Which statement best distinguishes push and pull promotion strategies?

• A. Push uses consumer advertising to promote to end customers
• B. Push uses channel partners to promote to end customers
• C. Pull relies on mass media advertising to generate demand
• D. Pull relies on retailer incentives to stock and promote products

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is who the promotion targets in push versus pull strategies. A push strategy works by getting products through the distribution channel—persuading channel partners like wholesalers and retailers to stock and promote the product to end customers. So the statement that push uses channel partners to promote to end customers captures this focus on intermediaries.

While it’s true that pull emphasizes consumer advertising to create demand, that description alone doesn’t distinguish push from pull. The other options mix up who is being targeted or misattribute tactics: consumer advertising aligns with pull, not push; retailer incentives are more characteristic of pushing stock through the channel, not pulling demand from consumers.

So the best distinguishing idea is that push centers promotion on channel partners to reach end customers.