Large retail, chain stores are a necessary channel of manufactured, consumer goods. Having the widest selection and best prices, these stores offer consumers most every product desirable. A fundamental promotional tool in the marketing mix is to promote products with Free Standing Inserts (FSIs) which publicize new product features usually with cents off coupons.

Marketing tactics come and go, but no matter what business you’re in, one thing remains a constant: Customers love coupons. Thanks to the increase in the number of Americans online (more than 70 percent of the population), consumers are embracing online coupons as a quick and easy alternative to spending an entire Sunday clipping them from the newspaper.

If you're an agency or client working together to support trade and consumer programming, then you've got to be working smarter, harder and more effectively. A few key steps to keep in mind for good group dynamics:

1. Client direction.
Keeping the agency moving in the right direction may require more information than you think. A hands off approach to creative solutions can be a shot in the dark. Spend time up-front and have the agency submit their plan with both client and agency input. See if the agency has a preferred process. If not, does the client offer any training that can educate the agency in how its company/groups function.

Wine or alcoholic beverages have unique state by state legal requirements. Many alcohol (Wine, Spirits, Beer) companies with national distribution will promote a partner brand for the main reason of offering a consumer promotion, usually in the form of a cents off coupon in states that prohibit promotional savings on their own (alcohol) brand.

Universal product codes — UPCs — are the 12-digit numbers that appear under the barcodes on many U.S. products. They are given out by GS1 US, a nonprofit group that sets standards for international commerce.

Here’s how it works: Businesses pay to join GS1 US, and in exchange, it assigns each member its own identification number that appears as the first part of its UPC.

Q: Are there resources to help figure out whether a business name is already taken? What do you do if the name you want is already claimed?

- J.B., Chicago

Do So Effectively and Marketing Opportunities Will Follow

You can do your part to stimulate the economic recovery and help build your brand. Here's how.

First, recognize that buyers holding tightly to their purchase orders must not only be encouraged, but also inspired to do business with you. Moving from persuasion to inspiration requires an investment of time and, yes, dollars -- though not always a huge amount. Success is more likely to hinge on marketing savvy and a brand strategy executed with precision.