Marketing Through Leadership Change: A Startup Playbook

Leadership churn isn’t just “people news”. It changes what gets prioritised, what gets funded, and what actually ships.

That’s why the recent news that M&C Saatchi UK chief executive Jo Bacon is departing amid an ongoing restructure is worth paying attention to—especially if you’re a UK solopreneur or a one-person startup trying to grow through online marketing. Big agencies are effectively paid to manage brand clarity and marketing execution for others. When they go through transition, it’s a neat reminder: if your marketing only works when you’re stable, it’s not a system—it's a mood.

The article notes that Marcus Peffers will confirm the UK leadership structure later this year, signalling that the organisation is still in the “rebuild the operating model” phase rather than the “announce a clean new chapter” phase. For founders and solo operators, that in-between period is where marketing momentum usually dies.

This post uses that leadership shift as a case study to answer a practical question: how do you keep marketing consistent when your company—big or small—is changing shape?

Why leadership transitions hit marketing first

Leadership change creates uncertainty, and uncertainty kills throughput. Marketing is often the first function to feel it because it sits at the intersection of strategy, budget, and day-to-day execution.

Here’s what typically happens during restructures—whether you’re a 10,000-person network or a one-person consultancy:

• Decision latency increases. More stakeholders (or more self-doubt) means fewer decisions get made quickly.
• Messaging fragments. Different people start telling different versions of “what we do now”.
• Channel performance dips. Not because the channel stopped working, but because consistency stopped.

For a UK solopreneur, the “leadership change” might be quieter: you stop outsourcing, start hiring freelancers, pivot your offer, drop a product line, or change your positioning. Same dynamics. Same risk.

The hidden cost: your audience notices before you do

Buyers don’t need your org chart to sense instability. They feel it through:

• inconsistent posting cadence
• a homepage that no longer matches your content
• a shift from specific promises to vague “solutions” language
• case studies that don’t match the new offer

The reality? Brand trust is built through repetition. Restructures disrupt repetition.

The M&C Saatchi lesson: restructure is a strategy execution problem

Most commentary on restructures focuses on personalities. The more useful angle is operational: restructures are a forced rewrite of “how work gets done”. That has direct marketing consequences.

From the RSS piece we know a few grounded facts:

• the business is mid-restructure, not post-restructure
• the UK leadership structure isn’t fully confirmed yet
• this is significant enough to be reported as a notable industry move

Those three points imply something that matters for your own business:

When your structure is unclear, your marketing strategy becomes harder to execute—not because the strategy is wrong, but because ownership is fuzzy.

What this looks like in a one-person business

In a solo setup, “ownership is fuzzy” shows up as:

• you don’t know whether your main KPI is leads, revenue, or audience growth this quarter
• you keep rewriting your offer page instead of publishing
• you start five content series and finish none
• you’re not sure which niche you’re committing to, so you write for everyone

You don’t need a restructure to trigger this. A single bad month can do it.

A 30-day marketing continuity plan for founders in transition

If you’re restructuring (or just feel like you are), your goal isn’t brilliance. It’s continuity.

This is the playbook I’ve found works for UK solopreneurs who want consistent leads without pretending everything is perfect.

Step 1: Freeze one “truth” and build around it

Pick one non-negotiable statement that stays true for 30 days:

• “We help [specific customer] achieve [specific outcome] in [timeframe]”

Example:

• “I help UK service businesses get 10–20 qualified leads a month from LinkedIn content and a simple funnel.”

During a restructure, you’re allowed to adjust your services and pricing. But don’t change your core promise weekly.

Output: Put that one sentence at the top of your website, LinkedIn headline, and email signature for the month.

Step 2: Lock your channels (don’t renegotiate with yourself daily)

During uncertainty, founders overthink channels. The fix is simple: commit to two channels for 30 days.

A solid “UK solopreneur growth” combo:

• LinkedIn for distribution and credibility
• Email newsletter for conversion and retention

If your audience is more consumer or creator-led, swap LinkedIn for Instagram or TikTok—but still keep email.

Rule: Don’t add a third channel until the first two are stable.

Step 3: Decide your “minimum viable cadence”

Your marketing dies when the plan is too ambitious. Use a cadence you can maintain even when your week goes sideways.

A realistic baseline:

• 2 LinkedIn posts per week
• 1 email per week
• 1 short case study or “proof post” every two weeks

That’s enough to keep the flywheel turning.

Step 4: Build a “message bank” so you don’t blank-page yourself

Leadership transitions cause cognitive load. Your brain is busy with decisions. Don’t force it to invent content from scratch.

Create a message bank with 20 bullets:

• 5 customer pain points you see repeatedly
• 5 myths you disagree with in your market
• 5 quick wins you can teach in 200–400 words
• 5 proof points (numbers, outcomes, before/after stories)

Then rotate them. Consistency beats novelty.

Step 5: Keep one conversion path boring and stable

Restructures tempt people to rebuild the funnel. Don’t.

Choose one path for the month:

• LinkedIn post → simple landing page → calendly/booking → call

Or:

• LinkedIn post → lead magnet → email nurture → call

If you change anything, change only one component at a time (e.g., update the landing page headline, not the offer + pricing + audience + CTA).

Brand positioning during change: say less, prove more

When leadership changes, companies often respond with more messaging. More posts. More statements. More “exciting new chapter” talk.

I’m not a fan. It usually reads like internal therapy turned into a press release.

A better approach for startups and solopreneurs: tight positioning and visible proof.

The positioning test you can run in 10 minutes

Take your homepage hero section and answer:

1. Who is it for?
2. What outcome do they get?
3. What’s the mechanism (how you do it differently)?

If you can’t answer in one sentence each, your positioning will wobble during transition.

Here’s a clean template:

• For: UK B2B service founders
• Outcome: consistent inbound leads
• Mechanism: content + email automation with a single offer page

Proof beats promises—especially in January

Because it’s January 2026, many buyers are in planning mode: budgets, targets, supplier reviews, “what are we doing this year?” energy. They’re receptive, but also sceptical.

So instead of louder claims, publish:

• a screenshot of a metric (with context)
• a short client story with one number
• a teardown of what you changed and why it worked

Snippet-worthy truth:

During transition, audiences don’t need reassurance. They need evidence that you still execute.

“People also ask” (and the straight answers)

How do you keep marketing consistent during leadership change?

You keep it consistent by freezing your core promise for 30 days, committing to two channels, and using a minimum viable cadence you can maintain even in messy weeks.

Should you announce leadership or business changes publicly?

Only if it changes what customers should expect. If delivery, pricing, or support changes, communicate clearly. If it’s internal reshuffling, keep it short and focus on customer impact.

What’s the biggest marketing risk during a restructure?

Message drift. When what you say, what you sell, and what you deliver start diverging, conversion rates drop and churn rises.

Turn your transition into a credibility advantage

M&C Saatchi’s news is a reminder that even large, mature organisations rework leadership and structure. The difference between a messy transition and a strong one isn’t perfection—it’s clarity and follow-through.

If you’re a UK solopreneur growing through online marketing, treat this as your operating principle:

• Your audience doesn’t need you to be static. They need you to be coherent.

Over the next 30 days, pick the one promise you’ll stand by, publish on a cadence you can actually keep, and make your conversion path boring on purpose. That’s how you maintain marketing momentum when everything else is moving.

What change are you currently avoiding communicating—because you’re worried it’ll “confuse the market”—and what would happen if you communicated it clearly instead?