The natural evolution of marketing is like this: a thought, a concept, a plan, execution, implementation, and consultation after the fact. The problem that most companies suffer from is they go from thought to execution without any concept or plan. Then they rely on consultants to tell them what they already know. Outside validation is what's important. If two people agree, that's collaboration. If three people agree, it must be a trend. Or is it?
I have heard this parable sliced and diced to represent branding, marketing, and customer perception. Here the original version from the Buddhist cannon: