Written by Julien Ricciarelli-Bonnal
11 December 2025
5 simple tests to check whether your marketing strategy actually holds up
Most companies believe they have a marketing strategy simply because they produce content, publish regularly or have defined a target audience. In reality, a strategy only exists if it survives the test of clarity, differentiation, execution and financial realism. These five tests are not theoretical; they are operational tools used in marketing consulting to assess, in minutes, whether a company truly has a working strategy or just a collection of actions wrapped in good intentions.
Test 1 — Can an outsider understand your strategy in ten seconds or less?
One of the most revealing tests is also the most uncomfortable: if someone unfamiliar with your activity cannot instantly understand what you do, for whom you do it and why it matters, then your strategy is unclear.
This test does not measure design, tone or technical sophistication. It measures your ability to express value without noise. Strategies that pass this test are naturally shareable, memorable and structurally more competitive. Strategies that require explanations are already losing the attention game.
Test 2 — Do your key messages still make sense without jargon, tools or forced storytelling?
Many companies believe that complexity equals authority. The opposite is true.
Remove the fancy terms, cut the buzzwords, strip away the artificial storytelling: does the message still stand? Is it still useful, concrete and understandable?
This test instantly reveals whether a strategy relies on genuine value or on a decorative marketing layer. Messages that pass this filter can live everywhere — website, sales calls, internal communication or public relations — without losing impact.
Test 3 — Does your strategy create obvious differentiation or could you be confused with anyone else?
One of the biggest marketing failures today is homogenisation. Companies mimic each other until they are indistinguishable.
Ask yourself: could someone replace your name with a competitor’s without breaking anything?
If yes, your strategy lacks substance. Differentiation is not about slogans or visuals; it is about owning a viewpoint, a method, a way of solving problems that others cannot replicate. Strong strategies sound unique even before the logo appears.
Test 4 — Can you clearly state what every action is supposed to produce in 30, 60 and 90 days?
A strategy is only real if actions have a defined purpose. Publishing “to stay visible” or measuring “for the sake of metrics” does not create growth.
Review your system: what is the goal of an article, an ad, an email, a landing page? What is the expected outcome short-term, mid-term and long-term?
This test transforms marketing from habit into mechanism. Strategies that survive it become predictable, measurable and correctable — three qualities that separate performance from noise.
Test 5 — Does your strategy survive financial reality?
This is the test nobody wants to run — yet it is the most decisive.
Many strategies look brilliant until they clash with budget, time or operational capacity. A strategy that ignores constraints is not visionary; it is unexecutable.
Success comes from choosing not the most impressive strategy, but the one your company can consistently implement. Real strength lies in alignment, not ambition.
What these five tests reveal
A strong marketing strategy is not the most creative or the most decorated one; it is the one that withstands clarity checks, differentiation pressure, operational constraints and financial viability.
These tests expose weaknesses immediately and show where structure, messaging or execution must be reinforced.
A strategy that works is not glamorous — it is coherent.
Written by Julien Ricciarelli-Bonnal
11 December 2025
