Once upon a time, in a job far, far away, I had a boss that inspired me with the following after a promotion “I’ll measure your success on how many calls I don’t get.” Gives you chills, doesn’t it? His words nearly sank me. Worse than that, attitudes like this guy’s could have sunk the company.

What that old boss was referring to was our co-op advertising program, the “below the line” activities that often happen in-store or within retailer-controlled media. Many old-school marketing directors, like my old boss, see co-op as a necessary evil—a contractual obligation that is time-consuming and, to be blunt, quite hemerrhoidal.… read more.