The 60/40 Marketing Rule: Finding the Right Balance for Long-Term Success.

In marketing, it’s easy to get caught up in chasing those quick wins - seeing that spike in Shopify sales can get pretty addicting - but as the saying goes, "good things take time”, especially when it comes to making your brand memorable.

I can bet my bottom dollar that you cannot remember the Black Friday offers you shopped from last year, but that one television commercial from over 10 years ago takes up some pretty significant real estate in your memory.

For me, it’s “charter boat? What charter boat” - need I say less.

So how can you create a strategy that balances short-term wins with long-term growth?

Enter the 60/40 rule.

So, what does the 60/40 rule mean?

Simply put, it suggests that 60% of your marketing efforts should focus on brand-building—the things that make you famous and build a lasting emotional connection with your audience. The remaining 40% should go toward sales activation, which makes your sales skyrocket - think flash sales, BOGOs etc.

Brand-building and sales activation work over different timescales.

Take a look at the graph attached. The yellow lines represent short-term sales activation.

As you can see, each campaign brings a sharp boost in sales, but once the campaign ends, the numbers drop right back down.

It’s like a quick burst of energy - great for immediate results, but it doesn’t have a lasting, memorable effect (just like that Black Friday sale last year).

Now, look at the orange line.

This shows the long-term effect of brand-building. While the results are less dramatic in the short term, over time, they build up and lead to steady, sustainable growth.

Think of brand-building as the foundation of your business. It might take longer to see the payoff, but once it’s in place, it keeps your brand top of mind and drives loyalty.

Since the ripe old age of 12 I knew that RACQ offered insurance, and you bet 5 years later, it was the first quote I submitted for my first car.

The beauty of the 60/40 rule is that it gives you the best of both worlds.

You get the quick wins from sales activation, keeping the cash flow healthy, but you’re also building something that will last - a brand that people recognise, trust, and come back to time and time again.

At Social & Staple, our goal isn’t just to help our brands succeed today, but to make them memorable for years to come.

Article written by Erica Alexander. To connect with Erica, visit her LinkedIn.