Most marketers know the 60/40 rule: roughly 60% of the budget on long-term brand building and 40% on short-term activation, from Les Binet and Peter Field’s research for the IPA. It’s a valuable benchmark, drawn largely from big-brand campaigns, and the authors are clear that the right balance varies by category. In a small business that needs sales this month, a fixed percentage is the wrong place to start.
Ask a different question
Instead of asking what percentage goes to brand, I ask two questions of every line in the plan. Does it move something this month? Will it still be working after the campaign ends? The best work often does both, and the worst does neither.
Activation that builds something
At AdvanceQuip, Building a Strong Case started as pure activation: four excavator models with too much stock and a sector slowing down. The offer was price and finance, and the job was to move machines. But the idea behind it, a trusted machine brand paired with a clear and affordable way to buy, outlived the stock. When the smaller models sold out, the finance message extended across the whole CASE range and carried into a follow-on campaign. The activation budget left a recognizable proposition behind.
Brand work that also sells
At Road & Sport Harley-Davidson, winter service and upgrade specials were promotions with a price on them. They also gave riders a reason to come back to the dealership in the quiet months. That’s brand building in its most practical form: staying part of the customer’s life between big purchases.
Where a small budget should go first
- Fix the page the traffic lands on. Paying for clicks to a page that doesn’t convert is the most expensive brand damage you can buy. At The Gift Group, the Shopify storefront was as much a part of my job as the ads.
- Build one asset that answers a recurring buying question. A buying guide, a comparison page or simply a clear product page can support campaigns for years.
- Time activation to real commercial moments. Stock, season and launches give an offer a genuine reason to exist.
- Keep one creative idea long enough to be recognized. Small budgets can’t afford to reintroduce the brand every quarter.
None of this makes the 60/40 research wrong. It means a small business has to earn its brand investment through work that also pays its way now, and be honest about which lines in the plan are doing which job.