Trend-Adjusted Marketing Power Rankings
Rank marketing strategies against current economic, channel, and buyer trends.
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 6
- Confidence
- 94%
The power-ranking method converts a broad set of market signals into an actionable order of marketing priorities. Begin by documenting relevant economic pressures, buyer behavior, channel economics, technology shifts, and regulatory changes. Then examine each candidate strategy for tailwinds, headwinds, time horizon, measurability, and fit with those trends. Strategies supported by several important trends rise in the ranking, while strategies facing uncertainty or weak near-term economics fall. The resulting universal ranking provides a structured baseline, but the final allocation must reflect the company’s own market, business model, unit economics, and capabilities. Because the underlying conditions change, the ranking is a temporary decision instrument rather than a fixed doctrine.
Origin
Extracted from Marketing Against The Grain, where Kipp Bodnar and Kieran Flanagan used their first marketing power ranking to prioritize six strategies against economic, technological, channel, and consumer trends.
Core principles
- 01Evaluate strategies against current trends rather than historical reputation.
- 02Use a universal ranking as a starting point, not a substitute for business context.
- 03Consider both tailwinds and headwinds for every strategy.
- 04Prioritize strategies that address several important trends simultaneously.
- 05Revisit rankings as market conditions and consumer behavior change.
How to run it
- 1
Map the environment
Document the external trends that materially affect marketing, including budgets, buying cycles, channel costs, consumer behavior, technology, and regulation.
Pro tip Separate temporary economic pressures from durable behavioral or technological shifts.
Watch out Do not begin by defending a favorite channel.
- 2
Define candidate strategies
List the major strategies competing for budget, people, and executive attention. Keep the strategies at a comparable level of abstraction.
Pro tip Include established channels as well as emerging opportunities.
Watch out Mixing individual tactics with broad strategies will distort the ranking.
- 3
Score tailwinds and headwinds
For each strategy, identify the trends that improve or weaken its expected performance. Consider cost, demand, measurement, execution difficulty, and time to value.
Pro tip Distinguish a lack of new tailwinds from an actively worsening environment.
Watch out Historical effectiveness does not guarantee present-day priority.
- 4
Rank by current leverage
Place strategies with the strongest multi-trend support and most appropriate time horizon near the top. Move uncertain or economically disadvantaged strategies lower without necessarily abandoning them.
Pro tip Use vigorous debate to expose assumptions behind each ranking.
Watch out A ranking is a priority order, not a claim that lower-ranked strategies are useless.
- 5
Adapt to the business
Adjust the baseline ranking for the company’s audience, market, unit economics, existing assets, and execution strengths.
Pro tip A strong existing advantage can outweigh a general market headwind.
Watch out Do not apply a universal ranking mechanically.
- 6
Review as conditions change
Revisit the ranking when costs, buyer behavior, technology, or regulation changes materially.
Pro tip Attach the ranking to a dated planning cycle.
Watch out An undated ranking can quietly become obsolete.
In the wild
A software company facing longer buying cycles maps current trends before setting its quarterly budget. It finds that cheaper advertising supports paid acquisition, larger buying committees favor stronger positioning, and existing traffic creates an immediate CRO opportunity. It ranks brand, CRO, and paid advertising above a speculative new channel, then adapts the ranking to its strong search authority.
→ The company funds strategies aligned with both the market environment and its existing advantages.
Common mistakes
Treating the ranking as universal truth
The hosts explicitly frame the ranking as a broad baseline. Every company must adapt it to its market and circumstances.
Ranking without trend evidence
Personal channel preferences can replace analysis unless each position is connected to identifiable tailwinds and headwinds.
Confusing priority with elimination
A strategy can remain valuable even when uncertainty or poor near-term economics places it lower in the ranking.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for marketing leaders deciding which strategies deserve limited budget and attention during changing market conditions.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal for teams seeking a permanent channel ranking that can be followed without business-specific judgment.
From the transcript
“No, I think the thing that we are trying to do is figure out, based upon the trends that we see happening, how that is…”
“Yes, take the trends are the most important part. Understand how those trends and our rankings apply to your specific business, your specific market.”
“If you look at all of the trends we outlined, brand helps or supports almost all of them”
From the episode
Ranking 2023's Top 6 Marketing Strategies