The Most Embarrassing Day of My Life

I was in the zone and running as fast down the field as I could. NO ONE could catch or stop me.

It was 10th grade football and a day I’ll never forget.

I caught an interception and sprinted down the field—wide open, no one in sight. I was locked in, fully committed, adrenaline pumping. There was a ton of yelling from the sidelines that I assumed was cheers.

It wasn’t.

I was running the wrong way.

Before I came to my senses I crossed the goal line, spiked the ball, and scored… a safety for the other team.

That moment sticks with me—not just because of the embarrassment, but because of how confident I felt doing something completely wrong.

And that’s what I see in marketing today. Teams executing fast and loud… but too often forgetting to check the direction and fundamentals. They’re creating for each other. For their bosses. For their competitors. Not for the customer. They’re impressing internally—but not connecting externally. They’re scoring points, but for the wrong team.

Efficient vs Effective

“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.”—Peter Drucker

The Real Struggle Most Won’t Admit

We obsess over campaigns, decks, designs, and copy. We say things like “on brand” and “voice consistency.” We make it clever. We make it clean.

But here’s the quiet tension—that one no one really wants to say out loud:

Are we marketing to impress ourselves—or to move the market?

Too many leaders are executing fast, proud of the polish, thrilled with the clever phrasing. But deep down, they know: It’s not working. It looks great… but no one’s buying. The metrics are fine… but the momentum’s gone.

We’re not just burning budget—we’re burning trust. We’re often not converting attention into action, just decorating failure.

We’re running hard. But are we going the right direction?

A Tactical Shift That Changes Everything

Here’s the move:

Stop asking:

• “Does this look good to us?”
• “Is this clever?”
• “Did we nail the brand voice?”

Start asking:

• “Would our customer stop, care, and act?”
• “Is this solving a problem or just sounding smart?”
• “If marketing didn’t see this, would it still matter to the people we serve?”

If the answer is no… you’re running the wrong way. And it doesn’t matter how fast you are or how proud you feel—it’s still the wrong goal line.

Your Move

Ask yourself: What part of our marketing is secretly about us—not them?

Drop a comment or share this with someone who needs to hear it.

See you next week.