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Countermove Academy

Learn the game behind the game.

Thirteen ideas that decide who wins a consumer market, then answers to the questions marketers ask most and a Level 2 course that takes the ideas into the boardroom. Each lesson is a few minutes: read the idea, then move the levers on Countermove's own market engine and see what happens to share, profit and the brand.

Start lesson 1Certificate checkWar room: plan against planFor lecturers

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Topic tracks

Follow one subject across the Academy. Finish every lesson in a track to unlock its certificate.

The path13 lessons · about 52 minutes

  1. Lesson 2 · 4 minPenetration and double jeopardyBig brands have more buyers, who are also a little more loyal.StrategyMedia
  2. Lesson 3 · 4 minMental and physical availabilityBe thought of, then be easy to find.RetailMedia
  3. Lesson 4 · 4 minPrice elasticity and valueWhat a price move does to units, sales and margin.PricingFinance
  4. Lesson 5 · 5 minPromotions: lift, dip and rented shareDeals sell now, borrow from later and rent share by the week.PricingRetail
  5. Lesson 6 · 3 minTrade loading: sell-in and sell-outShipments are not sales to shoppers.RetailFinance
  6. Lesson 7 · 4 minBrand and activation: your own splitSales now, or sales for years.Media
  7. Lesson 8 · 4 minDiminishing returns and saturationEach extra euro buys a little less.MediaFinance
  8. Lesson 9 · 3 minReturn on spend and paybackGross profit back per euro, and how long it takes.FinanceMedia
  9. Lesson 10 · 4 minGross-to-net and the P&LFrom list price to net income, line by line.FinanceRetail
  10. Lesson 11 · 5 minMarketing mix modellingWhat a model can see in your sales data, what it can't, and how sure to be.Media
  11. Lesson 12 · 4 minHabit, loyal buyers and switchersWhy share moves slowly, then keeps moving.StrategyPricing
  12. Lesson 13 · 5 minCreative qualityWhy the same money buys very different results, and what you can do about the odds.Media
  13. Final check · 13 questions · 80% to passThe Countermove certificateOne question on each idea. Pass and download a completion card to share.

Questions marketers ask8 lessons · each with a lab · not in the certificate

  1. Lesson 14 · 5 minHow to respond to a competitor price cutHold, match, or answer with the brand: what each one costs.StrategyPricing
  2. Lesson 15 · 5 minBrand vs activation: the 60:40 split explainedWhere the famous ratio comes from, and why yours may differ.MediaStrategy
  3. Lesson 16 · 4 minPrice elasticity, with a worked exampleWork out an elasticity from two prices and two volumes, then what it does to profit.PricingFinance
  4. Lesson 24 · 4 minHow to calculate market share, with a worked exampleThe formula, value against volume, and points against per cent.StrategyRetail
  5. Lesson 25 · 5 minHow to evaluate a promotion: lift against a baselineWhat would have sold anyway, and what the deal really added.PricingRetail
  6. Lesson 26 · 5 minMarketing ROI formula: ROI, ROAS and gross profitThree ratios that sound alike and give different answers.MediaFinance
  7. Lesson 27 · 5 minShare of voice and excess share of voice (ESOV)Advertise above your size and share tends to grow, slowly.MediaStrategy
  8. Lesson 28 · 5 minSeasonality in sales: the seasonal index, with a worked exampleHow to calculate it, read the real trend, and time media and deals.RetailPricingMedia

Level 2: the advanced course7 lessons · about 35 minutes · not in the certificate

  1. Lesson 17 · 5 minDistribution: numeric and weightedCounting stores is not the same as counting where shoppers spend.Retail
  2. Lesson 18 · 5 minThe digital shelfOnline, the shelf is a search results page: you can buy a place on it, earn one, or build the page that converts.RetailMedia
  3. Lesson 19 · 5 minAttribution and incrementalityWhat did that spend really earn? Take it away and see what you lose.MediaFinance
  4. Lesson 20 · 5 minResults and the share priceWhat investors pay for each euro of profit, and why one quarter's beat can cost you later.FinanceStrategy
  5. Lesson 21 · 5 minPlanning under uncertaintyOne plan, many possible years: read the spread, not just the middle.StrategyFinance
  6. Lesson 22 · 5 minBusiness cases and paybackWhat a board approves, how payback and NPV are worked out, and how sure to be.FinanceStrategy
  7. Lesson 23 · 5 minCompetitive war gamingBefore you move, play out how rivals could answer, and how likely each answer is.StrategyPricing

Glossary: every term in the lessons, A to Z