these?

Sure. But that's the boring stuff.

Here, I wanted to create a list of less obvious things. The skills people don't tend to talk about, but which I think are pretty damn useful.

Here's a brief explanation of each.

1. Writing well

Writing is thinking that you can share. And this is pretty much the whole of what strategy is - thinking then sharing it - so honestly, you can't do without this.

2. Feeling comfortable generalising

Strategy is about zoomed-out, big-picture perspectives. And that means painting with a broad brush. Some people don't feel comfortable doing this, and so strategy isn't for them.

3. Being a teensy bit negative

If you're doing strategy, you're trying to improve something. Which must begin with noticing what's wrong with it. You can't be a cheerleader for something, and change its path.

4. An eye for aesthetics

Partially this is about pattern-spotting (a core strategy skill). But it's also about influence. If you want to persuade people, then make it pretty.

5. A sense of humour

Yes, it helps with rapport - but more importantly humour comes from observation and lateral thinking. I don't really see how you can be a good strategist without being kinda funny.

6. Being a PowerPoint master

Oh man do I love PowerPoint (or Keynote in my case). And you've got to. Knowing the art of pleasing rhythmic presentations is huge, since this is how you're probably going to sell your idea.

7. Kindness and warmth

People won't listen to you if they don't like you.

8. Radical simplification

My favourite strategy question to ask is "give me this gist". Being able to simplify to the gist shows understanding, and drives clarity.

9. Curiosity

You need to just be generally interested in random "stuff", and gather it in the library of your mind - since you never know when the most obscure thing might come in handy.

10. An authoritarian streak

Hey, you don't have to like it, but eventually you're going to need to tell people what to do. Many great thinkers have been undone by not having the confidence to do this.

11. A distaste for perfectionism

A great strategy is always a bit of a punt, that might not stand up to minute scrutiny. So sometimes it's best to just trust your gut, and see how it goes.

12. A touch of cynicism

You are trying to work with how the world is - not how you wish it would be. So you need to be a realist about human nature, and the darker side of the world.

13. The ability to touch-type

This means you can write as quick as you can think. Insanely underrated.

14. Understanding branding

Most strategy is not branding - but a bit of it is, and it's the less "rational" part. You can't truly understand market dynamics without it.

15. Storytelling

A strategy, in the end, is a story. And it will work to the extent people are captured by it.

___

Got any more? Put em in the comments.

Refine all these skills, for free, here: https://lnkd.in/eJSPsGUf

No Bullsh*t Strategy | Helping the world’s most iconic brands make smarter, braver decisions | Author | Advisor | Speaker

Beloved Brands Inc.

𝗪𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿 • Marketing Training • Brand Strategy 

𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗿, 𝗡𝗙𝗟 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 • Created a business model for an ex-players group and pivoted the sports agency's strategic focus towards strategy and innovation.

𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆 (𝗔𝘀𝗶𝗮) • Led brand planning sessions and offered coaching on brand plans across 11 Asian markets.

𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 • Guided the development of brand positioning, brand story, and brand plan for Chinese and UK markets.

𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿, 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆 • Conducted a 3-day brand management boot camp focusing on strategic thinking, brand analytics, and planning.

𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗿, 𝗠𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗣𝗚 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆 • Strategized and provided creative guidance while collaborating with brand leaders and ad agencies.

𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗻 • Crafted a comprehensive brand strategy roadmap, launching a refreshed brand image and service values across the 6000-strong workforce.

𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵, 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆 • Guided the brand planning process through deep-dive analysis, identification of key issues, and writing brand plans and positioning statements.

𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴  𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 • Engineered a positioning strategy shift that boosted the brand concept from the bottom 25th percentile to record-breaking performance.

Founder and CMO

Beloved Brands book

𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲!

If you are running a brand, Beloved Brands equips you with the marketing skills, tools, strategies, and insights needed to tackle every challenge in managing your brand. This is your essential resource to navigate the complexities of building and growing a successful brand.

💡 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱

Dive into thought-provoking questions designed to challenge your perspective and uncover new ways of seeing your brand. Gain clarity and unlock innovative strategies that set your brand apart.

🎯 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴

Discover a unique process for defining your brand positioning. Explore fresh ideas and uncover opportunities to differentiate your brand by leveraging functional and emotional benefits.

📝 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲

Learn to craft a clear, actionable brand plan that aligns stakeholders and ensures every team member contributes to your brand’s growth and success.

📺 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

From inspiring creative briefs to making impactful decisions on advertising and innovation, we guide you through the process of executing breakthrough marketing campaigns.

📊 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘇𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀

Conduct deep-dive brand audits to identify hidden challenges and address key issues, ensuring your brand remains competitive and poised for long-term growth.

🌟 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀

Don’t just take our word for it—our glowing Amazon reviews say it all. With 85% of customers awarding us a five-star rating, Beloved Brands is trusted by marketers worldwide.

★★★★★5/5
"𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀!"

“It is without a doubt the most practical book for those who want to follow brand management that I have ever read in my life! ”

Author

Johnson & Johnson

At 𝗝&𝗝 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲, led a team of 35 marketers across a broad portfolio of CPG brands that included 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲, 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗱-𝗔𝗶𝗱, 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝘆𝗹𝗶𝗻, 𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲, 𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗺, 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗲 (𝗭𝘆𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗰), 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲, 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝘆𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻, 𝗟𝘂𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗺, and 𝗣𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗹. 

Our team went through a major merger with J&J and Pfizer, and we achieved the best results of any country during the two merger years: 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝟵 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝟭𝟮 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 with sales growth on all 12.  

We were able to increase employee engagement with the marketing team, we saw innovation across the board, better advertising with our top 10 brands delivering advertising results in the top 20%. No departures of key team members.

𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀
🎯 3x winner of 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗲 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀. 
🎯 Winner of 𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗸𝗲 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 for the best global ad at J&J. 
🎯 Winner of 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 award. 
🎯 Winner of 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗮𝗴𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗲 “𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿” award.

VP Marketing

Led the company’s two large categories--𝗢𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗺𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 

🎯 Led a brand turnaround on 𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗺 & 𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲 brands. 
🎯 Launched innovative "Listerine is as good as flossing" ad campaign that saw +25% on 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲

Senior Group Marketing Director

Managed two separate consumer category teams—𝗢𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆

🎯 Led launch of 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗽𝗮𝗸𝘀 with Canada as the lead market. 
🏆 Won 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸'𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 for Listerine Pocketpaks. 
🏆 Won 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗲 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱 for Listerine gingivitis advertising campaign.

📈 Led a Reactine (Zyrtec) turnaround from distant/declining #2 behind into a high growth brand, clear #1 brand.

Group Marketing Director

📈 Developed a new Listerine brand vision that guided the brand to 𝗱𝗼𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗲-𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 for a decade. 

🏆 New advertising campaign won 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗲 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱 as it drove share from 28% to 55% over 8 years.

Senior Brand Manager

Reckitt

📈 Managed the 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵 and 𝗝𝗲𝘁 𝗗𝗿𝘆 brands. 𝗟𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗧𝗮𝗯𝘀 moving into the #1 share position.

Marketing Manager

General Mills

Managed 5 kids cereal brands, including the iconic 𝗟𝘂𝗰𝗸𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗺𝘀 brand, igniting my creative energy, with significant work on advertising, package design, and consumer promotions.

Associate Marketing Manager

Coca-Cola

Worked with the convenience channel to launch the 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗰 𝗖𝗼𝗸𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 that helped tie into the heritage of the brand.

Marketing Intern

At the height of 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗵'𝘀 "speed, simplicity and self-confidence", I was in a rotational management training program within GE.

Marketing Management Training Program

𝗜 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝘀𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆’𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱, 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀.

𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 🎓 📚 📈

Are you seeing a gap between your marketing team's potential and the results they deliver? Our marketing training is designed to equip your team with the tools and strategies to overcome these hurdles and drive stronger results.
 
Our 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 shows how the best marketers analyze, think, define, plan, and execute as they learn to use strategic thinking, brand positioning, brand plans, marketing execution, and brand analytics.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴?

• We will equip your team with the 𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 to meet your expectations, including analytics, strategic thinking, brand positioning, strategic planning, and marketing execution.

• We impact their 𝗼𝗻-𝘁𝗵𝗲-𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 by ensuring that your marketers directly apply every new tool, method, and skill to the brand they work on. 

• Our 𝗩𝗣-𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 replicates real-world challenges, with your marketers experiencing the pressure and expectations they face in a boardroom.

Learn more about our Marketing Training programs:

https://beloved-brands.com/brand-management-training/

𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 🧠 📈 💡

We help you define what your brand stands for. Then, we help build a strategic plan to achieve the best possible future.

Everyone who works on the business must know what your brand stands for—every employee, partner, and customer. We make sure that everyone on your team knows the strategies and their role in delivering those strategies.

https://beloved-brands.com/brand-consulting/

𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿  🌐 💼 🚀 🏢 💻

In my marketing career, I led some of the world's most beloved brands at Johnson and Johnson, Coke, General Mills, and Pfizer, rising up to VP of Marketing. I have won numerous awards including Marketing Magazine’s “Marketer of the Year”, BusinessWeek’s best new product award, and 4 Effie advertising awards. 

𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 📕 📔 📚 

I wrote my book, Beloved Brands, as the playbook for how to build a brand that consumers will love. 85% of our reviewers give us a 5-star rating.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09RY3DNBP

Graham Robertson

🚦 Where does your brand actually compete?

Most marketers look at this diagram and instantly realize why their positioning isn’t working.

This simple visual breaks the market into four zones:

🟢 Winning Zone — where you deliver what consumers really want better than anyone else
 
🟡 Losing Zone — where your competitor owns the space
 
🔵 Dumb Zone — where you’re pushing something consumers don’t care about
 
⚫ Risky Zone — where you blend in and get forgotten

The best brands deliberately choose to live in the Winning Zone.
 
The weakest brands drift into the other three.
 
You find it by deeply understanding your consumer, your competitor, and your own capabilities—and making tough choices.

If you want a clear, practical guide on how to build a positioning that wins, I break it all down here:

👉 https://lnkd.in/gY7MNehy

Save this, share it with your team, and use it the next time you’re defining your brand strategy.

Graham Robertson 

CMO and Founder at Beloved Brands • Former VP of Marketing • Ex J&J, Coke, General Mills • Marketing Training that makes Marketers smarter • Author of bestselling Beloved Brands with 80% of reviewers giving 5-stars

Most marketing teams aren’t underperforming.

They’re undertrained.

Only 32% of marketers have received the training they need to actually do their jobs.

That’s not a talent problem. That’s a system problem.

What marketing leaders see every day:

🧠 Smart people, weak strategic thinking
📊 Busy work not rooted in analytics
🎯 Tactics without positioning
📝 Plans that try to do everything
📣 Execution that doesn’t drive strategy

Great marketing isn’t about activity.

It’s about thinking in the right order.

The best marketers:

📈 Start with analytics
🧩 Turn data into strategy
🎯 Define clear positioning
🗺️ Build focused plans
🚀 Execute with discipline

That’s the system we teach at Beloved Brands.

If your team is busy but growth feels hard, you don’t need more hustle — you need better thinking.

Is your marketing team ready for 2026?

🌐 Your team might not be trained: A LinkedIn study shows that 32% of marketers feel adequately trained. 

If you are a marketing leader whose team is not meeting your expectations, it is time to invest in building their marketing skills. 

After our Beloved Brands Marketing Training, you will see your marketers make smarter decisions, produce higher quality work, and drive stronger business results.

Your marketers will learn about 

1️⃣ Brand Analytics
2️⃣ Strategic Thinking
3️⃣ Brand Positioning
4️⃣ Brand Plans
5️⃣ Marketing Execution. 

It’s time to invest in your marketing team. 

Click here to explore how we can help make your marketing team smarter: 

https://lnkd.in/gHZH7fBA

Marketing Skills audit

The best marketers…

✅ Dig into analytics
✅ Obsess over consumers
✅ Frame smarter strategies
✅ Align execution to results
✅ Add a spark of magic ✨

👉 https://lnkd.in/gHZH7fBA

𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝘆.

Some are talented. A few are creative.

𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮-𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗽.

That’s the gap I keep seeing when I walk into organizations.

𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝗺𝗽 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼:

📌 Campaigns
📌 Creative ideas
📌 Tactics

…before doing the one thing that creates real advantage:

👉 𝗔 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗲𝗽-𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄

The best marketers don’t guess. They analyze.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮𝘁:

✅ Consumers
✅ Funnels
✅ Penetration vs Frequency
✅ Needs, behaviors, and purchase journeys
✅ What’s actually driving growth

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗲𝗽-𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 — 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆. 

Analyzing the Consumers

If your team isn’t confident with:

⚠️ Funnel gaps
⚠️ Consumer need states
⚠️ Conversion vs loyalty
⚠️ Usage moments
⚠️ Brand health metrics

…they’re operating on opinion, not insight.

And opinion doesn’t scale.

If this carousel hit home, your next step is here:

👉 https://lnkd.in/gwaXKGPd

That’s where real marketing advantage starts.

Analyzing the consumers

Your marketing team isn’t underperforming.

They’re undertrained.

Most marketing teams don’t fail because they lack talent.
 
They fail because no one ever taught them how to think like real marketers.

They’re busy. But not strategic.

They’re executing. But not aligned.

They’re reporting. But not diagnosing.

Here’s the brutal truth I see inside organizations every day:

❌ Smart people with weak strategic thinking
 
❌ Tactics without a positioning framework

 ❌ Brand plans that try to do everything
 
❌ Execution that doesn’t move the consumer

This isn’t a talent problem.  It’s a capability gap.

At Beloved Brands, we don’t teach theory. We build real marketing muscle.

We train teams to:

 ✅ Think through data, not just guess
 ✅ Use analytics to trigger strategic thinking
 ✅ Build positioning that actually sells
 ✅ Create plans that link to financial results
 ✅ Execute in ways that move consumers

If your team works hard… but the output isn’t sharp enough…
 
It’s time to start training.

Explore the Beloved Brands Marketing Training Program:
 
👉 https://lnkd.in/gHZH7fBA

Forecasting

Most brands don’t fail because of bad ideas.

They fail because they never did a deep enough business review.

The best marketing teams don’t guess. They hunt for growth.

In every winning brand, I see the same discipline:
 
They go deep in six critical areas before deciding what to do next:

✅ Marketplace – where the category is really moving
 
✅ Consumers – what people actually think, feel, and do
 
✅ Channels – where the real growth gaps hide
 
✅ Competitors – what others will do next, not just what they did
 
✅ Brand – whether the story is strong enough to scale
 
✅ Financials – if the math really works

This carousel shows the framework I teach teams to use to run a true deep-dive business review — the kind that turns data into strategy, and strategy into growth. 

https://lnkd.in/gwaXKGPd

If your team skips steps, guesses, or jumps straight to tactics… you don’t have a marketing problem.
 
You have a thinking problem.

🌐 Your team might not be trained: A LinkedIn study shows that 32% of marketers feel adequately trained. 

If you are a marketing leader whose team is not meeting your expectations, it is time to invest in building their marketing skills. 

After our Beloved Brands Marketing Training, you will see your marketers make smarter decisions, produce higher quality work, and drive stronger business results.

Your marketers will learn about 

1️⃣ Brand Analytics

2️⃣ Strategic Thinking

3️⃣ Brand Positioning

4️⃣ Brand Plans

5️⃣ Marketing Execution. 

It’s time to invest in your marketing team. 

Click here to explore how we can help make your marketing team smarter: 

https://lnkd.in/gHZH7fBA

Marketing Skills

🔴 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗱𝗶𝗼𝘁 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲 – 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗗𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿

𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲, 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀.

Day 1: You feel confident.
Day 30: You feel lost.
Day 90: You start to feel smart again.

I call this the Idiot Curve.

And no — it’s not the Dunning-Kruger Effect.

It’s the opposite.

📉 The Idiot Curve is about capable people entering new roles and temporarily feeling worse before they get better

🧠 The Dunning-Kruger Effect is about incapable people staying unaware forever

The Idiot Curve assumes you will get smarter.

Here’s how it shows up at every level of marketing

👶 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿

• Your instincts disappear
• You hide behind data
• You overthink everything
• You forget what you’re naturally good at

👔 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿

• You feel tempted to do your old job
• You struggle with your first direct reports
• You avoid big decisions
• You feel awkward with ambiguity

🎯 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿

• You drift back into “doing” instead of leading
• You overstep into other people’s roles
• Your team doesn’t yet trust your consistency
• You’re still finding your leadership rhythm

🏛️ 𝗩𝗣 / 𝗖𝗠𝗢

• You feel isolated overnight
• Your peers are no longer peers
• You stop being the smartest voice in the room
• Your job shifts to people, process, and vision

The real problem?

𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴.

It doesn’t.

It means you’re learning.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 — 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁.

🧭 Ask better questions
🤝 Lean on smarter people
🧠 Reconnect with your instincts
⏳ Give yourself permission to be human

You will feel dumber before you get smarter.

That’s not weakness.
That’s growth.

If you’re in that uncomfortable middle right now, this is for you:

👉 https://lnkd.in/gwSBwgHZ

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗣𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁, 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘁.

Most marketing teams don’t fail because they’re lazy.
They fail because they never ask the right questions.

Before vision statements.
Before templates.
Before frameworks.

You need clarity.

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟱 𝗯𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀:

1️⃣ Where could we really be in 5–10 years?
2️⃣ Where are we actually today?
3️⃣ What’s in our way?
4️⃣ How will we win?
5️⃣ What must we do to make it real?

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝘁 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘀, 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀.

Most teams skip this step.
That’s why most plans fail.

If your plan doesn’t make you uncomfortable…
it’s probably too safe.

👇 𝗦𝘄𝗶𝗽𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴

#BrandStrategy #BelovedBrands #MarketingLeadership

📊 Writing a brand plan or marketing plan that wins approval is not easy.

https://lnkd.in/gR-4f3ce

Too often, marketers fall into the trap of creating a plan that’s either a list of tactics with no strategy—or a lofty strategy with no clear execution. 

Neither will win over your boss, nor will it deliver results for your brand.

The best marketing plans bring together five critical elements:

 ✔️ A clear Vision that inspires and aligns your team.
 ✔️ The right Key Issues that identify the obstacles standing in the way.
 ✔️ A focused Strategy that makes tough choices about where to play and how to win.
 ✔️ Measurable Goals that define what success looks like.
 ✔️ Smart, practical Tactics that bring the plan to life in-market.

If you’re writing a marketing plan this year, now is the time to sharpen your approach.

👉 We’ve put together a step-by-step guide that shows you how to write a marketing plan your boss will approve and your business will love.

Get started here: https://lnkd.in/gR-4f3ce

Rough Draft for your Brand Plan

⚠️ Warning: You might cry.

One of the best Christmas ads of all time, from back in 2023.

For those of us with parents losing their memories, this one hits deep.

My mom is 90 now and struggles to remember things from an hour ago. 

Yet when we go for drives, she lights up at the sight of birds, trees, the waterfront, and people passing by. 

This ad taught me to start playing music for her. And she lights up. Frank Sinatra, Elvis, Bobby Darin, Barbra. 

Sometimes, when I feed her bits of information, it sparks something. A memory. A smile. Or sometimes, nothing at all.

It’s the greatest test of patience I’ve ever known.
 
(And I’ve raised two teenagers — so that’s saying something. 😅)

To anyone walking through something similar, I hope you let this ad move you.
 
Crying might be good for us — a small reminder that we’re not alone.

📌 Ad Review: Chevrolet – “A Time to Remember”

https://lnkd.in/g3D-_U_w

👉 Come see our picks for the 15 best Christmas ads of all time: 

https://lnkd.in/gpxyP6qu


💧 #Chevrolet #ChristmasAds #EmotionalStorytelling

𝗧𝗼𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘂𝗽 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗸 𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀.

I’ve watched too many smart marketers justify bad advertising with things like:

– “The agency didn’t really get it.”
– “We ran out of time.”
– “Legal killed it.”
– “Our brand just isn’t that exciting.”

That’s not the real problem.

I built this carousel around the 12 excuses marketers use when advertising fails — not to be cute, but to be honest. Because most bad ads aren’t created by bad talent… they’re created by weak thinking, weak leadership, and fear of making real decisions. 

Here’s the uncomfortable truth:
You can’t outsource thinking.
You can’t delegate backbone.
And no great ad has ever saved a bad strategy.

The best marketers don’t “approve ads.”
They lead the thinking behind them.

And that’s the gap I’ve spent my career trying to fix.

If this carousel made you a little uncomfortable… good.
That’s usually where real growth starts.

👇 Tell me which excuse you’ve seen most often.

Why you suck at advertising

Stop talking about top-of-funnel and bottom-of-funnel.

The consumer journey is a circle.

Line up your media with where on the journey you wish to trigger and impact consumers. 

✨ 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 drives long-term growth by emotionally connecting with consumers.

⚡ 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 delivers short-term results at trial & repeat.

📣 𝗨𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 turns fans into advocates.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝟯 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿.

👉 https://lnkd.in/esY6HZEn

taplio

The Battle

Alex M H Smith

Graham Robertson

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreAlex M H Smith's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreGraham Robertson's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Alex M H Smith

Graham Robertson

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Alex M H Smith's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreGraham Robertson's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreAlex M H Smith's LinkedIn Performance