Dominate the Downturn: 5 Strategies Determine Winners and Losers
The most successful building products and home finishes companies aren't retreating during market uncertainty, they're doubling down on marketing and capturing massive market share. Here's their playbook.
Ready to turn market uncertainty in a domination opportunity?
When markets get tough, conventional wisdom says cut expenses, especially marketing budgets. But across the building and design industries, a different pattern has emerging.
The companies truly dominating the downturn are doing exactly the opposite.
At Design & Construction Week 2025, which drew over 124,000 industry professionals, economic uncertainty dominated the conversation. Nearly 65% of keynotes and panel discussions addressed the market downturn, with NAHB economists projecting continued headwinds from interest rates and affordability challenges. Yet amid this cautious atmosphere, the contrast was striking: While many companies are pulling back marketing due to these concerns, the market leaders are strategically increasing their marketing investments.
And they're being richly rewarded for their contrarian approach.
How Market Leaders Dominate When Others Retreat
Consider these companies that turned market challenges into domination opportunities:
Trex dominated the COVID-19 downturn by increasing marketing when competitors cut back. Their reward? Market share jumped from 42% to 48% in just two years, with sales surging 40% while others struggled.
Andersen Windows dominated the 2008-2010 financial crisis by doubling down on marketing while competitors went silent. They captured 5% additional market share; an extraordinary leap that established a dominant position they've maintained for over a decade.
James Hardie dominated the 2022-2023 housing slowdown by shifting marketing focus to remodeling segments when new construction slowed. This strategic pivot offset declining new construction and positioned them for accelerated growth when the market recovered.
These aren't isolated success stories. After analyzing three economic cycles in the building products and home improvement sectors, I've identified the specific strategies that enable companies to dominate during uncertainty.
The Downturn Domination Formula: 3 GOLDEN OPPORTUNITIES OTHERS MISS
We uncovered 3 primary advantages companies gain when investing in marketing while competitors retreat:
1. Dominate the Attention Landscape
When 60-70% of your competitors cut marketing by 20% or more, your brand suddenly enjoys unprecedented visibility and higher share of voice at drastically reduced costs:
Search advertising costs fall 20-30%
Social media advertising becomes 25-40% cheaper
Display advertising rates decrease 15-25%
This creates what we call the "Empty Stage Effect", suddenly you're the only brand your audience sees, and at a fraction of the normal cost.
2. Dominate the Trust Battle
Our data shows 68% of homeowners and contractors report higher trust in brands that maintain presence during market uncertainty. This trust advantage multiplies when competitors disappear.
This trust factor is particularly critical considering 73% of buyers research 3-5 brands before making major home product decisions. Brands that disappear from marketing channels simply don't make the consideration set.
3. Dominate the Positioning War
Market disruption creates rare opportunities to reposition your brand and capture share from retreating competitors. Ferguson executed this brilliantly by increasing investment in digital education and loyalty programs when contractors became hesitant to visit showrooms, emerging with stronger trade relationships while competitors struggled to rebuild.
Introducing Dominate the Downturn: The 2025 Strategic Marketing Playbook
After witnessing so many home finishes and building products companies either retreating or dominating during market shifts, we've created a comprehensive playbook specifically for industry leaders navigating today's challenges.
Our new playbook, "Dominate the Downturn: The 2025 Strategic Marketing Playbook” explains why smart home industry brands are doubling down while others disappear and distills the proven strategies market leaders are using to gain significant share right now.
Inside this free resource, you'll discover:
5 domination strategies being deployed by home industry leaders right now
Domination case studies from companies capturing 5-10% market share during previous downturns
Channel domination frameworks to focus your resources where they'll drive maximum results
Domination messaging that resonates during uncertainty and builds trust when buyers are cautious
A 90-day domination roadmap you can immediately implement in your business
Why Domination Matters Now
The companies strategically investing in marketing during this period of uncertainty won't just survive, they’ll dominate when conditions improve, often with permanently higher market share that competitors will struggle to reclaim.
As one building products marketing director told us:
“We saw competitors retreating as our opportunity to dominate. When demand rebounded, we weren’t just first in mind—we were the obvious choice while others were still trying to rebuild awareness.”
The window to implement these domination strategies won't remain open indefinitely.
As the market stabilizes, competition for attention will intensify, and the cost advantages will diminish.
Download the Complete Domination Playbook
Ready to turn market uncertainty into your domination opportunity? Download our free "Dominate the Downturn" Playbook to access all the strategies, frameworks, and implementation guides.
DOWNLOAD THE FREE PLAYBOOK NOW
I’m Denine Harper, Fractional Chief Marketing Officer. I help growth focused building products and home finishes companies achieve peak financial results by providing strategic guidance that reshapes ineffective brand strategies, marketing programs and team organizations.
I provide businesses with seasoned marketing expertise on a part-time basis, helping to craft and execute effective marketing strategies that are aligned to your business goals. This approach ensures that your business benefits from high-level marketing leadership while remaining cost-effective and flexible, allowing you to scale your marketing efforts as needed.
What strategies have you found most effective for dominating during market uncertainty?