What are marketing intermediaries?

Marketing intermediaries are individuals or companies that assist in distributing and promoting specific products or services to end consumers. Marketing intermediaries act as middlemen, or middle organizations, in between the company producing a specific product or service and the customers who purchase that product or service.

Marketing intermediaries come in many different forms, some common ones include:

• Retailers

Retailers are stores (brick-and-mortar or online) that purchase products or services from companies that produce them in order to mark up the price and sell to consumers. Retailers market the source company's products or services by having them in their stores, and sometimes including them in their own commercials and advertisements.

• Wholesalers

Wholesalers are individuals or companies that purchase products in bulk or large quantities with the intent of selling them to retailers, smaller businesses, or even directly to consumers. Wholesalers market the goods of other companies to both businesses and sometimes individual customers in the public.

• Distributors

Distributors are transportation companies and professionals that move products from the manufacturing company and distribute them either to retailers or directly to a customer. They utilize their existing logistics and transportation networks to accomplish this. Distributors often advertise the different companies' products they haul or transport.

• Agents and brokers

Agents and brokers are professionals that seek to facilitate sales between a company and its target consumers. They work as intermediaries between buyers and sellers, and often take a commission on any sales made for their efforts. Agents and brokers are responsible for marketing the products or services of client companies they have relationships with.

• Advertising agencies

Advertising agencies, or ad agencies, work with companies directly to assist them in developing successful marketing and advertising campaigns. They do this through a number of different marketing strategies with the goal of increasing brand awareness and increasing a client company's sales.

• Public relations (PR) companies

Public relations companies seek to improve the communication between a client company and its public audience. Their goals also involve brand awareness, but they often focus more on enhancing a company's reputation and trust in the public's eye. They execute these objectives through media relations and different forms of customer outreach.