Saylor URL: http://www.saylor.org/books Saylor.org
[8] Matthew Boyle, “Walmart’s Painful Lessons,” BusinessWeek, October 13,
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12, 2009).
[9] Daniel Shafer, “Asia Is Final Frontier for VW Empire,” Financial Times, December 10, 2009, 17.
[10] Tim Bradshaw, “Zune to Launch Outside U.S.,” Financial Times, November 16,
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8.3 Functions Performed by Channel Partners
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Describe the activities performed in channels.
- Explain which organizations perform which functions.
Different organizations in a marketing channel are responsible for different value-adding activities.
The following are some of the most common functions channel members perform. However, keep in
mind that “who does what” can vary, depending on what the channel members actually agree to in
their contracts with one another.
Disseminate Marketing Communications and Promote Brands
Somehow wholesalers, distributors, retailers, and consumers need to be informed—via marketing
communications—that an offering exists and that there’s a good reason to buy it. Sometimes, a push
strategy is used to help marketing channels accomplish this. A push strategy (which is discussed in