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Have you seen the video where Mark Zuckerberg talks about the difference between Meta and Apple's development approaches?
For some reason, LinkedIn keeps providing me with a clip from the September 2024 episode of the Acquired Podcast.
At the start of this segment, Zuckerberg notes that Meta takes a different approach to product strategy than Apple:
“We're the opposite of Apple… They're taking an approach that's like, 'We're going to take our time, we're going to polish it and we're going to release it.' And maybe what they do works, maybe it just fits their culture.”
In other words, you move slowly and we move fast.
But you can see that Zuckerberg is clearly having trouble separating the ideas of speed and agility in this 8-minute segment. When asked about prioritizing speed and releasing suboptimal things, he backtracks and says, “Well, I don't want to overstate it.”
He gradually comes to the realization that what he means is their ability to learn and adapt quickly – in other words, their agility:
“Product strategy is about learning and iterating as quickly as possible. If we can learn faster than anyone else, we will win.”
The point, however, lies in the audience's reaction. Most LinkedIn comments (and articles about the interview) interpreted the clip as Zuckerberg saying that speed defines great strategy.
One commenter said: “Speed is everything in marketing.”
Spoiler alert: it's not.
The pitfalls of reckless speed
I recently wrote about how the motto “move fast and break things” has permeated marketing culture.
I've seen too many marketing teams rally around new technologies and activities in the name of speed. Companies are encouraging teams to “fail fast” and deliver more content and iterative advertising faster.
In 2025, most marketers will move much faster than they did in 2015. Marketing has become more efficient and algorithmic. Unfortunately, it has also become more superficial.
Have marketers reached “top speed” where the downsides of constant acceleration outweigh the benefits?
Speed is not inherently bad. In fact, it is crucial in certain situations – such as responding to customer needs (as Jay Baer points out), managing crises, or adapting to rapid market changes. But speed for speed's sake can lead to chaos and, paradoxically, interfere with the skills it's supposed to improve.
Last year, I worked with an organization whose marketing team was so focused on optimizing their automation tools to launch email campaigns faster and more cost-effectively that they didn't realize the consequences. Your prospects have been buried under a relentless barrage of emails – demanding, personalized and unfortunately mostly poor content.
This ruthless, speed culture makes teams feel like the work is happening with them rather than with them. Nobody questions where the content comes from or whether it is the right content for the goal – there is no time for that.
Priorities get mixed up, collaboration breaks down, bouts of burnout occur and the pressure to deliver sacrifices creativity, learning and ultimately quality.
Think about meta for a moment. The company began rolling out AI-driven (allegedly fake) profile platforms that allowed users to chat. After some major backlash in recent weeks, Meta has decided to delete these profiles (at least for now). None of these decisions were a good fit for the brand. (I talk more about this mishap in this video and article.)
Facebook may be big enough to survive this misstep, but the lesson for smaller brands is clear: moving too quickly has serious consequences.
But what is the better way?
The answer is the same one Zuck ultimately chose: agility.
Intentional agility is a far more effective way to approach marketing efforts. This is about acting consciously, thoughtfully and adaptably, rather than racing forward for the sake of momentum.
Intentional Agility: More than Speed
Agility has also become a buzzword in marketing, touted by many as the only way to enable innovation and adaptability. But too often people mistakenly confuse agility with speed.
Speed refers to how quickly you can move in a straight line, while agility describes the ability to change direction quickly and purposefully.
So “If we learn faster than everyone else, we will win” actually means: “If we can process where we should change direction faster than everyone else, we will win.”
This is intentional agility: the ability to respond effectively to change based on expertise, preparation, and deliberate practice. It's about knowing when to act quickly and when to pause, evaluate and plan.
It's about moving forward with intention, not just momentum.
Start making things up on purpose
At the heart of this discussion is a philosophical shift for marketing teams: from valuing rapid, iterative change to prioritizing conscious, creative progress.
Pause long enough to question the need for rapid change. For example, ask:
- Why do we need the Ferrari of marketing automation systems when our strategy requires a truck?
- Why do we need to figure out how to get 42 AI-generated content versions when we're already at 95% of our goal with three?
- Why do we need to create 100 pieces of content for this social media channel if it doesn't deliver the desired benefits?
When I work on content marketing strategies for businesses, I often recommend changing the content creation process to start with the story rather than the containers (e.g. the designed asset).
For example, if they're planning a thought leadership post, I recommend they don't say, “We need a white paper!” Instead, I recommend they define the story first and then plan whether it's a white paper, an E -Book, webinar, podcast, email, or all of the above.
The biggest gripe I get with this recommendation is: “It sounds like you’re slowing down the content creation process.”
My answer is: “Yes, absolutely. And by doing so, you exponentially increase your ability to reuse and repackage.”
Intentional agility as a strategic advantage
In a world obsessed with speed, it's tempting to equate speed with progress. However, the most successful companies understand that real progress comes from moving with purpose.
Fortunately, I'm noticing more and more marketing leaders raising their hands and saying, “Maybe it's time to stop, take a breath, and slow down.”
By shifting the focus to conscious agility – toward intentionally inventing things and away from breaking things quickly – you can create a work environment that is more sustainable, innovative and impactful.
So next time you're under pressure to move quickly, don't do it. Consider whether you are simply chasing speed or driving towards a meaningful goal.
Then move forward – intentionally.
It's your story. Say it well.
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Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute
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