Occasionally, commercial television time may be bought with the aim to tell retailers about new lines and trends of fashion and goods. Sometimes retailers may be mailed to remind them that consumer advertising campaigns are about to appear on TV screens.
When the object of trade advertising has encouraged shopkeepers (whether large chains or one-man businesses) to stock up the product (especially to achieve adequate distribution in advance of a consumer advertising campaign), a special emphasis will be placed on the advantages of advertising. The advantages will be expressed in higher sales and more profits and in the appeal to the retailer's desire to make money. The advertisers in trade advertising must remember that they will have to compete with the 'selling-in' activities of rival manufacturers.
Trade advertising will be found as part of the total advertising campaign for the product and so will be produced by the same advertising agency that handles the consumer advertising. However, as consumer advertising aims to persuade the consumer about the benefits to be gained from buying the product, trade advertising aims to persuade the retailer about the benefits they will result from selling the product. Trade advertising supports distribution of different goods. It prepares the way of distribution in marketing. There is no point in advertising of products and encouraging consumers to buy them if the goods are not in the shops. The demand created by consumer advertising must be satisfied by the availability of goods in the shops. That is what we mean saying 'adequate distribution' of goods. If the advertised goods cannot be bought, customers will buy nothing or even a rival product.