For agencies, media companies, and sales organizations, co-op advertising remains one of the most underleveraged tools for driving client results and unlocking incremental revenue. At its core, co-op is simple: brands provide funding support to local resellers or franchisees who advertise their products or services. Done right, these dollars can often double a local advertiser’s budget without costing them anything extra.

Yet, while co-op funds are readily available, they are often left unused. The reason? Complexity. Program rules differ by brand, approvals can be time-consuming, and sales teams don’t always know which funds are available—or how to use them effectively. This is where having a dedicated co-op advertising champion can turn missed opportunities into measurable success.

Why Co-Op Matters More Than Ever

In today’s fragmented media landscape, brands and agencies are under pressure to prove value and ROI. Co-op funds address that challenge head-on:

• Bigger Budgets, Same Spend: When clients use co-op, they’re able to extend their marketing reach without additional out-of-pocket expense. That creates more impactful campaigns and stronger results.

• Stronger Partnerships: By guiding clients through co-op programs, agencies demonstrate their value as trusted advisors—not just media sellers. This builds loyalty and longer-term relationships.

• Revenue Growth: Every unlocked co-op dollar means larger campaigns, more inventory sold, and greater agency revenue potential.

In other words, co-op advertising isn’t just about subsidizing ads—it’s about creating a competitive advantage for both the client and the agency.

The Role of a Co-Op Champion

Agencies that consistently succeed with co-op typically combine two elements: expert external support and an internal co-op champion.

Here’s why that combination works so well:

1. Sales Engagement: A dedicated champion ensures sales reps understand the value of co-op, and more importantly, how to incorporate it into conversations. Reps who consistently bring up co-op funding often close bigger deals and build more loyal client relationships.

2. Smooth Operations: External partners like Co-Op Connect can manage the heavy lifting—accrual research, ad creation, pre-approvals, claims, and compliance. But only an internal champion can keep track of changing sales teams, new hires, or evolving client priorities.

3. Strategic Focus: Internal champions know which products need a push. Do you want reps selling more digital products? More video? More direct mail? A co-op administrator can align co-op opportunities with broader sales goals.

4. Vertical Alignment: They can also steer focus toward specific industries where co-op dollars are most abundant—like auto, home services,  or retail—ensuring effort is directed where the ROI will be highest.

5. Training & Culture: A co-op champion becomes the point person for training, coordinating with partners like Localogy to run Q&A sessions, share success stories, and make co-op a cultural norm within the sales team.

Real-World Impact

Agencies and media sellers working with both co-op services and an internal champion are seeing standout results. Sales reps who integrate co-op into their pitches are often unwilling to go back—it simply creates too much additional income and client stickiness.

When co-op becomes part of the playbook, clients gain access to marketing they wouldn’t otherwise have been able to afford, campaigns perform better, and agencies strengthen their role as indispensable partners.

A Smarter Path Forward

At a time when every marketing dollar is scrutinized, co-op represents one of the most efficient ways to add value for clients. By pairing the expertise of Co-Op Connect’s platform and concierge services with an internal co-op champion, agencies can transform co-op from an afterthought into a growth engine.

As Monica Longoria of LG Ad Solutions recently put it in another context, “When ads reflect real identities and lived experiences, screens stop being passive and become powerful tools for connection.” The same holds true for co-op advertising : when agencies help businesses fully activate the dollars already available to them, advertising stops being a line item and becomes a driver of real connection, loyalty, and growth.