Advertising and marketing Strategist Joseph Upton Presents a Daring Analysis and a Clear Path Ahead for Companies Between $1M and $100M
Chicago, IL, seventh Might 2025, ZEX PR WIRE, In keeping with Chicago-based advertising and marketing professional Joseph Upton, most mid-sized companies are getting advertising and marketing unsuitable—and it’s costing them development, clients, and long-term model worth. With 14 years of hands-on expertise advising firms within the $1 million to $100 million income vary, Upton says the difficulty isn’t lack of expertise, know-how, and even funds. The true offender? A damaged mindset round advertising and marketing itself.
“Too many companies in the mid-market treat marketing like a series of disconnected tactics,” Upton explains. “They invest in paid ads, redesign their website, or start posting on social media—without a clear strategy guiding those actions. It’s like building a house without a blueprint.”
This opinion, although provocative, is backed by Upton’s intensive observe file as a development advisor to founders, CEOs, and buyers. Previously Chief Development Officer at a non-public equity-backed agency, Upton now runs a portfolio of ventures centered on advertising and marketing technique and advisory providers. His insights are grounded in tons of of engagements throughout each B2B and B2C markets.
The Mid-Market Advertising and marketing Lure: Why It’s So Straightforward to Get It Flawed
Mid-market firms face a singular problem: they’re too large to function on hustle alone, however usually not sufficiently big to draw the sort of senior advertising and marketing management or technique sources out there at enterprise stage.
“The result is what I call ‘Frankenstein marketing,’” Upton says. “You’ve got a patchwork of efforts—an agency running ads, someone in-house doing emails, maybe a freelancer on social media—but no unifying strategy that ties it all to business outcomes.”
This scattered method results in what Upton refers to as “activity without impact”—a excessive quantity of promoting work that delivers low ROI and unclear metrics. Many of those companies function with outdated assumptions, usually copying what bigger rivals are doing with out understanding the context or scale.
The 4 Key Signs of a Damaged Advertising and marketing Technique
In keeping with Upton, there are 4 key signs that point out a advertising and marketing technique is just not working because it ought to for mid-market firms:
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Tactic-Pushed Advertising and marketing As a substitute of Technique-Pushed Advertising and marketing
“Marketing is not a set of isolated tasks. If your marketing plan consists of a list of tactics—like ‘run ads,’ ‘send emails,’ ‘post on social media’—you’re missing the point. Strategy must come first,” Upton explains. A profitable advertising and marketing plan begins with a transparent understanding of the corporate’s objectives, audience, and the way advertising and marketing will help these targets.
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A Lack of Clear Buyer Positioning and Narrative
Mid-market firms usually fail to articulate a compelling model story or clear positioning. “Your brand’s message should answer two important questions: Who is it for, and why should they care? Without a compelling narrative, even the best tactical campaigns will fall flat,” says Upton.
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Silos Inside Groups and Distributors
One other symptom of a damaged technique is the siloing of promoting efforts. When totally different distributors, businesses, or departments function independently, it ends in disjointed messaging, inconsistent execution, and missed alternatives for cross-collaboration. “Marketing should be a seamless operation, with clear communication between all players,” Upton advises.
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Misaligned Metrics
The fourth purple flag for Upton is a mismatch between the advertising and marketing workforce’s focus and the corporate’s core enterprise objectives. “If your marketing team is focused on vanity metrics like impressions, clicks, or likes, but your CEO cares about revenue and leads, you have a problem,” Upton warns. Metrics ought to at all times be tied on to enterprise outcomes, guaranteeing that each advertising and marketing greenback spent contributes to the corporate’s development.
The Downside with Viewing Advertising and marketing as a Price, Not an Funding
On the coronary heart of the difficulty, Upton believes, is a widespread false impression concerning the function of promoting inside mid-market firms. Too many enterprise leaders see advertising and marketing as a discretionary price moderately than a vital development lever.
“Marketing isn’t an expense—it’s an investment,” Upton says. “But it’s only an investment if approached with the same strategic thinking that goes into decisions about hiring, capital, or operations. Marketing has to be treated as a growth engine, not as a department that simply makes ads or sends out emails.”
For instance this level, Upton attracts a parallel to different core enterprise capabilities. “If you think about it, CFOs don’t just oversee finance—they guide investment strategy. Similarly, COOs don’t just handle logistics—they’re responsible for optimizing operations for long-term efficiency. Marketing needs the same level of strategic depth and clarity. It’s not just about running campaigns—it’s about creating lasting brand equity and driving revenue growth.”
Upton’s Confirmed Framework: Strategic Advertising and marketing That Truly Works
So, how can mid-market firms break away from the “Frankenstein marketing” lure and construct a method that results in actual enterprise development? Upton gives a five-step framework to assist companies of all sizes implement strategic advertising and marketing that really works:
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Positioning First
Upton emphasizes that positioning is the cornerstone of any advertising and marketing technique. “The first question every business needs to answer is: Who are we for, and what makes us different? Don’t move forward with any marketing campaign until you’ve nailed down your position in the market.”
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Set Clear, Actionable Strategic Targets
Clear objectives are important to making sure that advertising and marketing efforts help the broader enterprise targets. These objectives ought to embody income targets, model positioning objectives, and buyer acquisition targets. “Everything marketing does should be aligned with the bigger business goals,” Upton advises.
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Create Message-Market Match
The important thing to a profitable advertising and marketing marketing campaign is guaranteeing that your messaging resonates deeply together with your audience. Upton stresses that message-market match is not only about delivering the appropriate message—it’s about guaranteeing that message instantly addresses the actual wants and challenges of your viewers.
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Built-in Advertising and marketing Execution
Advertising and marketing shouldn’t be a fragmented assortment of ways. Upton’s framework emphasizes integration throughout all advertising and marketing actions. “Break down the silos between in-house teams, agencies, and consultants. Marketing is a system, not a collection of isolated parts,” he says. Unified execution results in a extra highly effective and cohesive model presence.
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Measure What Issues
Lastly, Upton stresses the significance of measurement. “Without clear metrics, there’s no way to know what’s working and what’s not. Every marketing activity should be measurable, and that data should inform future decisions,” Upton says. This method permits companies to optimize campaigns in real-time and make knowledgeable choices about useful resource allocation.
The Backside Line: Don’t Wait Till It’s Too Late
Upton concludes with a name to motion for mid-market enterprise leaders: “The best time to build a strategic marketing function is before you need it. Don’t wait until your revenue growth plateaus or your competition outpaces you. By then, it’s too late to catch up.”
Advertising and marketing isn’t a one-time funding or a collection of random campaigns—it’s a course of that requires fixed refinement, adaptation, and dedication. By adopting the appropriate mindset and making use of strategic ideas, mid-market firms can keep away from the frequent pitfalls and create a advertising and marketing engine that drives each short-term wins and long-term development.
About Joseph Upton
Joseph Upton is a strategic advertising and marketing advisor based mostly in Chicago with 14 years of expertise serving to mid-market firms speed up development and construct sturdy, lasting manufacturers. His agency works with startups, non-public equity-backed ventures, and established companies, providing advertising and marketing technique, development consulting, and advisory providers. Upton’s experience spans B2B and B2C sectors, and he’s acknowledged for serving to companies scale effectively and successfully.
He resides in Chicago along with his spouse Emily, a UX designer, and their two kids. Exterior of his work, Upton enjoys images, journey, and immersing himself in new cultures around the globe.
Media Contact:
Upton Advertising and marketing Consultancy
Advertising and marketing Advisor and Development Companion
www.josephupton.com
316 N Blue Island Ave, Chicago, IL 60607, United States