This issue comes from my very own DeLoran - as I am on maternity leave I collected some of the core lessons I have learned over the beginning of 2025.
It’s September 2010. Nokia (still the crowned king of mobile phones) takes the stage to unveil its shiny new range of smartphones. Big energy. Slick presentation. All the right words: innovation, ecosystem, hardware integration.
But beneath the confidence? Trouble.
The operating system (Symbian) was lagging. Developers weren’t excited. Users were drifting. Competitors were, well… running laps.
And Nokia? It refused to pivot.
When asked why they didn’t switch to Android like Samsung, a Nokia exec famously said:
Switching to Android would be like peeing in your pants to keep warm in the winter: temporary relief is followed by an even worse predicament.
Charming. But also? Kind of tragic.
Because three years later, Nokia’s mobile division was sold to Microsoft for $7 billion. Down from a peak value of $273 billion. Yikes.
So what went wrong? And what can we take away as marketers and business owners?
Turns out… strategy isn’t just logic and numbers. It’s psychology.
It's the stories we tell ourselves when looking at strategy about what works, what doesn’t, and why we’re still holding onto something that's clearly not landing.
Stay Flexible (even when it feels uncomfortable)
Nokia had the reputation. The tech. The market share. And for a while, that was enough. But when the mobile landscape started shifting under their feet, they stayed glued to the same strategy that had once made them untouchable.
What they didn’t realise? What worked then no longer worked now.
As marketers, that hits close to home.
It’s easy to fall in love with a campaign that once got amazing results. Or cling to a platform that used to drive all your traffic. But the market? It doesn’t care about nostalgia. It cares about what’s working right now.
Regularly reassess your marketing strategy
Schedule check-ins
Ask the hard questions
Review your metrics with fresh eyes
Bring someone external in for their opinion
Look at what the data is telling you, not just what your gut hopes is still true.
Try a quarterly “strategy gut-check.” What trends are emerging? What customer behaviours have shifted? What campaigns are slowing down?
Use that moment to realign, before the wheels start to wobble.
Rather than reinventing the wheel every month, be willing to rotate the tyres when the road changes.
Challenge Assumptions (before they become blind spots)
Nokia believed they were too big to fail. Too iconic to be overtaken. Too established to need a pivot.
It’s a trap that even the smartest teams fall into: the things that got us here will keep us here.
Spoiler: they won’t.
In marketing, one of the most dangerous places to operate from is autopilot.
When decisions are based on how things have always been done (rather than where your customers actually are) you risk stagnation.
Challenge the beliefs you treat as gospel:
Is your target audience still the same?
Is your messaging landing the way you think it is?
Is that “top-performing” funnel still pulling its weight?
Once a month, have a “Myth-Busting Session” with your team. Each person brings one assumption about your brand, audience, or strategy to challenge.
And if you’re a solo marketer? Grab a peer, a mentor, or even a podcast guest you admire. External perspectives can reveal blind spots you never knew you had.
Embrace Change (even when it means letting go)
Nokia didn’t lose because they ran out of ideas.
They lost because they clung to the old ones for too long.
And who could blame them?
Symbian had been their golden goose. The backbone of their brand. Letting go of it felt risky. Holding onto it was the real risk.
As marketers, we often have a strategy, channel, or offer we’re emotionally attached to, because it used to work. Maybe it still sort of does. But deep down, you know it's not moving the needle like it should.
Great marketing requires great timing.
And knowing when to pivot (before you're forced to) is a skill worth practising.
If you lead a team (or even just yourself), foster a culture of adaptability.
Here’s one way we do this at Alt Marketing School:
Once a month, we run a “Test + Tweak” retro. Everyone brings one small experiment they tried, whether it flopped, flew, or fell somewhere in between. No shame. No pressure.
It helped us normalise testing. Celebrate curiosity. And remind each other that not everything needs to be perfect to be useful.
You can even start by asking:
“What’s something we’d never normally try… but could, just for fun?”
This one question has led to some of our most surprising wins.
If you’re in a season of change (whether that’s your messaging, your offers, or your mindset) I see you. It’s not easy. But it’s how we grow.
🏫 Class in session
Our new event season full of delicious marketing training starts next week!
Each session brings together expert marketers (with over 70+ years of combined experience) to share practical skills, career insights, and real connections.
As a special thank you for allowing me into yor cosy inbox, you can grab a complimentary ticket below. First come, first served basis.
Until next time, keep questioning, keep adapting, and most importantly, keep making marketing that matters.
Always cheering you on,
Fab ✌️