Glossary/Marketing Finance/Zero-Based Budgeting
Marketing Finance
Zero-Based Budgeting
Building each budget from zero every period, justifying every expense, rather than adjusting the previous year's figures.
By Brandon Mina·CEO, BrandPilot AI·Updated November 2026
Short answer
Zero-based budgeting is a method of building each budget from zero every period, requiring every expense to be justified, rather than adjusting the previous year's figures. In marketing, it forces teams to defend each program by its expected return. It can cut waste and redirect funds, but it takes more time and analysis than incremental budgeting.