What’s Missing in Most Marketing? It’s Not What You Think
Why Most Marketing Fails and How Taste Fixes It
There’s a reason most brand campaigns feel off. It’s not the lack of budget. It’s not the tools. It’s not even the ideas.
It’s the taste.
The sharp, invisible radar that tells you when something just doesn’t hit. When the copy feels hollow. When the ad doesn’t land. When your own work makes you cringe.
Here’s the tough part: many founders, marketers, and creatives in startups and small businesses know what good looks like. But when they try to create it, it slips. It falls short. And that’s not failure — that’s taste doing its job.
You Know What Good Looks Like. That’s the Problem and the Advantage
If you’re reading this, chances are your taste is better than your current output. That’s not a flaw. It’s fuel.
Ira Glass nailed it: taste is why we get into creative work. It’s also why we feel like we’re falling behind. We can see what our brand should feel like, but when we hit publish, something’s missing.
That gap? That’s the path. And the only way through is by doing the reps.
Marketing That Stands Out Is Built, Not Stumbled Upon
Let’s talk execution — the part where most brands drop the ball. The ones that get remembered aren’t guessing. They’re building daily, testing, refining, and sharpening their message like a blade.
Here’s what I see too often in the UAE and across startups in the Arab world:
A strong product.
A smart team.
A generic, forgettable presence online.
Why? Because someone tried to think their way into good marketing instead of creating their way into it.
You want better results? Make more. Test more. Sharpen your story. Work with people who have the reps. That’s how you earn clarity — and clarity sells.
Taste Without Execution Is Just Frustration
It’s tempting to get stuck in strategy loops. But no amount of planning replaces actual volume. Great marketing doesn’t just need a strategy. It needs stamina.
You want to close the gap between what you see and what you produce? Start publishing. Write the email. Ship the ad. Make the video. Then make another one. And another. That’s how you build the muscle that matches your taste.
Taste will keep moving. That’s good. It means you’re growing.
Three Ways to Build Taste-Driven Marketing That Actually Performs
Build a Feedback Loop
Work with people who have done it before. Watch how they adjust the dials. Let your team, or your marketing consultant, reflect back what’s working and what’s weak. Learn from what lands.Clarify the Story Before You Market It
Good taste means knowing what’s worth saying. Strip the fluff. Focus your message. Use frameworks that guide people toward action (StoryBrand works for a reason).Track by Attention, Not Just Metrics
You’ll know if your work is getting better when people start reacting differently. When they repeat your one-liner. When the right people DM you. When the emails get replies. That’s taste doing its job.
In the End, It’s About Practice and Perspective
I’m still chasing the work I want to make. And that’s fine. Because the moment you stop chasing, you stop getting better.
If you’re in the Arab world or the UAE building a startup, growing a brand, or trying to stand out — your taste is already ahead. Now the work has to catch up.
Do the reps. Sharpen your message. And keep showing up.
The gap will close … not overnight, but over volume.
Diya | ضياء
P.S. I saw this post:
"The tech investor dropped us because I speak for Palestine." - Tech Startup - [link]
This prompted me to do something. I want to help startups find growth, whether it be in marketing that leads to revenue or clear communications that lead to finding the right investors.
Only when we stick together, we can achieve the true potential of the Arab world.
This blog is here to help startups. May it find the right people and help them.
From the river to the sea.
Justice and Peace.
P.P.S. Marketing Isn’t the Problem—Clarity Is.
Drop me an email or click “Let’s Talk” below. I’ll sit with you for 1 hour to simplify your marketing and help you build trust, turning your bank account into a money magnet.
