At the start of my career, I helped produce brand films for agencies.

High production value. Cinematic lighting. Perfectly scripted messaging. The kind of work that wins awards.

We'd deliver a 2-minute brand film that cost $15k-$30k to produce.

The client would put it on their website.

A year later? 17 views as it lay stuffed mid-way through their about us page.

The truth? Buying decisions are made well before they reach your about us page in today’s world.

The old game: Interruption.

For decades, marketing has been about interruption.

TV commercials. Billboard ads. Cold calls. Polished brand films that nobody asked for.

You paid to get in front of as many people as possible, hoping that some percentage would convert.

While the paid media game isn’t necessarily “over,” it is getting more expensive to acquire a customer on these platforms.

The new game: Permission.

Winning brands in 2026 aren't trying to interrupt everyone with perfect, polished content.

They're building systems that earn permission to stay in someone's world.

Permission to show up in their inbox. Permission to be part of their daily scroll. Permission to be the first call when they're ready to buy.

This is the paradigm shift across your marketing efforts.

Going from- "Hey, look at me and buy from me, now!"

to- "Here’s what we both relate to and are interested in solving for, see it fitting in our lifestyle, and want to solve together. Want to join?"

Here’s the takeaway and how you actually earn permission:

You don't ask for it. You certainly can’t buy it. You build it.

It’s called the 7-11-4 Rule. Here’s the meaning.

It takes 7 hours of content consumption across 11 touchpoints in 4 different locations before someone buys.

Seven. Hours.

That polished brand film? That's 2 minutes. You need 6 hours and 58 minutes more. Oh, and hard truth gently told? Just doing pretty graphics ain’t gonna cut it.

The end result? Permission compounds like an IRA.

The part no one ever wants to hear is that it takes time, a lot longer than you’d think.

But if you can master organic growth before amplifying with paid media. You can win in today’s world.

That's what permission looks like when you earn it.

In 2026, the brands that win are the ones that show you and start earning permission.

Not with perfect, polished content.

With consistent, real, human communication.

Sean