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Introduction
If your brand sells through channel partners—like dealers, franchisees or reps—you know strategy is only half the challenge. Execution is where most programs fall apart.
This blog provides a real example of channel management using GearBox® by IRIS Strategic Marketing Support (IRIS), showing how brands like Ply Gem support field teams with marketing they can actually use—without losing control of branding, messaging or compliance.
What Is Channel Management?
Channel management refers to how a brand supports, equips and enables its partners to promote and sell products—while maintaining control and consistency.
That includes:
- Delivering branded materials
- Supporting local customization
- Routing fulfillment
- Controlling versioning
- Tracking usage across the network
Without systems in place, these functions get scattered—leading to low adoption, compliance issues or inconsistent brand experiences.
Example of Channel Management: Ply Gem’s Dealer Network
Ply Gem sells building products through an extended network of dealers, showrooms and installers. The brand needed a way to:
- Deliver the right marketing kits by dealer type
- Maintain brand integrity across hundreds of locations
- Enable local customization for pricing or contacts
- Route signage and print materials directly
- Track usage by partner and campaign
GearBox® by IRIS made that possible.
Read the Full Ply Gem Case Study
How Ply Gem Uses GearBox® for Channel Execution
1. Filtered Campaign Kits by Partner Type
Dealers access only the assets relevant to their tier, product line or market. No confusion, no bloat.
2. Templates With Safe Local Edits
Partners can update business details, while brand-critical elements—like logos and disclaimers—stay locked.
3. Print and Fulfillment Routing
Materials go straight to vendors or locations—no need for partners to coordinate manually.
4. Version Control and Tracking
Marketing knows what was used, when it was launched and which partners are participating.
This is what structured channel management looks like. No more ad hoc emails. No more brand inconsistency. Just repeatable, scalable execution.
GearBox® by IRIS: Built for Channel Management
Whether your partners are selling decking, insurance or gym memberships, they need support that works in the real world—not just slide decks and folders.
GearBox® by IRIS provides:
- Role-based access by region or partner tier
- Locked templates with editable fields
- Integrated fulfillment and vendor routing
- Real-time campaign usage tracking
- Simplified access and navigation for field teams
It’s everything you need to move from “we sent them assets” to “they launched the campaign.”
Conclusion
A solid example of channel management goes beyond incentives and communication. It’s about execution—making sure every partner has what they need, when they need it, in a format that’s safe, compliant and on brand.
That’s what Ply Gem achieved with GearBox® by IRIS.
Talk to IRIS to see how you can make your channel marketing program easier to use, safer to manage and faster to scale.
