For: dealer marketing managers, principals and finance teams
The decision: Which promotion is eligible, affordable and supported by the required claim evidence?
60-second answer: Read the current program, obtain required approval and define proof of performance before committing spend. Track an approved allowance separately from a submitted claim and from money actually received.
Start with the program you actually have
Pull the signed dealer agreement, current co-op schedule, balance statement, eligible-media list and claim instructions. Establish the earning period, reimbursement basis, spending cap, expiry date and payment form. A supplier’s program may reimburse only specified costs or a share of them; the advertised allowance is not automatically available cash.
FEX recommends calculating the dealer’s exposure before approving the campaign: total committed spend less confirmed eligible reimbursement, with an additional scenario in which the claim is reduced or denied. Include production and agency costs only where the program permits them. A successful reimbursement does not itself prove that the advertising earned a return.
| Stage | Evidence to keep | Question before advancing |
|---|---|---|
| Eligibility | Program version, account and available balance | Are this product, market and medium included? |
| Approval | Creative, dates, audience and written approval where required | Does approval cover the final campaign? |
| Performance | Actual creative, dated run evidence and required reports | Can the supplier verify what ran? |
| Cost | Invoices, payment evidence and allocation of shared costs | Which expenses qualify under the program? |
| Claim and settlement | Submission reference, response and credit or payment | Does the received amount reconcile with the approved basis? |
Let the medium determine the evidence
A display campaign may require photographs and invoices; paid media may need placement records and approved creative; an event may need a cost allocation. These are questions to settle with the supplier, not universal documentation rules. Do not assume owned email is ineligible merely because no media invoice exists, or that a screenshot satisfies every digital claim.
The FTC’s Fred Meyer Guides address promotional allowances and services on proportionally equal terms for competing customers in covered circumstances. That guidance is not a promise that every dealer receives an identical payment or that an incomplete claim must be paid. Escalate a genuine program-access dispute with its facts and documents; obtain qualified advice where necessary.
Keep marketing and collection measures separate
- What must be approved before costs are incurred?
- Does a change in geography, timing or creative require re-approval?
- What expires: earned funds, campaign activity, claim submission or all three?
- How are denials reviewed, and which person owns follow-up?
Track qualified inquiries, resulting proposals and realized contribution separately from co-op collected. Avoid overstating a campaign’s economics by counting the allowance both as reduced cost and as additional revenue. Preserve the original claim and any corrections so a later credit can be traced.
Red flags include spending against a verbal promise, submitting after a deadline nobody recorded, or assuming another dealer’s payment proves identical eligibility. The former two-state opening story was not a documented case and has been removed.
Before the next campaign runs
- Complete the evidence file and confirm unresolved eligibility in writing.
- Name the claim owner and calendar all program deadlines.
- Reconcile every outstanding submission to an actual credit or payment.
Continue with FEX
FEX editorial guidance: the decision tools and operating recommendations in this guide are FEX analysis. They are not manufacturer specifications, contractual entitlements or industry benchmarks.
Source notes
- FTC Fred Meyer Guides — U.S. promotional-allowance guidance; individual program facts and applicable law matter.
Editorial update, October 7, 2026: Removed the unattributed two-dealer anecdote and universal claims about pre-approval, denied claims and eligible media; clarified the limited role of the FTC guidance.
