A strategy in which investment in a particular line of business is reduced or eliminated because the revenue brought in by additional investment would not warrant the expense. A harvest strategy is employed when a line of business is considered to be a cash cow, meaning that the brand is mature and is unlikely to grow if more investment is added. The company will instead siphon off the revenue that the cash cow brings in until the brand is no longer profitable.

Firms generally use profits from mature brands to increase funding for more promising lines of business. For example, a telecommunications company may take profits from its land line business to supplement research and development for its wireless communications business if growth and profits in the wireless business are more likely. Advances in technology and changes in consumer behavior dictate which brands become cash cows.