Strategy
Part of Local partnership marketing for people who want the details
Local partnership marketing checklist: the items people skip
local partnership marketing checklist covers fit, entities, roles, claims, brands, money, delivery, accessibility, data, support, measurement, correction, and exit.
What to take away
- The gate teams skip most often is Closenobody wants to own the stale offer, the refunds, the deleted data and the archived records.
- The next most skipped items are the trace code, the shared complaint line, the accessibility pass and third-party product testing.
- Every gate needs a named owner, dated evidence and a result of pass, fail or accepted exception.
- A partner's tax or corporate record is not proof of program quality, mark permission or partnership fit.
- Re-run the gates after any change to partner, price, audience, product, jurisdiction or end date.
The items teams skip by name
Most checklists stop at purpose, partner and agreement. The skipped items sit later, and they are predictable.
- Close-out ownershipwho retires the landing page, the QR code, the shared inbox and the account access.
- The trace codeone short URL and UTM parameters per placement, so a scan traces back to a specific poster.
- The shared complaint lineone number that reaches a human at either organization after hours.
- The accessibility passcaptions, alt text on digital mirrors of print, and languages beyond English.
- Third-party testing for any item handed to children.
- A nonprofit partner's tax status, checked federally and at state level.
A local partnership marketing checklist should block a campaign that lacks fit, authority, delivery, customer remedy or data control. The nine gates below are the ones worth keeping.
Release gates and what passes each one
| Gate | Pass evidence | Skipped most often |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Customer, place, problem, mechanism, outcome | rarely |
| Partner | Entity, authority, capacity, conflicts, insurance | tax and charity status |
| Agreement | Scope, contributions, money, service, risk, exit | correction path |
| Brand | Names, marks, assets, claims, disclosures | asset removal dates |
| Delivery | Eligibility, stock, locations, staffing, remedy | after-hours cover |
| Access | Physical, language, communication, digital needs | almost always |
| Data | Purpose, fields, notice, access, retention, deletion | deletion date |
| Measure | Definitions, baselines, duplicates, cost, reporting | duplicate handling |
| Close | Customers, money, assets, access, data, records | almost always |
Example: a filled Close gate
Gate: Close. Owners: club treasurer for money, store marketing lead for assets and data. Evidence: final coupon redemption file dated 12 June, screenshot of the paused ad set, deletion confirmation for the shared email list, signed records handover. Result: pass, with one accepted exception allowing the joint phone line to stay open 30 days. Next review: 15 July.
Record each item in that shape. Add the evidence location, the reviewer, the decision date and the next review date. Teams still unsure about who signs what can start with the questions that surface most. A checked box without a current agreement, an approved asset or a tested system is not a pass.
United States: filings and checks worth naming
The FTC's advertising and marketing guidance covers claim support, disclosures and endorsements. A claim both brands publish is a claim both brands must substantiate.
For a nonprofit partner, check IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search for federal status, then the state charity regulator for each state where the campaign runs. Neither record proves program quality or grants permission to use a name.
Giveaway items for young children carry testing and certification duties. Part 1107 of Title 16 sets out those testing and labelling requirements under CPSIA.
The USPTO assignment search shows who recorded an ownership change. It does not itself grant a licence to use a mark.
Canada: what a US team forgets
Promotional goods given in Canada fall under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act. Health Canada publishes recalls and compliance guidance, so check the item, not just the supplier.
In Quebec, commercial advertising must be in French, and other languages may appear alongside it under the Charter of the French Language. Federal bilingual packaging rules apply elsewhere.
If the offer travels by unaddressed mail, Canada Post Neighbourhood Mail is the standard route. A direct mail marketing checklist covers the list, the print and the return handling before the drop.
When to re-run the checklist
Restart the affected gates after a material change, not the whole file. Write the triggers down before launch, while both teams still agree on the facts.
- A new partner, owner or spokesperson takes over.
- A change to price, stock, product, service route or end date.
- A new location, audience or language.
- A new claim, code, data field or processor.
- A recall, or a change in law that touches the product.
Keep one dated fact sheet that both teams quote from. When a figure moves, its date moves, and the review date moves with it. A stale date is the most common reason a gate gets re-opened.
A broad approval does not cover a materially new campaign. A different price or a different audience can void the earlier sign-off. Most local partnership marketing mistakes begin as an approval that covered an older version of the deal.
Common questions
Which gate is skipped most often?
Close. Owners move on, the offer keeps running, and the refund and data trail goes cold. Name the Close owner in the agreement, not in the final week.
Who signs off on each item?
The person with authority over that risk. The marketing lead signs claims, the data owner signs fields, the finance contact signs money. One coordinator keeps the record.
What closes first?
Stop the stale promotion first, keep service and refunds open, then settle access, data, assets, money and records.
When does the checklist get re-run?
Before launch, after any material change, and after a defect found in the field. A calendar date on its own is not a trigger.
