Why Most Brands Don’t Actually Have a Strategy — Just a To-Do List

“Let’s post more. Run ads. Try TikTok. Do a giveaway.”

Sound familiar?

That’s not a marketing strategy. That’s a to-do list with anxiety issues.

At noma labs, we see this all the time — founders and teams working hard, producing content, but going nowhere faster.

Because activity ≠ direction.

Here’s the difference:

• A to-do list asks, “What should we do this week?”

• A strategy asks, “Why are we doing any of this at all?”

Most brands confuse momentum with progress.

They’re busy — but not strategic.

And that’s why marketing feels exhausting instead of effective.

Real strategy looks like this:

🎯 A clear goal (not “grow fast,” but what kind of growth?)

👁 One audience, not five “personas.”

💬 One message, repeated relentlessly.

💰 A way to measure what’s actually working — not just what’s “engaging.”

If your marketing plan doesn’t fit on one page, it’s probably chaos in disguise.

This week’s challenge:

Cross out half your to-dos.

Keep only the things that drive results.

That’s your strategy.