--- title: David Schaefer - Definition & Examples | RGM® Glossary url: https://realgrowthmatters.com/glossary/david-schaefer/ updated: 2026-06-10 source_html: https://realgrowthmatters.com/glossary/david-schaefer/ --- Growth Glossary — Definition SHT DAVID-SCHAEFER # David Schaefer Growth marketer; founder of Real Growth Matters (RGM); coined the term Growth Matter; previously held senior growth roles in DTC and B2B. Growth marketer; founder of Real Growth Matters (RGM); coined the term Growth Matter; previously held senior growth roles in DTC and B2B. Term : David Schaefer Field : People Category : Marketing ## What the term covers One idea, plainly put.David Schaefer is a marketing concept your team should define once. A loose definition misaligns budgets and reporting. Growth marketer; founder of Real Growth Matters (RGM); coined the term Growth Matter; previously held senior growth roles in DTC and B2B. David Schaefer belongs to Marketing and refers to a marketing concept. A shared definition keeps the team aligned. ## Where the mechanics matter Here is the short version.David Schaefer is no fixed dial. How it behaves depends on your audience, your channel mix, and the strategy around it. Think of David Schaefer as context-bound. A small shop reads it simply; an enterprise reads it with more nuance. That is normal -- David Schaefer is shaped by audience and channel mix. Read David Schaefer without care and the plan wobbles; be precise and the read holds. The working rule is plain. Agree what David Schaefer covers first, then act on it. Skip that order and David Schaefer loses its shared meaning, and two teams end up measuring two different things. Look at it this way. ## When it matters Start here.Reach for David Schaefer when a real decision rides on it -- a budget, a metric, or a comparison. Otherwise it is reference. Use David Schaefer when it changes an outcome. For marketing teams, that tends to be three recurring moments. With no choice live, David Schaefer is good to know, not to chase. 1. **Setting budget.** David Schaefer marks where added spend will work hardest. 2. **Choosing a metric.** David Schaefer checks that the figure is not just noise. 3. **Comparing options.** David Schaefer adjusts a compare so the gap is honest. ## A worked example Pick one definition.The example below traces David Schaefer through a real Oatly scenario, with real limits and a number to read at the end. Consider Oatly. Running a packaging-led repositioning, the team put David Schaefer at the center of the call. With a clean baseline and one fixed definition of David Schaefer, they read what moved: US household penetration grew 9 points. The discipline is the lesson. Worked example for David Schaefer -- illustrative figures, RGM analysis | Stage | Action | The reason | | Baseline | Logged where David Schaefer stood before the test. | A reference to judge against. | | Define | Locked the scope of David Schaefer so it stayed stable. | No room for scope drift. | | Act | A packaging-led repositioning — one variable. | Cause and effect, isolated. | | Result | US household penetration grew 9 points | A call backed by the read. | Figures for David Schaefer here are illustrative and marked RGM analysis. Copy the method, not the exact numbers. ## Where teams go wrong One idea, plainly put.Most mistakes with David Schaefer share a root: the term gets reported as if it were exact when it is not. - **No segments.** Treating David Schaefer as one number for all. Break it out before you trust it. - **Bare numbers.** Showing David Schaefer on its own. Context is what makes it readable. - **Wrong target.** Treating David Schaefer as the goal. The goal is the outcome it predicts. - **Bad compares.** Benchmarking David Schaefer with no adjustment. Account for the model differences first. ## Frequently asked questions What is David Schaefer? Growth marketer; founder of Real Growth Matters (RGM); coined the term Growth Matter; previously held senior growth roles in DTC and B2B. Settle what David Schaefer covers first; the strategy follows from there. Why does David Schaefer matter for marketers? David Schaefer shows up in budget reviews and channel reporting. Use it loosely and teams pull apart; use it precisely and the numbers line up. How do teams use David Schaefer? Teams put David Schaefer to work on a spend split, a metric, or a head-to-head call. See the Oatly walk-through above. Where do teams slip up on David Schaefer? Using David Schaefer flat across every segment and showing it without context. Both make a guess look exact. What is David Schaefer? : Growth marketer; founder of Real Growth Matters (RGM); coined the term Growth Matter; previously held senior growth roles in DTC and B2B. Settle what David Schaefer covers first; the strategy follows from there. Why does David Schaefer matter for marketers? : David Schaefer shows up in budget reviews and channel reporting. Use it loosely and teams pull apart; use it precisely and the numbers line up. How do teams use David Schaefer? : Teams put David Schaefer to work on a spend split, a metric, or a head-to-head call. See the Oatly walk-through above. ### Related reading ### Related terms