For these businesses, advertising in the newspaper, radio or TV would be a waste of time and money. You will find these companies using direct mail or placing ads in trade magazines. These will have listings and rates of trade and industry publications you can advertise in. In this type of advertising the manufacturer absorbs a portion of the cost and can also supply all the artwork for the ads. Their are some pitfalls to be careful of when dealing with co-op advertising.
Every company wants their business portrayed in the best possible light.
To that end, they will be very strict about how and where you place your advertising. Before the ok the co-op money, they will want to approve all ad copy, pictures, size, placement and use of logos. If you place an ad without approval you run the risk of violating one of the guidelines and absorbing the entire cost of the ad. The media you choose will want payment for the ad within a month at the most. You may not receive your co-op money for several months.