What is the main difference between push and pull promotional strategies?

• A. Push promotes through intermediaries; pull creates demand from consumers to drive product through the channel
• B. Push relies on social media; pull relies on TV ads
• C. Push is for consumer goods; pull is for industrial goods
• D. Push is always more expensive than pull

Answer: (A)

The core idea is about who you target and how you generate demand. In a push approach, promotions are aimed at intermediaries—wholesalers and retailers—using trade promotions, discounts, and incentives to secure shelf space and encourage them to push the product to customers. In a pull approach, the focus is on end consumers, using advertising and promotions to create demand so consumers ask retailers to stock the product, effectively pulling it through the channel.

That’s why this option is the best: it correctly captures that push promotes through intermediaries while pull creates consumer demand to drive the product through the channel. The other statements mix up what drives the strategy (media channel, product type, or cost) rather than who is being targeted and how demand is generated, so they don’t describe the fundamental difference.