Why Good Marketing Fails
Not because the idea wasn’t strong.
Not because the team wasn’t smart.
But because the system around it wasn’t built to support it.
In my time leading marketing across Southern Europe—and especially during COVID—I saw this up close. Budgets were cut. Teams were stretched. Some hotels had to open with just enough to keep the lights on in marketing while all the focus (and funds) went elsewhere. On the other side, some projects had healthy budgets but launched with campaigns that had gaps, no soul, no sharp story, no punch. Guess what? Both took twice as long to ramp up.
Here’s what I’ve learned: marketing lives and dies on great ideas—but ideas alone aren’t enough. You need aligment, funding, structure, and the right people to bring them to life. When those pieces don’t come together, even the best marketing fails.
So if you’re wondering why your last big idea didn’t land, it might be time to look at the system behind it. Here are five common reasons marketing doesn’t work—especially in hospitality, lifestyle, and experience-driven industries.
1. Low budgets, high expectations
You can’t build a bold, meaningful brand with a budget that barely covers a stock photo subscription. Good marketing costs money. Not because it’s expensive, but because it takes talent, time, and tools to do it right. But here’s the twist: it’s not just about the size of the budget—it’s how you use it. I’ve seen projects pour everything into digital with zero content to support it. Others invest only in PR when what they really needed was a solid digital foundation. Misalignment kills momentum. The right funding and the right allocations—mapped to clear business objectives—make all the difference. If you’re not willing to invest strategically in your story, don’t be surprised when no one else buys it.
2. Hiring the wrong people
Not all marketers are the same. Some are brand builders. Some are digital growth hackers. Some are content masterminds. The question is: what does your business need to grow—and who do you need to make that happen?
I’ve seen brilliant talent fail because they were put in the wrong kind of project. I’ve also seen brilliant projects stall because they hired the wrong profile. And here’s the thing—getting that match wrong isn’t just a business misstep, it’s a personal one too. You’re talking about someone’s livelihood, their time, their energy. Forcing a fit that isn’t there is time-consuming, frustrating, and in my experience, it never ends well. Hiring the right person for the right challenge isn’t just good business—it’s the responsible thing to do.
3. Not valuing creativity as much as other skills
Finance gets a full hour. Ops gets a standing ovation. Marketing? We’re the last on the agenda with ten minutes and a rushed “let’s wrap this up.”
I’ve been in those meetings. And the truth is, the fact marketing didn’t get more time was partly my fault. Call it lack of confidence, or being afraid to defend a discipline in a forum where only numbers mattered. I didn’t always speak up. I didn’t always fight for the space.
But here’s what I’ve learned: creativity isn’t the cherry on top—it’s the engine. It drives differentiation, relevance, and connection. It’s how people discover you, remember you, and choose you.
And funny enough, when the boat starts to sink? Marketing is the first one everyone turns to for the rescue plan.
If you want standout results, value the creative brains behind them. Give them time, space, resources—and a real seat at the table.
4. No structure to nurture creativity
Creativity thrives in freedom—but it also needs structure. And no, hiring “creative people” isn’t the answer on its own. These profiles are different. They don’t fit into boxes—and that’s the point. But even the most visionary minds need clarity. Structure for them doesn’t mean rules—it means clear objectives, alignment with business goals, and forums where ideas can be challenged, shaped, and sharpened.
I’ve worked with teams full of great ideas but no framework to execute them. Meetings were a mess. Timelines slipped. Nothing landed right. Without a process that channels creativity into execution, you don’t get magic—you get chaos.
The right structure doesn’t kill creativity. It gives it room to grow, iterate, and scale. For more on how to manage this kind of talent, check out Richard Brekelmans’ guest post on Frequency—it’s a great read on what it really takes to lead creative minds.
5. Fear of risk
Safe is the enemy of remarkable. Some of the best ideas I’ve seen never saw the light of day—not because they were wrong, but because they were different. Too bold. Too weird. Too unfamiliar. The kind of ideas that could have set a brand apart… if someone had just said yes.
I’ve also been part of strategies that played it safe—and we celebrated them because they hit the KPIs. The graphs went up, the decks looked pretty, but the business didn’t move. That kind of "success" can be dangerous. Safe gets you nowhere. But chaos isn’t the answer either. A good marketer knows how to take calculated risks—how to balance instinct with insight.
When you play it safe, you blend in. When you take risks with intention, you stand out.
Marketing fails when we forget it’s a living, breathing part of the business. It needs investment. It needs creativity. It needs strategy and people and belief.
Great marketing works when you build the system to support it.
