Planning fundamentals
Flighting
Flighting is the pattern of when a campaign's budget is spent across its dates: flat, front-loaded, pulsed around key moments or built toward a peak. The flighting shape becomes the basis for planned-to-date calculations, so pacing alerts reflect the approved plan rather than a straight line.
In practice
A quarterly total does not show whether spend should be even, heavy at launch or held back until creative and tracking are stable. Weekly weights per line make the shape explicit and activatable.
If pacing is measured against a flat line while the plan front-loaded week one, the campaign will look like it is overspending when it is following the approved shape.