The Space Between Strategy & Story: Why Marketing Still Matters

By Jason Johnston

There’s a point in every marketer’s career when campaigns stop being just campaigns — and start becoming case studies in human behavior.

For me, that shift happened years ago. Somewhere between analyzing KPIs and sketching out taglines, I realized marketing isn’t really about selling. It’s about translating belief into language.

That’s what keeps me in the game. That’s what The Jason Space is about — the intersection of strategy, story, and the psychology of attention.

Finding Meaning in the Noise

Group of young people on their phone, tablet, personal device and working

We’re surrounded by more messaging than ever before. Every scroll, swipe, and story is a competition for our focus. But great marketing isn’t about shouting louder — it’s about speaking clearer.

I’ve seen organizations spend millions trying to be everywhere at once, only to end up blending into the background. What they miss is that presence isn’t about ubiquity. It’s about intentionality.

When a brand truly understands who it is — when it knows its values, its audience, and its purpose — everything else aligns. The creative, the tone, the visuals, the experience.

That’s when marketing starts to breathe.

Beyond Campaigns: Building Brands with Soul

Over two decades in marketing and advertising, I’ve watched trends come and go. The platforms change. The algorithms shift. The buzzwords evolve. But one truth has never changed: audiences know authenticity when they see it.

The most successful brands I’ve worked with share a common thread — they lead with meaning. Their campaigns aren’t just well-designed; they’re emotionally fluent. They don’t just communicate features; they communicate feeling.

That’s the difference between a campaign and a connection.

The Art and Science of Intuition

Marketing is often described as data-driven, and it should be. Metrics matter. Insights matter. Measurement matters. But the longer I’ve been in this field, the more I’ve learned that intuition is the real differentiator.

Data can tell you what happened. It can even suggest why. But it can’t sense the cultural undercurrent. It can’t detect tone. It can’t predict when the right message at the right time will feel human.

That’s where experience steps in — that quiet voice that says, “this concept works” before the numbers do.

I’ve learned to listen to that voice. It’s rarely wrong.

The Work That Endures

Marketing is temporary by nature — campaigns end, budgets shift, platforms evolve. But the ideas that endure are the ones that connect to something universal.

Emotion. Curiosity. Hope. Belonging.

The work I’m most proud of — across healthcare, hospitality, education, and beyond — isn’t just beautiful or clever. It’s work that moved people. It’s work that made them feel seen.

And that’s the metric I’ll always care about most.

The Jason Space

This space isn’t a sales pitch or a service offering. It’s a portfolio of perspective — a collection of lessons, stories, and reflections from a life in marketing and advertising.

It’s a place to think out loud about what it means to capture attention, earn trust, and communicate meaning in a world that moves at the speed of a scroll.

I don’t claim to have all the answers. But I’ve learned enough to know that the best marketing isn’t about chasing trends — it’s about understanding people.

And if there’s one thing I’ve discovered in this work, it’s that meaning never goes out of style.

Coming Soon in The Jason Journal:

• “The Psychology of Attention: Why Good Design Isn’t Enough”

• “From Healthcare to Hospitality: What Every Brand Can Learn About Empathy”

• “The Future of Authentic Marketing in an AI World”