Don't Plan for 2027 Like It’s 2025

Sep 9

All too frequently, annual planning plays out like a bad Dilbert cartoon (IYKYK). The painful cycle goes something like:

Boss: “Give me the plan that shows growth next year. We need to hit [astronomical goal that employee had no hand in setting].”
Employee: “Got it. What parameters should I keep in mind? Do you have a budget to invest to help us hit that figure?”
Boss: “Hm, no. For now, just tell me what it looks like.”
Employee: <Proceeds to spend a significant chunk of time writing plans, gathering estimates, benchmarking, presenting, pre-selling, yada, yada, yada>
Boss: “Thanks, but we’ll never get this kind of funding! $200k in the line item for PR is good, right?”

I’d love to say that this is an exaggeration. It’s not. For 25 years, I had a window into top American companies and far too often, annual plans are built either on “last year’s benchmarks” or what someone thinks a channel should cost. If you or your team head into 2027 like this, you’re gonna get served.

Look around. 2026 was a pivotal year in how to uplevel integrated marcomms execution. If you aren’t already reconfiguring your teams, plans, and associated funding to meet this evolution, it’s going to bite your organization (hard) next year.

You might already be feeling the "nips"

I’ve been working with agencies who are receiving disappointed feedback from clients wondering why their brand didn’t appear in ChatGPT when they went searching.
Some corporate clients are feeling the pressure from CEOs and board members who aren’t really asking so much as they’re stating something akin to, “You’re in front of this whole AI visibility thing, right? I’m not gonna see anything out there I don’t want to, right?”
Still others are losing sleep over Q4 holiday plans and how to maximize AI recommended sales opportunities. They haven’t even clicked on the “URGENT: Q1 Follow-Up” email.
You might have heard that an organization should invest "7%-15% of revenue into sales," a classic corporate 'guidelines' that is freely and widely offered.

But does that figure really work for your company? Before offering it to the boss because “that’s what everyone does,” stop and think. (Be the Human in the Loop!) I appreciate this guidance from the Pedowitz Group:

Yes!

Only, far too many pros are met with, “Listen, we have to make the goal happen and we can’t adjust anything material to make that happen. Go work some magic.”

If you or your clients are in some version of the Dilbert free fall, stop. Don’t write the plan. Have a “real real” with stakeholders first.

I’m not suggesting being a diva about the fact that you’re not getting clear answers. Plans are written without concrete guidance all the time. (That’s literally the definition of a plan, it’s not known.) I am suggesting that you can cut down on wasted hours and dead-end estimates with a little honest conversation upfront. Take a beat to discuss reality with the decision-makers first (clients, bosses, etc.) before you spend their money (and your time) on something that’s not going to go anywhere.

Design to pivot (now, not later)

The likelihood is high that you’ll emerge from that conversation without much more in terms of concrete answers, but at a minimum, I really, REALLY encourage you to establish three answers:

1) If funding stays flat, what are things we believe we need to cut (and why) to allow for new opportunities next year? (This helps establish “must haves” and will likely shed good light on recent conversations among clients / stakeholders. What are they seeing / feeling / doing? How/can you help?)

2) What are the key opportunities we both see for next year? (i.e., Do we see eye to eye on what those are? Is the client team on the same page? Your leadership team?) Don’t wait until you’ve invested $25k in planning hours to unearth misalignment.

3) How are we building “check-and-adjust” moments into our plan? The reason a plan is called a plan is just that: it’s an approach to what is unknown. The rate of change in the world is staggering, so it’s absolutely crucial to build in aspects that allow teams to “meet the moment.” Be explicit in your plan: what is the cadence that allows us to pivot and adjust to the way things are evolving while also showing traction”

Ready to get ahead of visibility in an AI-mediated world? CTP has the frameworks, tools, and guidance to help. Let’s talk.

We can help you navigate the planning season in a manner that avoids utter exhaustion, burnout, and resentment. (No one wants to fall asleep onto a plate of mashed potatoes at the Christmas table … Trust us.)

#AIVisibility#PRIndustry#GEO#AnswerEngineOptimization

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Abby Lovett, Founder, CTP Visibility Advisors. Author of "Super Human: 8 'SMALL' Ways to Be Super at What You Do…and Human While You Do It." Human Being