Defying Conventional Logic : Media before Distribution

I have always believed that among the four Ps of marketing "Placement" is a unique challenge in India, and companies which have been able to crack it are the ones which have managed to succeed......

And the emphasis is also on how well one is able to align distribution with overall marketing strategy. Though seems very logical I will give an interesting question which confronts many marketing managers, Should media come before distribution, which means that should the Ads hit the TV first and then you go ahead and distribute your products. The conventional logic says that the distribution or placement has to happen before the media hits the TV, as you would not want consumers to go to the shop and ask for the product and the retailer says it is not available.

But there are a few companies which defy this logic like Darshan Patel,  of Vini Cosmetics, who made Fogg deodorant available after almost a month of Advertising on the TV. The retailers kept on asking for the product as people were coming and asking from them. The unfulfilled demand meant Fogg could afford to reduce the trade margins.

But can all companies do that , I think for most companies the conventional route is safer, and one should also have the confidence in your product adopt this strategy....