“The map is not the terrain”

Strategy and tactics intertwine in their usefulness, but they are not synonymous.

“Strategy is the art of making war upon the map, and comprehends the whole theater of operations. Grand Tactics is the art of posting troops upon the battle-field according to the accidents of the ground, of bringing them into action, and the art of fighting upon the ground, in contradistinction to planning upon a map.”
–from the The Art of War by Baron Henri de Jomini

And here’s how it applies to marketing:

“To really understand the terrain you have to go to it. If trying to understand the gaps/needs of your targets/customers – be one, use your products, talk to other users, spend a day with them (not just an hour in a focus group drugging them with M&Ms). If trying to understand your competition don’t just read their website and read their reports – use their products, go to their trade-show booths, interview their customers, try to think like them, maybe even hire some of them. And if trying to understand your own strengths and vulnerabilities, don’t rely on yourself – go back and ask those above. It’s great to map all the gaps in your playing field, but remember the map is not the terrain.”
–from the post The map is not the terrain by Marketing Playbook