The best campaign of my career won awards and lit up social media — but it did not sell a single product. That moment taught me the hard truth: marketing without product alignment creates excitement that does not convert, and product without marketing leaves value invisible. Real growth happens when the two move together. This is my journey from messaging to making, and the lessons I learned on bridging creativity with commercial reality.

“Why don’t we just do what our competitors are doing?” It sounds like strategy — but it’s usually panic dressed up as logic. In this breakdown, we unpack why copycat moves fail, how brands like Adobe got it right, and what smart benchmarking actually looks like. If your team’s ever been tempted to follow without thinking — read this before you lose your brand voice chasing someone else’s.

When a Brand Refresh Forgets the Customer