Are wholesaler product brochures an effective marketing investment for drinks brands?

Members are strongly sceptical of wholesaler brochures as a marketing tool. The consensus is that they represent poor value and are primarily revenue-generation exercises for the wholesalers themselves, not effective sales channels for brands.

**Key findings:** - **Matthew Clark brochure**: Members flagged this as a specific example to question—asking about distribution reach, effectiveness, and cost—but found limited evidence of strong ROI - **General brochure effectiveness**: Multiple members described brochures as "a colossal waste of money" based on direct experience - **Wholesaler incentive structure**: One member with insider knowledge noted that wholesalers are incentivised to sell brochure space; a colleague who worked at a large wholesaler revealed that brochures were a KPI-driven revenue stream with "a staggering amount" of money allocated to them annually—suggesting the tool exists to benefit the wholesaler, not the brand

**Caveat:** The community did not provide quantitative data on reach, cost per unit, or conversion rates for any specific brochure, so decisions should be informed by direct quotes from wholesalers and comparison with alternative routes to market.