Marketing strategy 2027: 5 bets I’m placing (and why none of them are flashy)

Back the things that stay the same, not the next big idea nobody else has spotted.

As we move into Q4, lots of us are planning for 2027 and looking back at what worked this year. I write brand and marketing strategies for a living, which means placing bets on what to go after and what will win. So here’s where I’m putting mine, and what I’d prioritise if you’re planning too.

I’m not chasing the next big swing. I’m backing things that will still be true in five years.

1. Audience insight: ask, don’t assume

When did you last send a survey or run a focus group to find out why people chose you? What was the final thing that made them convert? Who else were they looking at? How did they feel afterwards?

It’s easy to assume we know how customers think about us, then build next year’s plans on that assumption. Sometimes we’re right, but often we’re not. Getting these answers has never been easier, and customers are often happy to share them.

2. Human connection: become part of someone’s routine

People are looking for ways to connect with others like them, and the research backs it up. A meta-analysis of 148 studies and more than 300,000 people found that those with stronger social relationships had a 50% greater likelihood of survival [1]. On the consumer side, two in three UK consumers say they’re prioritising in-person experiences this year to balance their time online, and 60% prefer human recommendations to algorithmic ones [2]. 79% of 18-to-35-year-olds plan to attend more events in 2026 [3].

If your customers see you as part of their routine, or as a reason to get together, you become more than a product or service. That emotional connection is much harder for a competitor to copy.

3. Content built on human truths and human stories

We’ve all had a good time with AI this year, but the trust risk is growing. A Q2 2026 Fractl study found 40% of consumers say heavy AI use would reduce their trust in a favourite brand, double the 20% who said so the year before [4]. Academic research also suggests that disclosing AI authorship can erode perceived authenticity [5]. The evidence isn’t unanimous (one 2026 study found no significant difference in trustworthiness between AI and human-created ads [6]), but it’s enough that I wouldn’t gamble my brand on it. What feels like a quick win could be doing more damage.

Content doesn’t have to be complex. You need a clear content strategy and repeatable frameworks. That means no thinking up ideas every morning, no jumping on social trends and no AI posters.

Your prospects don’t need more regurgitated marketing speak. They need human stories that make them feel “this is for people like me” and “this will actually solve my problem.”

4. Stop assuming people are already in the market

Many strategies assume the customer has already decided they want what you sell. They forget the work of building desire first, and of showing up at the moments that start people thinking about buying.

The research supports this. Professor John Dawes of the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute found that only around 5% of buyers in a category are in the market at any given time (the “95:5 rule”) [7]. The exact split depends on how often people repurchase in your category [8], but the principle holds: most of your future customers aren’t looking yet.

Take John’s Bike Company (not a real company). They explain why their bikes are the best, with great features and innovative materials. That will convert some of the people already looking for a bike, and there’s nothing wrong with it. But they need this and:

Desire building. John’s needs to connect with what motivates his audience: time in nature, getting fit, time with family and friends. Then when someone starts thinking about a healthier lifestyle, John’s is the obvious choice, even if they weren’t looking for a bike.

Category entry points. These are the triggers and situations that make buyers think about your category [9]. For John’s, that might be an active holiday, a milestone birthday or a big life change. The job is to find natural, organic ways to show up for those moments.

5. Word of mouth: be worth talking about

How did your last five customers actually hear about you? And when did you last ask a happy one to tell someone else?

This is the least glamorous bet on my list, and the one I’m most sure about. People have been recommending businesses to each other for as long as there have been businesses to recommend. Nielsen’s 2021 global study found 88% of consumers trust recommendations from people they know [10], and McKinsey found word of mouth is the primary factor behind 20-50% of all purchasing decisions [11].

It also works on the people who aren’t in the market yet. When a friend asks “does anyone know a good...?”, you want to be the answer.

You don’t need a big referral programme. You just need to be good enough to talk about, and leave customers with an experience they have to talk about. Then make it easy for them to do it.

If you sell products, think about the unboxing. What could you put in the box that they’d have to take a picture of and share? If you’re a service provider, think about what you could do that’s so good they have to bring their friend.

Start small. Ask your customers what they’d tell a friend about you, then build on that.

Where to start

You don’t have to do it all at once. Pick one, ask your customers one honest question, and build from there.

If you’d like help working out which bet is right for your business, I offer a one-off audit that shows us exactly where to start. Email me at bystudiorose@gmail.com.

References

1. Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T. B., & Layton, J. B. (2010). Social relationships and mortality risk: a meta-analytic review. PLOS Medicine. https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000316

2. Mastercard / Trend Hunter (May 2026). Digital detox: Brits ditch screens for in-person experiences. https://newsroom.mastercard.com/news/europe/en-uk/newsroom/press-releases/en-gb/digital-detox-brits-ditch-screens-for-in-person-experiences-this-summer/

3. Eventbrite (Jan 2026). Social Study: the “Reset to Real”. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260114088488/en/Eventbrites-Inaugural-Social-Study-Report-Reveals-the-%E2%80%98Reset-to

4. Fractl (Q2 2026), as reported by Ringer Sciences. https://ringersciences.com/articles/ringer-weekly-2026-08-10-ai-content-trust-backlash.html

5. Frontiers in Psychology (Sept 2026). When AI admits its flaws: authenticity and novelty pathways of flaw disclosure in AI-generated advertising. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1892326

6. Journal of Marketing Development and Competitiveness, 20(2), 2026. AI-generated advertising: impact on trust, purchase intention and emotional response. https://articlegateway.com/journals/index.php/JMDC/article/download/8361/7820/13785

7. Weinberg, P. & Lombardo, J. The 95:5 rule is the new 60:40 rule. Marketing Week. https://www.marketingweek.com/peter-weinberg-jon-lombardo-95-5-rule

8. WARC. The 95:5 rule isn’t just a B2B thing. https://www.warc.com/content/feed/The_955_Rule_isnt_just_a_B2B_thing/10481

9. Prospeo. The 95-5 rule in B2B marketing: what it means in 2026. https://prospeo.io/s/95-5-rule

10. Nielsen (2021). Global trust in advertising study, as summarised by Webtonic. https://www.webtonic.io/blog/word-of-mouth-marketing-statistics

11. McKinsey, as summarised by Review42 (July 2026). https://resources.review42.com/word-of-mouth-marketing-statistics/