Featured In: LinkedIn, Date: July 2025
My daughter recently shared a brilliant analogy that stopped me in my tracks. She said, “Teachers teach us ‘1+1’ in class, give us ‘5×5’ for homework, and then test us on ‘1,000×1,000’ in exams.” Her frustration was clear: why doesn’t what’s taught align with what’s tested?
This struck a chord, not just as a parent but as a marketing professional.
Her analogy mirrors the reality of marketing, and life in general. In school, we learn the basics of marketing: crafting a message, understanding the 4Ps, and building a brand. In the corporate world, the stakes rise to navigating complex campaigns and stakeholder expectations (the 5×5). But when a crisis hits, a PR disaster, a market crash, or a global upheaval, it feels like tackling 1,000×1,000.
But think about it this way, it’s the small, consistent “1+1” actions practiced daily that prepare marketers to ace the big exams.
Here’s how executives and brand custodians can ensure their brands are crisis-ready.
1. Master the Basics: Build a Strong Brand Foundation.
In class, 1+1 is the bedrock of math. In marketing, it’s your brand’s core, i.e., the brand values, voice, and promise. A brand that’s clear on its identity can weather any storm. Take Patagonia, and its commitment to sustainability. It’s the daily practices embedded in their every decision, from supply chains to campaigns that keep the brand going. When crises hit, their authenticity shines, reinforcing trust.
Daily Action: Audit your brand’s messaging weekly. Ensure every campaign, post, or internal memo aligns with your core values. Ask: “Does this reflect who we are?”
Consistency here builds a foundation that holds firm when tested.
2. Practice the 5×5: Foster Agility Through Routine
Homework (the 5×5) pushes you to apply basics in slightly tougher scenarios. In marketing, this means staying agile, testing, learning, and adapting in controlled environments.
Crises rarely announce themselves, but brands that routinely experiment are better equipped to pivot. For example, during the early days of the 2020 pandemic, brands like Nike quickly shifted to digital campaigns emphasizing home fitness, leveraging existing data and audience insights.
Daily Action: Encourage your team to run small-scale experiments, test a new channel, tweak ad copy, or trial a bold idea in a low-stakes setting.
Review results weekly to build a culture of agility. This prepares you for the rapid shifts a crisis demands.
3. Prepare for the 1,000×1,000: Stress-Test Your Strategy
Exams (1,000×1,000) are daunting because they test your ability to apply knowledge under pressure. In marketing, crises, be it a social media firestorm or a supply chain breakdown, are the ultimate exams.
Brands that thrive don’t just react; they’ve stress-tested their strategies beforehand.
Daily Action: Dedicate one meeting every so often to run a crisis simulation. Role-play scenarios like a product recall or a negative PR hit. Develop and refine a crisis playbook that outlines roles, communication protocols, and key stakeholders. This habit ensures your team isn’t caught off guard.
4. Learn from Every Test: Turn Crises into Growth
My daughter’s exams don’t just test her; they teach her. Similarly, every marketing crisis is a chance to refine your approach. Post-crisis, brands like Pepsi, after the Kendall Jenner ad backlash, didn’t just apologize; they recalibrated their approval processes to avoid tone-deaf campaigns.
The 1+1 lessons learned daily fuel growth for the next big test.
Daily Action: After every campaign or minor issue, hold a debrief session. Ask: What worked? What didn’t? Document one key takeaway and integrate it into your next plan. This habit turns every challenge into a stepping stone.
This analogy reminds us that success in marketing, like in school, isn’t about mastering 1,000×1,000 overnight. It’s about diligently practicing the 1+1. It is those small, intentional actions that build resilience.
For business executives and brand custodians, this means empowering your teams to build trust through continuous everyday actions. When a crisis hits, trust is your lifeline. These daily habits ensure that when the big exams come, whether a market disruption or a PR crisis, your brand thrives.
What’s your 1+1?
Share your thoughts below. I’d love to hear how you’re preparing your brand for the next big test.
