Brands offer co-op advertising funds to franchisees because it helps them reach local audiences and boost the brand’s local appeal. Most national advertising by brands focuses on the “what and why” of the product messaging, but local marketing and advertising by franchisees helps consumers understand the “where.” A new BIA/Kelsey survey of 102 franchisees provides…
I’ve had the good fortune to travel to new markets for 4-legged sales calls to non-advertisers with newspaper clients. In one case, of the 8 preset appointments we struck unused co-op funding in each and every location…it was really like shooting fish in a barrel. In each case, the business owner simply had no time…
Regardless of how much these programs are touted by the manufacturer or the media, large amounts of any brand co-op program budget go unspent. And despite the misguided conception of many, manufacturers do indeed want their channel partners to take advantage of these programs since it gives them localized brand advertising at attractive media rates….
One of my favorite co-op advertising clients over the years focused on the brand promotion aspect of the advertising sale first and foremost with a nod toward the potential reimbursement under the co-op guidelines. Her approach in the local market was that the dealer should advertise the branded promotions through local media to capitalize on…
Co-op advertising arrangements are baked into the local sales process of almost every brand name you know. From Allstate Insurance to Zerex Antifreeze, part of the supplier’s selling process is to build the brand nationally and engage the local seller with support for the same branded advertising at the market level. None of the national…
More and more brands are putting co-op advertising funds toward digital media. We’ve been watching this activity for the last few years and just last month I had a chance to discuss the changing landscape with local media executives at a Borrell Associates event in San Francisco. LSA’s co-op database now shows that about 90%…
In our efforts to provide resources for small businesses to learn about digital marketing (events, webinars, blogs, etc.), there have been a number of common recommendations coming from experts. One very practical and concrete suggestion we’ve repeatedly heard is the need for SMBs to claim and verify their Google My Business (GMB) page. Despite the…
When it comes to co-op advertising, there is much discussion around the roughly $70 billion in annual co-op funding available in the U.S. While not every SMB sells brands that offer these kind of programs, almost half do and only a fraction are taking advantage. According to an LSA and Manta joint study, 43% of…
The idea behind co-op is simple: manufacturers make money available to help local retailers, dealers and distributors sell more of their products. There are billions of available dollars but most co-op programs are underutilized. Though simple in concept, there is no magic bullet for taking advantage of co-op advertising. Improving co-op performance is a matter…
The opportunity with co-op is huge. LSA often talks about the $35 billion in co-op ad dollars that go unused each year. Actually utilizing these funds, however, remains a challenge for many. The first ever LSA Co-op Conference was created to demystify the often misunderstood and widely underutilized world of co-op advertising. Today in Chicago, the half-day event brought…
