Marketing Alone Can’t Build Brand Power. Here’s A Better Way

Most executives assume brand-building is marketing’s job.

And to be fair—marketing does a lot of the heavy lifting.

They build campaigns. They shape messaging. They drive demand.

But here’s where things get tricky: marketing alone can’t carry the entire company’s reputation.

And it’s not because they’re not capable—it’s because they’re stretched thin.

• They’re running product launches, ad campaigns, and PR efforts.
• They’re optimizing demand gen and sales enablement.
• They’re handling recruitment branding while balancing 100 other priorities.

Marketing leaders aren’t lacking expertise. They’re lacking time, resources, and direct access to executive perspectives.

That’s why the most effective brands don’t just rely on marketing. They leverage the C-suite as an active voice in shaping public perception.

And LinkedIn is the most powerful place to do that.

Because if leadership doesn’t step up to define the company’s narrative, competitors, analysts, and the media will do it for them.

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Why marketing alone can’t cover these three critical areas

Even the best marketing teams have limitations—they can’t manufacture leadership’s perspective.

Some things have to come from the top.

1. Industry & market leadership: “Here’s where we’re going.”

Marketing teams can highlight trends.
They can run content marketing campaigns.
They can amplify key industry insights.

But what they can’t do?

• Offer first-hand executive perspective on market shifts.
• Speak with the credibility that comes from lived experience.
• Build trust with investors, enterprise buyers, and media the way an industry leader can.

💡 Example:

Satya Nadella (Microsoft) personally shares his vision on LinkedIn, helping Microsoft define the AI conversation before competitors can.

🔹 Why marketing struggles to do this alone:

Marketing teams aren’t sitting in board meetings, investor calls, or regulatory discussions.
They don’t have direct access to strategic, market-moving insights—but executives do.

🔹 How marketing & leadership can work together:

• Marketing can help shape an executive’s point of view.
• The C-suite can give marketing the inside track on key decisions before they’re public.

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2. Hiring & culture: “Here’s who we are.”

Marketing can create polished “Life at [Company]” posts.
They can run employer branding campaigns.
They can showcase benefits, perks, and DEI initiatives.

But what they can’t do?

• Show how leadership actually thinks about hiring and culture.
• Convince top talent that the company isn’t just a good job—but a mission worth joining.
• Answer the unspoken question: “What’s it like to work for this CEO?”

💡 Example:

Brian Chesky (Airbnb) doesn’t leave hiring and culture posts to HR.

He personally shares what he looks for in employees and how Airbnb’s leadership philosophy shapes the company.

🔹 Why marketing struggles to do this alone:

Marketing can brand the company’s culture—but it can’t humanize leadership the way the C-suite can.

🔹 How marketing & leadership can work together:

• Marketing provides the platform, messaging, and employer branding strategy.
• The C-suite shows up to make it personal and real.

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3. Reputation & crisis management: “Here’s what’s true.”

Marketing can write press releases.
They can draft corporate statements.
They can manage media relations.

But what they can’t do?

• Speak directly to customers, employees, and investors in a human, unscripted way.
• Address high-stakes moments with the weight of an executive’s personal voice.
• Rebuild trust after a crisis by showing real leadership, not just corporate messaging.

💡 Example:

When Stripe had to lay off 14% of its workforce, CEO Patrick Collison didn’t just release a corporate statement.

He wrote a personal, clear, and transparent message on what happened, why, and what was next.

🔹 Why marketing struggles to do this alone:

Marketing’s job is to protect the brand.

But in tough moments, people want to hear from a leader, not a PR team.

🔹 How marketing & leadership can work together:

• Marketing helps craft the message.
• The executive delivers it personally, with transparency and clarity.

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How Column augments marketing teams—not replaces them

At Column, we don’t replace marketing.

We partner with them—giving them the bandwidth, resources, and leadership alignment they need to amplify the company’s message more effectively.

Specifically:

✅ We extract executive insights, so marketing doesn’t have to chase them down.

→ We work directly with leadership to develop their personal voice and positioning on LinkedIn.

→ This ensures that marketing doesn’t have to spend time translating strategy into content—we handle that.

✅ We turn leadership’s expertise into high-impact LinkedIn content.

→ We write 12-16 LinkedIn posts per month in the executive’s voice and perspective.

→ Marketing teams can then align leadership messaging with their broader brand efforts.

✅ We amplify content to the right audience.

→ We use LinkedIn Thought Leader Ads to ensure executives’ posts reach investors, decision-makers, and top talent.

→ Marketing teams get more leverage—without having to manage another campaign from scratch.

✅ We provide analytics and strategy support.

→ We measure engagement, inbound leads, and brand perception shifts.

→ Marketing can then integrate leadership-driven content into their broader communication efforts.

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Branding is a team effort—but leadership must lead

Marketing teams build the brand’s foundation.

But the C-suite builds credibility, trust, and visibility in ways marketing alone can’t.

We’ll help your leadership team become an active voice in shaping the company’s narrative.

Let’s make your LinkedIn presence a real business asset.