What is the difference between push and pull promotional strategies?

• A. Pull creates demand that pulls consumers to seek the brand.
• B. Push promotes through intermediaries to consumers; pull creates demand that pulls consumers to seek the brand.
• C. Push targets end consumers; pull targets wholesalers
• D. Push is long-term; pull is short-term

Answer: (B)

Promotional strategies differ by who they aim to influence and how they generate demand. A push strategy promotes through intermediaries—wholesalers and retailers—encouraging them to stock and push the product to end consumers. A pull strategy, on the other hand, targets end consumers with advertising and promotions to create demand, so consumers actively seek the brand at retailers, pulling the product through the distribution channel. This description best captures how the channel is influenced and how demand moves through it. In practice, brands often blend both, but the defining idea is directing effort at intermediaries versus directly at consumers and how that shapes demand. The other statements either describe only one side, misidentify who is targeted, or focus on duration rather than the direction of demand.