Marketing Trends 2027: 10 Predictions for CEOs as AI Rewrites How Customers Buy
In 2027 AI becomes the front door to your business. Buyers meet you in an AI answer, then judge you in seconds. Here are 10 predictions for CEOs on brand, teams, token costs, PR and quality control, built on Anthropic, ONS and IPA data and first hand experience of building with AI.
How to Measure Marketing Effectiveness in 2027: Why Performance Metrics Only Tell Part of the Story
Performance metrics were built to measure ads. Most businesses now use them to judge all of marketing. Here is how to measure marketing effectiveness on both sides in 2027, with sourced data on what dashboards miss, what really drives growth and why AI sameness makes brand and reputation matter more.
Lead Generation Strategies 2027: How to Keep Your Pipeline Full as AI Changes How Customers Find You
Most buyers pick their shortlist before they speak to you. AI now helps them build it. Here are 7 lead generation strategies that hold up in 2027, with sourced data on how B2B and consumer buyers find suppliers, UK cold email rules and what to report to the board.
Piracy 3.0: How AI Made Copying Software Easy in October 2026
Copying software stopped needing a specialist in October 2026. A solo developer rebuilt Adobe's creative apps with AI, GTA V ran in a browser tab and a fan project took EA's skate offline. It feels like Napster again. Here is what it means for anyone who sells software.
How Much Should You Spend on Marketing in 2027? A Guide for UK CEOs
The right marketing budget is the one your acquisition maths can pay back. Here is a 4 step method for UK CEOs setting a 2027 budget, with worked examples in pounds, what marketing people really cost and why the same budget buys less this year.
Marketing Spend as a Percentage of Revenue by Industry: UK Benchmarks 2027
Most marketing budget benchmarks quoted to UK founders come from US surveys or no source at all. The real numbers tell a different story. Smaller companies spend almost twice the headline average. Here is what companies actually spend by industry, size and business model, and what to plan for in 2027.
Sport's Neutrality Problem: What the Next Generation of Commercial Deals Looks Like
Sport built its commercial model on political neutrality. Three events in March 2026 proved that assumption has collapsed. Here is what the next generation of sponsorship and hosting deals looks like.
The Attention Era Is Over. The Revenue Era Has Begun.
Attention in sport has never been higher. Revenue has never been harder to secure. This article explains why visibility stopped converting and how the smartest properties are rebuilding marketing as commercial infrastructure.
Strategic Advisor: One of London’s Fastest Growing Roles in 2026
Strategic Advisor is now one of London’s fastest-growing roles, but the demand isn’t about more strategy. It reflects a widening gap between strategic intent and commercial outcomes. This article explores what companies are really buying when they hire advisors and why marketing economics is where most strategies still fail to convert.
The 2026 Sports Content Framework: How Modern Properties Build Audiences That Convert
Most sports properties are producing more content than ever and converting less. The issue is not volume or creativity, it is structure. This article sets out a practical 2026 content framework showing how modern sports organisations use content as commercial infrastructure to build audiences that convert, retain and compound value over time.
Sports Marketing in 2026: Strategy, Campaigns, Trends and What Actually Works
Sports marketing in 2026 is no longer limited by capital, platforms or creativity. What separates growth from stagnation is how marketing is governed, owned and executed. This article breaks down which strategies, campaigns and trends actually work, why many fail commercially, and how leading sports properties turn activity into sustained momentum.
Why Sports Properties Are Rich in Capital but Poor in Commercial Momentum
Sports has never had more capital, technology or investor confidence. Yet many properties still fail to convert investment into sustained commercial momentum. This piece explains why the gap is not funding, formats or platforms, but marketing leadership and governance.
How Boards Decide Whether Marketing Is Working (Even When Revenue Lags)
Most boards rely on revenue to judge marketing performance, even though revenue lags decisions by months or years. This piece outlines how boards can assess whether marketing is working using governance, accountability and leading indicators before revenue appears.
The Hidden Risk of Hiring a Fractional CMO: When 'Flexible Leadership' Becomes Strategic Drift
Fractional CMOs are often hired to bring clarity without disruption. But when authority, expectations and accountability are misaligned, flexible leadership turns into strategic drift. This article explains why many fractional engagements fail and what boards must change for them to work.
Why Most Fractional CMOs Fail at Board Level (And Why That's a Governance Problem, Not a Talent One)
Most fractional CMO failures aren’t talent problems. They are governance failures. Boards expect C-level outcomes while withholding the authority required to deliver them, then blame the hire when structure fails.
Why Marketing Feels Expensive in 2026 (And Why Most Boards Are Solving the Wrong Problem)
Marketing only becomes a problem when revenue stalls. In 2026, it feels expensive not because it’s broken, but because it’s funded, governed and measured in ways that dilute impact. This article explains why most boards are solving the wrong problem, and what high-performing leaders do differently.
Why Marketing Is Failing Boards in 2026 (And How Leaders Fix It Without Spending More)
Marketing is under more scrutiny than ever. When growth stalls, boards question spend, ROI and impact, often before questioning strategy. This article explores why marketing is structurally failing leadership teams in 2026 and how executives can rebuild focus, accountability and growth without increasing budgets.
How to Hire a Fractional CMO in the UK: A Practical Guide for Founders and Boards
Fractional CMOs are often misunderstood and frequently mis-hired. This guide breaks down how the fractional CMO model actually works in the UK, when it delivers real commercial value, and when it does not. Built for founders, boards and investors, it covers hiring criteria, pricing, contracts, IR35 considerations and the metrics that matter if growth is the goal.
How to Choose a Fractional CMO (5 Step Framework & 2026 Buyer's Guide)
Decided you need a Fractional CMO but unsure how to choose? The market is growing and quality varies. This 2026 buyer's guide provides a 5 step framework for CEOs to evaluate expertise, check for niche experience and avoid common red flags.
Fractional CMO vs Agency vs Consultant. A 2026 Cost Benefit Analysis
Do you need a leader, a team of doers or a temporary advisor? Hiring the wrong one is the most expensive mistake a scale up can make. This is our definitive, CFO friendly analysis of a Fractional CMO vs an agency vs a consultant, built to help you make the right hire.