Push vs. Pull Strategy

 

The two promotional strategies which are applied to get the product to the target market are Push and Pull Strategy. While in the Push strategy, the idea is to push the company’s product onto customers by making them aware of it, at the point of purchase. Pull strategy relies on the notion, “to get the customers to come to you”. The two types of strategies differ, in the way consumers are approached.

The term is derived from logistics and supply chain management, however, their use in marketing is not less. The movement of a product or information is the essence of the push and pull strategy. This article excerpt may help you in understanding the difference between push and pull strategies.

	Push Strategy	Pull Strategy
Meaning	Push strategy is a strategy that involves the direction of marketing efforts to channel partners.	Pull strategy is a strategy that involves the promotion of marketing efforts to the final consumer.
What is it?	A strategy in which a third party stocks a company's product.	A strategy in which customers demand a company's product from sellers.
Objective	To make customers aware of the product or brand.	To encourage customers to seek the product or brand.
Uses	Salesforce, Trade promotion, money etc.	Advertising, Promotion and other forms of communication.
Emphasis on	Resource Allocation	Responsiveness
Suitability	When brand loyalty is low.	When brand loyalty is high.
Lead Time	Long	Short

Push Strategy

The strategy wherein marketing channels are used to push the product or service to the sales channel is called push strategy. It explains the movement of products & services and information through intermediaries to the final consumer. In this strategy, the company takes their product to the customers, who are neither aware of it nor seeking it but the product is introduced to them, through various promotional activities.

The strategy uses trade show promotion, the point of sale display, direct selling, and advertisement on the radio, television, emails etc. to make an impact on consumers' minds and reduce the time between the discovery of a product and purchase it.

Pull Strategy

The business strategy which aims at generating interest or demand for a particular product or service of the target audience, in a way that they demand the product or service from the channel partners, is called pull strategy. In this strategy, the consumer demands are intensified by directing marketing strategies on them, which results in the ‘pulling’ of products. Pull strategy uses methods like social networking, blogging, word of mouth, strategic placement of a product, media coverage and so on, for reaching a large audience.

In finer terms, any method which are used for creating consumer demand for the product are called a Pull strategy. It is one such strategy, in which customers actively seek products of a particular brand, due to its goodwill, quality, reliability and reputation.