A hotel working with a neighboring restaurant to offer a dining discount on the back of a hotel's key card is an example of a ___ sales promotion.

• A. Advertising
• B. Direct Marketing
• C. Promotional Items
• D. Cooperative

Answer: (D)

Cooperative promotions involve two businesses partnering to promote each other and share the costs and benefits of the effort. In this example, the hotel and a nearby restaurant team up to offer a dining discount that's printed on the back of the hotel’s key card. This kind of cooperation expands value for guests, taps into each business’s customer base, and reduces the promotional cost by pooling resources.

Advertising is typically a one-way message controlled by one business, and direct marketing targets a specific audience with a direct call to action, rather than a joint partnership. Promotional items refer to tangible freebies or branded goods, whereas the key-card discount represents a shared promotion between partners.