Strategy should evolve out of ...

Strategy should evolve out of the mud of the marketplace, not in the antiseptic environment of an ivory tower.
 Al Ries

Quotes from the same author

It normally takes decades to build a brand... It's the forgetting of the old truth that allows a person to accept a new truth. You need to allow enough time for this forgetting to take place
 Al Ries
If you can build a powerful brand, you will have a powerful marketing program. If you CAN'T then all the advertising, fancy packaging, sales promotion and public relations in the world won't help you achieve your objective.
 Al Ries