In this op-ed, BMF head of effectiveness Hannah McHard argues that the gap holding marketers back isn’t a lack of knowledge, but a failure to consistently put what they already know into practice.
In the ‘golden age’ of effectiveness, where we’ve never been so informed or aware of what works, you’d think we’d all be kicking goals every time. But businesses continue to invest millions in advertising that doesn’t deliver, despite seemingly ticking all the right boxes.
The problem isn’t a knowledge gap. It’s an execution gap. The difference between knowing what works and consistently putting this into practice. And in a world increasingly run by machines, it’s time the human side of effectiveness gets a little acknowledgement.
Most marketers are – or should be – familiar with the principles of effectiveness. Let’s call this the ‘IQ’ of effectiveness: the rules, frameworks, ladders and theories to follow. They’re well documented, widely shared and broadly agreed upon. And yet, effective work still isn’t the norm.
So the same question keeps coming up: what’s the missing link, the secret source, the cheat code to make it all add up? When we look closely at what works, what we find is a corresponding ‘EQ’ of effectiveness – the behaviours and ways of working that allow for the thinking, ideas and outputs that deliver.
And that’s where the real drivers of effectiveness sit, in the conditions that allow good ideas to form in the first place and then to thrive.
An environment for effectiveness: Create the conditions
We often talk about great ideas as the unlock for effectiveness. But ideas don’t operate in a vacuum. Effectiveness is environment-dependent; shaped by how teams work together, how decisions are made, and what’s protected when pressure inevitably hits.
Partnership and teamsmanship matter. When everyone understands they have a stake in the outcome, shared ambition becomes shared responsibility. But only when teams are empowered and that begins with access. You can’t expect someone to solve a problem they’re not allowed to see.
Trust underpins this. Not a cultural nicety but a performance multiplier, creating the foundations for better thinking, faster alignment and stronger outcomes. Without it, fear fills the gap driving over-justification, over-explanation and more conservative work. Because fear is cognitively paralysing.
The alternative is psychological safety. When people feel safe, challenge increases and the work improves. Ideas are scrutinized more openly, debate becomes more constructive, and thinking sharpens. Analysis by Aprais & WARC demonstrates that of all behaviours that separate effective agencies from the rest, ‘willingness to challenge’ shows the largest gap, more than double any other behaviour.
If you want more effective work, create the conditions for good ideas to survive.
Complexity is not intelligence: Make it ‘as simple as possible but not simpler’
Former US Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. said, “I would not give a fig
for the simplicity on this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity’.
Figs aside, this is a critical distinction that applies to the way we should approach problems today. Simplifying does not mean airbrushing. It’s not a leap to a conclusion. It requires thinking, marinating. It takes time. It’s hard-earned. Eventually, profound simplicity will emerge that gives you a feeling of the blindingly obvious meeting the unexpected.
Simplicity is empowering – a great democratising force where influence is distributed. When something is truly simple, it becomes usable, shared, understood and applied across an organisation. The simpler the strategy, the faster it travels and the more consistently it is executed.
Briefs can remain complicated because the fundamental questions haven’t been asked. According to research from Better Briefs, 80% of marketers think their briefs are good; 10% of agency creatives agree. Questions expose gaps and can feel uncomfortable, often misinterpreted as criticism.
But, framed as curiosity, they create alignment and sharpen direction. Better questions lead to better decisions; and better decisions drive better outcomes.
If you want more effective work, make space for simplicity.
Evolution rather than reinvention: Stay in service of what actually works
Another challenge beneath all this: our own bias. Research from Everyday People shows marketers are younger, more metro and more individualistic than audiences we’re trying to reach.
Effectiveness requires stepping outside our worldview. Interrogating assumptions and grounding decisions in real behaviour, not just industry instinct.
We’re drawn to novelty. But brands often change course just as something is starting to work, resetting attention, memory and meaning in the process. And inconsistency erodes effectiveness.
The skill lies in evolution not reinvention. Returning to a core idea and building it over time, with deliberate shifts that keep it fresh without losing what makes it familiar. Snickers has been driving growth with ‘You’re not you when you’re hungry’ for 15 years, in 80 countries.
That requires patience, when business rewards speed. But speed without direction is simply movement. Patience is the ability to stay the course, even under pressure to change. More than a virtue, it’s a skill we need to deploy to allow time for strategies to work.
It requires a clear sense of what you are in service of: the brand, the customer, and the long-term value being built.
If you want more effective work, be patient.
Impactful marketing doesn’t magically emerge when we build our capabilities. It emerges as we embed the cultural foundations to deliver – trusting relationships, clarity of thinking and the patience to stay focused on what works.
Because ideas don’t deliver effectiveness. Humans do.
