Insights ·
Trade Spend That Buys Habits, Not Spikes
Reallocating trade investment toward activities that change how shoppers navigate the category.
Deep price cuts create spikes. Habit change comes from visibility, education at shelf, trial that feels low-risk, and ranges that make the preferred choice easy to find again.
Review last year’s trade calendar and tag each investment as spike, habit, or waste. Spike spend can stay—but it should not dominate the budget if your stated goal is category growth.
Habit-building activities need longer windows and cleaner measurement. Plan them early in the year so creative and field teams are not rushed into last-minute price mechanics.
A diagnostic with finance and sales in the same room often unlocks reallocation that neither team could force alone. Shared numbers lower the temperature of the debate.