Bridging the Strategy-Execution Gap: Why Modern Marketers Need Workfront Planning
Authored by: Steve Cappellucci, Managing Director of Strategy
Despite the time and resources organizations invest in developing strategic plans, the path from big idea to tangible results is rarely straightforward. The numbers tell a sobering story: only 2% of leaders feel confident they’ll achieve all their strategic goals, and just one-third believe their organizations are good at implementing what they set out to do. Even more striking, 90% of organizations routinely fall short in executing their strategies. This is a gap that’s not just about bad luck, but about a persistent disconnect between planning and execution.
For CMOs and marketing leaders, this gap is felt every day. The pressure to show how marketing investments drive business outcomes is higher than ever, yet more than half of marketing leaders struggle to measure the long-term impact of their campaigns. Only 44% of CMOs are “very confident” their teams understand the strategic intent behind their work. The challenge is not a lack of ambition or effort; it’s a lack of true alignment, clarity, and adaptability between strategy, planning, and execution.
Strategy vs. Planning (And Why It Matters)
It’s tempting to use “strategy” and “planning” interchangeably but doing so can actually deepen the disconnect. Strategy is about making bold choices. It’s making bets on how to compete and win in the market. It’s inherently uncertain, because it depends on how customers and competitors will react to those choices. Good strategy is a testable theory: “If we do this, we believe the market will respond in that way.”
Planning, on the other hand, is about translating that vision into action. It’s the discipline of breaking high-level goals into initiatives, timelines, and resource allocations. Planning brings comfort. Planning is also about what we control: budgets, timelines, processes. But comfort isn’t a competitive advantage; clarity and coherence are.
Too often, planning devolves into a list of departmental wishes, lacking the strategic thread that ties actions to outcomes. The result? Activity without impact, and a strategic plan that sits on a shelf.
Escaping the Planning Trap
Great leaders recognize that uncertainty isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s an invitation to learn and adapt. The most effective organizations lay out the logic behind their strategy—what must be true about customers, competitors, and the market—and then track, test, and adjust as reality unfolds.
This is where modern tools like Adobe Workfront Planning come in. By bringing strategy, planning, and execution onto a single, collaborative platform, organizations can create the alignment and visibility needed to turn vision into results. With clear roles, real-time scenario planning, and dynamic resource management, teams are empowered to focus on what matters most—adapting quickly, learning continuously, and delivering measurable impact.
Stakeholder Engagement: The Secret Ingredient
No strategic plan succeeds in a vacuum. The most successful planning efforts are those that intentionally engage key stakeholders (from the C-suite to business units and frontline teams) throughout the process. Early and ongoing engagement not only builds buy-in but also surfaces the diverse perspectives needed to stress-test assumptions and refine strategy. It’s not just about getting approval; it’s about building a shared sense of ownership and direction.
From Theory to Practice: Lessons from Industry Leaders
Consider how Southwest Airlines didn’t just plan to be another airline—they executed a strategy to out-convenience the bus, making bold, coherent choices that supported their vision. Their success came not from planning alone, but from the clarity, alignment, and discipline built into their business model.
At a time when most airlines were competing with one another, Southwest focused on being a better alternative to Greyhound. Their goal was to offer faster, more convenient short-haul travel, with fares only slightly higher than the bus.
To deliver on this strategy, Southwest made a set of tightly integrated choices: they operated a single aircraft type (the Boeing 737), minimized turnaround time, skipped meal service, avoided the hub-and-spoke model, and focused on point-to-point routes in underserved markets.
These decisions dramatically reduced operational complexity and costs, enabling them to consistently offer lower fares and reliable service.
Over time, this approach allowed Southwest to grow into the airline with the most domestic passenger seat miles in the U.S.
Meanwhile, legacy carriers lacked a distinctive theory for winning. Many competed to keep pace rather than to change the game—failing to adapt their models in the way Southwest did so effectively.
Building the Path Forward
The marketing landscape is only getting more complex. Strategic planning now kicks off months in advance, requiring rigorous data gathering, stakeholder engagement, and multiple cycles of review. But the reward for getting it right is significant: organizations that bridge the strategy-execution gap not only achieve their goals, but they also redefine what’s possible in their markets.
Key Takeaways:
- Strategy is about competitive choices and coherent direction; planning turns that vision into action.
- The biggest barriers to execution are lack of alignment, clarity, and ongoing stakeholder engagement.
- Modern platforms like Adobe Workfront Planning help unify strategy, planning, and execution—enabling organizations to adapt, align, and deliver real results.
If you’re interested in seeing how Workfront Planning can help your organization bridge the gap between strategy and execution, Omnicom is currently offering a limited number of pilot engagements for select clients. Reach out to learn more.
