What is Co-Op Advertising?

Co-Op advertising is a great way to help supplement media spending and even increase your ROI by reaching more of your target audience.

What is Co-Op Advertising?

A co-op advertising program is a partnership between both the manufacturer and the retailer to share in the cost of advertising at the local level, whether it be for digital, radio, or other forms of media.

Also known as “cooperative advertising” because of the concerted effort between both parties, co-op advertising is an effective way to expand the advertising budget without increasing out-of-pocket expenses, allowing the retailer to advertise more often.

Here’s an example of a Co-Op Ad that Bridgestone may use for one of their tire dealers:

Why should I use co-op advertising?

Two words: Free Money. Alright, I understand nothing is ever really “free,” but this is kind of close. Many manufacturers are looking to increase their brand awareness, and they use these co-op programs as a way to reach their target audience. That audience just happens to be the same audience each business is also trying to reach. In short, manufacturers are offering to pay businesses to do what they are already planning on doing. When the only requirement to receive their money is to put a product logo or picture on one of your ads (a product that is already being sold at your store no less), then I believe this is the closest to “free money” you’re going to find.

Are there specific guidelines my team needs to follow when creating these ads?

Yes! Each manufacturer who offers co-op, specifies which medium they are looking to advertise on (print, radio, television, digital, etc.) and for each of these, they have specific requirements on how their brand or product should be used. Because some of these manufacturers have pretty strict requirements, we always recommend contacting them first, before moving forward with any creative. This can even save on media creation costs since manufactures may already have ad templates with their products.

How can I find out which manufacturers have a co-op program?

Because manufacturers must approve each ad campaign that they will be paying for, they don’t want just anyone to start using their likeness. This means that the list of co-op manufacturers can only be accessed by agencies or companies who have been approved to look up that information; Vici Media Inc. has that access. As a partner of Vici, we will provide you with those specifications for certain manufacturers.  We have in-depth access to over 2,000 different brands/manufacturers and their co-op programs.  We have access to sample creative, valid business reasons, and even documentation you can use when you reach out to the brands.

As one of our partners, we make the process simple.  Submit a Co-Op Info Request.  Include the manufacturers you are interested in, and receive all of the requirements for those manufacturers (if available) within two business days.

If you have been advertising with us, but were unaware of this program, you may be able to increase your total ad spending (and thus your campaign reach) without actually increasing your own contribution. There are many manufacturers who offer co-op advertising, especially digital co-op. There are also brands/manufacturers that can offer up to 100+% of the campaign, meaning your client could get reimbursed up to 100+%.

If you are interested in taking advantage of this “free money,” let us know or submit a Digital Co-Op form within your support portal.

To read more about Co-Op, and how you can take advantage of it, click here.