What are Push and Pull Strategies?

There are two main types of Promotion strategies which companies use, to create demand for its products.

Push Pull Strategy Quadrants

Push Strategy

When a company uses a “push” strategy, it uses its sales force, or the supply chain, to interact with the customer, and create demand for the product. The company pushes the product to the customers, either by directly interacting with them, or to the wholesaler, who in turn will push it further down the supply chain to the retailer, and ultimately the consumer.

Push strategy is widely used in creating demand for new mobile phones. A characteristic feature of push strategy is that, the advertising spend is relatively low. Rather, the manufacturer relies on trade promotion like offering subsidies to enable retailers buy and sell more of their products.

Pull Strategy

On the contrary, a pull strategy relies on heavy advertising to create demand for a product. Advertising plays a very big role in this strategy. The many ways of creating demand in a pull strategy have increased with the advent of viral marketing. General characteristic of pull strategy is advertising (in its many forms), word of mouth, which all boils down to creating a buzz about the product, in the market. Since this can be a costly affair, manufacturers look for new ways to advertise for free or at a very low cost.

Classic example of pull strategy can be found in marketers of toys based on a popular movie (Eg. Toy Story), or a cartoon (Eg. Pokemon) all these rely on advertising, or the buzz created through TV or by the movie, which again creates demand.

Modern businesses implement a hybrid strategy which has elements of both push and pull strategies. Each strategy, if implemented successfully, will create good demand. There is no better strategy among the two, and it is for the business to decide which one to go for among these, or use a hybrid strategy.

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Readers' Questions

  • walker
    How do push and pull promotional strategies differ?
    4 months ago
  • Push and pull promotional strategies are two distinct approaches used by businesses to promote their products or services. Here is how they differ: Push Strategy: 1. Definition: Push strategy involves utilizing aggressive marketing efforts to push products towards potential customers. 2. Focus: It focuses on channel partners, wholesalers, or retailers to push products onto consumers. 3. Communication: The communication is mainly directed towards intermediaries rather than the end consumer. 4. Approach: It involves using trade promotions, personal selling, and direct marketing techniques to convince buyers to purchase the products. 5. Distribution: The supply chain is short, and products are pushed from the manufacturer towards the retailer. 6. Demand generation: It creates demand by highlighting product features, benefits, and incentives to intermediaries who may then push the product to consumers. 7. Control: The company has more control over the distribution process and availability of the product in the market. Pull Strategy:
    1. Definition: Pull strategy involves creating consumer demand and pulling the products directly from the manufacturer.
    2. Focus: It focuses on end consumers and aims to create a desire or demand for the product.
    3. Communication: The communication is consumer-oriented and targeted towards end users rather than intermediaries.
    4. Approach: It involves advertising, public relations, social media, and other promotional techniques to inform and attract customers to seek out the product.
    5. Distribution: The supply chain is longer, and products are pulled from retailers towards the end consumer based on their demand.
    6. Demand generation: It generates demand by creating brand awareness, product visibility, and emotional connection with the target market.
    7. Control: The company has less control over the distribution process as retailers and consumers drive the demand.
    8. In summary, push strategy focuses on intermediaries, uses direct marketing techniques, and emphasizes control over distribution. On the other hand, pull strategy focuses on end consumers, utilizes advertising and social media, and emphasizes creating demand to pull products through the distribution channel.
    • Juliane
      How does a push strategy differ from a pull strategy?
      5 months ago
    • A push strategy and a pull strategy are two different marketing approaches that businesses use to promote their products or services. Here's how they differ:
      1. Push Strategy:
      2. - In a push strategy, the company focuses on pushing its products or services to the customers. - The primary goal is to increase brand visibility and gain customer attention. - The company uses promotional activities like advertising, personal selling, direct marketing, and sales force to push the products towards customers. - The target audience may not have shown immediate demand or interest, and the company aims to create demand through promotional efforts. - The distribution channel is more controlled by the company, enabling them to push the products to retailers or wholesalers. - Examples include trade shows, product demonstrations, sales promotions, and salesforce incentives.
      3. Pull Strategy:
      4. - In a pull strategy, the company focuses on creating demand from the end customers, thereby pulling the products from the distribution channel. - The goal is to generate customer interest and demand, encouraging them to seek out the products themselves. - The company uses various marketing activities such as advertising, content marketing, digital marketing, social media, and public relations to make customers aware of their products and create a desire to purchase. - The target audience actively seeks out the product or service, creating a demand-pull effect. - The distribution channel is less controlled by the company, as retailers or wholesalers respond to customer demand by stocking the products. - Examples include celebrity endorsements, social media campaigns, customer referral programs, and loyalty programs. Overall, the key difference is that a push strategy focuses on pushing products onto customers, while a pull strategy focuses on creating demand and pulling customers in to purchase the products.
      • leonie kr
        Which of the following is a difference between a push strategy and a pull strategy?
        1 year ago
      • A push strategy focuses on direct promotion and personal selling, whereas a pull strategy focuses on generating demand for a product through marketing and advertising.
        • elliott
          Which of the following is a push strategy that companies use to promote their products?
          1 year ago
        • Advertising
          • pauliina
            Why is there a trend away from push strategies and toward pull strategies?
            1 year ago
          • Push strategies involve aggressively pushing products and services onto consumers, while pull strategies focus on creating demand and enticing customers to seek out and pull products and services towards them. The trend away from push strategies and towards pull strategies is due to the fact that push tactics have become increasingly ineffective. Consumers are no longer satisfied with being dictated to and are more resistant to push marketing tactics. Pull strategies are much more effective at engaging customers and creating a compelling brand experience. They allow companies to better understand customer needs, provide relevant content and create relationships with their target audience.
            • swen schulz
              What is push strategy?
              1 year ago
            • Push strategy is a type of marketing strategy employed in a business setting. It involves using incentives to convince a distributor or retailer to stock or promote a particular product. The push strategy involves pushing the product onto the customer or retailer, often through aggressive sales and advertising techniques like personal selling, trade promotions, and sales promotions rather than relying solely on pull strategies like advertising, public relations, and customer service.