What is a push strategy in marketing?

• A. Promoting products to intermediaries who then promote them to consumers.
• B. Promoting directly to end consumers.
• C. Offering push discounts to customers only.
• D. Focusing on public relations rather than sales.

Answer: (A)

A push strategy in marketing moves the product through the distribution channel by promoting to intermediaries—wholesalers and retailers—and getting them to stock and actively push the product to consumers. The emphasis is on persuading channel members to promote, display, and sell the product, often using trade promotions, discounts, cooperative advertising, and merchandising support. This contrasts with a pull strategy, which targets end consumers directly to create demand so retailers stock the product in response. The other ideas describe promoting directly to consumers, offering discounts only to customers without channel involvement, or focusing on public relations rather than sales through the channel. So promoting to intermediaries who then promote to consumers best captures a push approach.