108. Trade Promotion ROI: Stop Wasting Trade Spend

108. Most CPG trade promotions fail—and they're quietly draining your runway. If you're discounting without driving sustainable base sales, you're rewarding existing shoppers instead of acquiring new ones. That's how brands go broke. In this episode, I break down how to measure promotional effectiveness the right way so you can stop acting like an ATM for retailers and start becoming a strategic category partner. We unpack base sales vs. total sales, why over-discounting erodes profit, how to align pricing with value, and how to design promotions that build loyalty—not just spikes. I also explain why retailers need brands that understand their unique shopper and how that insight becomes your unfair competitive advantage. If you want to extend your runway, grow sustainable sales, and maximize trade marketing ROI, this episode is your blueprint. Listen to related episodes to go deeper into trade marketing, pricing, and category leadership strategy. Get instant access on the show webpage: RetailSolved.com/session108