I’ve figured out why brands and companies are struggling to get results from their marketing.
After nearly a decade of running 3 Phase Marketing, I’ve noticed a recurring theme among business owners and marketing managers that’s holding them back, and it all comes down to one thing:
Our insecurities are running the show.
Tall Poppy Syndrome is so prevalent in Australia and it discourages ambition and success by cutting down those who stand out. This bleak cultural phenomenon stifles innovation, creates a fear of excelling, and undermines our confidence. By discouraging excellence, we can't experience personal or professional growth. That, coupled with the constant fear of offending someone or being criticised, is holding us back. These factors are strangling creativity and innovation in this country.
There's a serious and straightforward reason for this. From a young age, we’ve been conditioned with messages like, "Don’t touch that," "Don’t talk to strangers," "Fly under the radar," "Don’t toot your own horn," "Tone it down," and "Stop talking." This is especially true in Australian culture.
The irony is that we now live in an economy where stepping into the spotlight is what gets rewarded. Authentic personal brands and raw content from CEOs and founders are outperforming polished ads on LinkedIn. Podcast snippets and unedited videos are generating more reach on YouTube than meticulously produced content. The more ‘perfect’ the ad, the worse the results.
But so many brands and companies are still not capitalising on this trend. I understand it may not be the ideal execution for every brand, but it's raking in millions of dollars for companies like NP digital and Vayner media.
If we could let go of our need for external validation and our fear of being reproached for our ‘out of the box’ ideas, we might start creating the kind of content and ads our customers actually want to see. From what I observe in my industry and with my clients, when we stop worrying about what our bosses, peers, or ex-coworkers think, we start creating the cut-through needed to build a deeper connection with our audience, which leads to real commercial success.
Of course, not everyone is going to like it. I’ve experienced this firsthand. Since I changed my LinkedIn strategy from being a “people pleaser” to giving my audience the stark truth about marketing and being a CEO, I’ve experienced a real spike in confidence. I’ve loved finally stepping into my truth.
But it hasn’t been all sunshine. I’ve had many messages of support, but I’ve also received hate comments, with people telling me I’ve got a “big head” and my learnings “irrelevant”.
When I confided in a friend who has over 140,000 LinkedIn followers, she told me to get used to it. “Not everyone is going to like you, Sonia. Just accept it.” She shared a story about receiving death threats after posting her views on a lack of accountability in the workplace.
Disheartened, I took a break from LinkedIn for a week, but then I thought, what am I doing? Looking at the bigger picture, the experience has been overwhelmingly positive. Since I started posting content that aligns with my personal values, rather than trying to please the masses, I’ve generated over $100K in projects, grown my audience by 50% in 12 weeks, and forged connections with many senior professionals that I’ve long admired.
The biggest lesson? We can’t afford to let criticism hold us back any longer. We need to overcome our insecurities and give the market what it really wants—not what the board or your CEO wants. This culture of fear is being reflected in our work and it’s costing us big time: with opportunities lost, and creative potential wasted.
Our customers crave a connection that goes beyond a well-produced ad. They want to feel understood. They want to think, "This person, this brand, just gets me" the story, the struggles, the challenges, the unfiltered version of us.
The best thing about the world we live in today? You can create and test new ideas, offers and ads, cheaper and faster than ever before. It’s no longer a huge financial risk to try something different. In fact, it’s the ideal time to get a little risky and experiment with bold, exciting content. If it works, great - you can scale it up. If not, tweak it or move on. Fail fast and learn. The tools are right there, and the cost of trying is minimal.
So, considering that, I can't help but think the only thing keeping us from cracking the Top 5 in Cannes is our own self-doubt getting in the way. It's like we're stuck in 11th place because we’re too busy second-guessing ourselves to step up to the podium.
Maybe the current market conditions, along with such easy access to audiences, make it the perfect time to tackle what's really holding us back. It might just be the right moment to rewrite the scripts that are keeping us small, and make way for the personal and professional breakthroughs that we need.
Sonia Majkic, CEO, 3 Phase Marketing