5 Big Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)

All businesses fall into common marketing traps—wasting budget, missing the mark, and slowing growth. And if you think that only small businesses make these mistakes, think again.

Here are two high-profile examples where I think brands got it spectacularly wrong, despite having big budgets and expert teams.

EXHIBIT A: Are You Beach Body Ready?
Consumer Backlash at Its Worst

When Protein World launched its "Are You Beach Body Ready?" campaign across the London Underground, they expected it to inspire fitness goals. Instead, it triggered a firestorm of negative press. Commuters claimers the ad was objectifying and body-shaming. Within days posters were defaced, petitions were launched, and the campaign was subsequently banned by regulators.

Failing to anticipate cultural sentiment and audience perception. What was meant to be bold and aspirational turned into a PR disaster, damaging the brand’s reputation.

EXHIBIT B: Copy Nothing
When Messaging Misses the Mark

Legacy British car brand Jaguar nearly broke the internet with its futuristic "Copy Nothing" rebrand. The campaign launch video—viewed over 170 million times on X (formerly Twitter)— without featuring a single car.

Losing sight of core brand identity and abandoning heritage clientele in favour of an abstract, futuristic identity left people confused about what they were selling. A rebrand should clarify—not confuse.

I thought I'd share five of the most common marketing mistakes I see (and some easy suggestions on how to fix them)

ONE | RANDOM ACTS OF MARKETING

Many businesses jump into marketing with no clear strategy, deploying a scattergun approach. This includes posting on social media randomly, running ads without clear messaging or creating content with no real purpose. The result? Low engagement, wasted budget, and no real impact on sales.

If you’re marketing without a plan, you’re just making noise. The fix here is a clear go-to-market strategy aligned to business objectives to ensure every campaign, piece of content, and ad has a purpose.

• Set SMART Goals – Be specific: More traffic? More leads? Define clear, measurable objectives
• Know Your Audience – Who are they? What do they need? Use data to refine your approach
• Choose the Right Channels – Focus on where your audience spends its time
• Measure & Adjust – Use tools to track success and refine your tactics

two | straight to ads ignoring seo & organic search

Most organisations pay initial lip service to SEO and organic search and then it will quickly drop off the to do list replaced by spend on paid ads and social media posts. But with 68% of all online experiences starting with a search engine (BrightEdge) and only 0.63% of people clicking on results beyond page one of Google (Backlinko) this is a huge mistake:

Neglect SEO, and you risk being invisible to actual customers. This compounds over time. The fix here is more holistic, looking at the bigger impact of combining data, content, tools, and tech.

• Keyword Research – Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or SEMrush
• Optimise Your Website – Improve page speed, mobile experience, and on-page SEO
• Create High-Quality Content – Blogs, guides, and case studies drive organic visibility
• Get Technical – Ensure your site is well indexed and error-free

three | trying to market to all

A broad, generic message dilutes your impact. Not everyone is your customer.

The more specific you are, the more effective your marketing. The fix here is to:

• Define Your Ideal Customer – Get laser-focused on who you serves you best!
• Personalise Your Messaging – Tailored content performs far better than one-size-fits-all
• Test & Refine – A/B test ads, landing pages, and emails to see what actually works

four | ignoring the complete customer journey

Most brands focus on getting customers but forget about keeping them. Acquiring a new customer costs 5-7 times more than keeping an existing one (Harvard Business Review) and increasing retention by just 5% can boost profits by up to 95% (Bain & Company).

Your best customers are the ones you already have. Your fix here is to pivot your focus from acquisition techniques to include activation, retention, and advocacy. I would suggest considering:

• Email Marketing – Keeps customers engaged with valuable updates
• Introduce a Loyalty or VIP Programme – Reward repeat customers with perks
• Follow Up Post-Purchase – Offer support, ask for feedback, and maintain engagement
  

five | the, but that's how we always do it excuse

Relying on the same old tactics leads to stagnation. Many businesses fail to track their marketing performance, relying on gut feeling rather than hard data. The best marketing embraces trial and experimentation.

Marketing without. You're just guessing. There are a number of fixes for you to consider implementing to help better understand the results of adopting different marketing approaches. 

• Analytics – Track performance with Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, LinkedIn Insights
• Key Metrics – Focus on conversion rates, not just vanity metrics
• Run A/B Tests – Experiment with messaging, visuals, and formats
• Optimise – Use these insights to improve and adapt
  
  

Remember:

Want expert help to build a smarter marketing strategy? Let’s ditch the guesswork and make your marketing work harder—and smarter. Why not book a discovery call today?