Category Ambition

What do we want to achieve for the category?

It is critical that we have defined what our category ambition is – what do we want to achieve in the category? If we don’t have this to hand, signed off and strategically aligned within our business, then there is a danger that category objectives and strategy are simply a matter of trying out or repeating category tactics, and hit and miss when it comes to building category value that drives brand equity (the value of our business in the marketplace).

A category ambition is typically a statement of what we want to achieve for the category over a three to five year period in the market by channel, customer and store. Our category ambition (which includes our target volumes, net revenue, operating margin and EBITDA) reflects how the category will contribute directly to achieving our company corporate strategy and goals. What we as a Customer Marketing expert want to do is engage our business behind a shared category ambition, aligned to our priority customer’s category strategy and ambition.

Why is it important?

• A clearly documented category ambition supported by specific, measurable, achievable, realistic targets and scoped over a three to five year time frame is a critical starting point to developing our category vision and strategy.
• In the process of defining our category ambition we will understand the category growth drivers, category growth inhibitors and determine our source of competitive category advantage.
• Internally we use the category ambition to justify resource and focus our company on what we want to jointly achieve with our brands in the category.
• Externally we align our category ambition with priority customers, understanding the mutual source of profitable sustainable growth. Our category ambition is fundamental to articulating our vision and strategy to our customers and to make sure we aligned with our key customers.

Before we set off on our category growth journey, what is the destination we have set ourselves? Where are we headed?

See below for a brief overview of how to define our category ambition: