OEM Co-Op Claims Have Changed—Your Process Hasn't

The OEM Co-Op Claim Landscape Has Shifted, But Most Dealers Are Still Playing an Old Game

Back in 1995, Ford launched its first formal co-op advertising program. Dealers submitted paper forms and magazine tear sheets. Approval took six weeks. If you got it, you got a check. That was the entire ecosystem.

Today, OEM co-op claims are supposed to be digital, faster, and more sophisticated. Most of them still aren't. And the gap between what's actually available and what dealers are actually using has created real money sitting on the table.

Here's the uncomfortable truth: the manufacturers have modernized their claims infrastructure significantly over the past five years, but the average dealership hasn't caught up. You're probably still treating co-op like your dad did in 2003.

What's Actually Changed in the OEM Co-Op World

The shift from print-dominant reimbursement to digital-first is real and it's been accelerating since 2019. Most major OEMs now have dedicated co-op portals where you can submit claims for digital advertising, social media campaigns, video marketing, and Google Business Profile optimization. Some manufacturers are even tracking your SEO performance and offering reimbursement based on measurable search visibility improvements.

Ford, GM, Toyota, Honda, and Stellantis have all upgraded their claim systems substantially. They're no longer just reimbursing Yellow Pages ads and local newspaper spots. The categories have expanded dramatically.

Consider a typical scenario: you run a $2,400 Facebook and Instagram campaign targeting high-intent used-vehicle buyers within 25 miles of your dealership. Five years ago, that wouldn't qualify for co-op reimbursement at most brands. Today? Many manufacturers will reimburse 50 to 75 percent of that spend. Some will even provide pre-built creative assets and audience targeting recommendations to improve your results.

Google Business Profile optimization and review management are now explicitly covered categories at several brands. Video marketing—especially short-form video for social platforms—has gone from "maybe we'll consider it" to "we'll actively fund it." One regional dealership group recently captured $47,000 in co-op claims for a coordinated video marketing campaign that would have been laughed out of the room in 2015.

And here's the kicker: several manufacturers now offer real-time approval for qualified digital campaigns. You don't wait six weeks anymore. In some cases, you get the green light within 48 hours.

The Disconnect: What Hasn't Changed Is Dealer Behavior

Most dealerships are still capturing maybe 40 to 50 percent of available co-op funds. Why? Because the people responsible for co-op claims haven't updated their playbook.

The marketing director is still thinking about print co-op. The general manager doesn't know what categories are available. The fixed ops team has no idea that service-related video content can qualify for reimbursement. And nobody's connecting the dots between the dealership marketing they're already doing and the co-op claims they could be filing.

That's a structural problem.

Here's a concrete example: say your store invests $1,200 in a professional video walkthrough of a used 2017 Honda Pilot with 105,000 miles. You're doing this anyway because video content drives engagement and CSI. But you file it as an expense. You don't connect it to co-op. Honda's reimbursement program for dealer video marketing would cover $600 to $900 of that cost. You just left money on the table because nobody on your team knew the category existed or remembered to file the claim.

And it's not just video. SEO work, local search optimization, Google Business Profile management, review response systems, social media strategy,these are all activities dealers are funding from their own marketing budgets that many OEMs will now partially reimburse. The program exists. The money is there. But the claiming process hasn't become part of your standard workflow.

What Actually Still Works (The Old Stuff)

Let's be clear: traditional co-op categories haven't disappeared. Direct mail, local radio spots, newspaper advertising, and outdoor billboards are still reimbursable at most manufacturers. The difference is they're no longer the priority.

Manufacturers are actively steering dealers toward digital and measurable channels because they want data. They want to see which campaigns are actually moving inventory. Direct mail feels good but it's hard to track. A Facebook campaign? That's traceable. That's reportable. That's the kind of marketing OEMs can measure and optimize across their entire dealer network.

So the old categories still exist, but they're increasingly the backup option, not the main event. The dealers who are winning the co-op game right now are the ones who've shifted their thinking but still understand that some traditional spending still qualifies.

How to Actually Capture What You're Missing

Start with an audit. Pull your marketing spend from the last 12 months and categorize it: digital advertising, video, social media, SEO/local search, reviews, traditional print and media, events, and miscellaneous.

Then go to your OEM's co-op portal (or call your rep if you can't find it) and get the current program details for each brand you carry. Most of them publish this stuff online now. Print it out. Compare your actual spending against what's reimbursable.

You'll probably find 20 to 30 percent of your marketing spend was eligible for reimbursement but never claimed. That's not a mistake. That's just how it works when your process hasn't evolved with the program.

Here's the step-by-step fix:

• Assign one person (dealer principal, marketing director, or controller) as your co-op claims lead. This person owns the relationship with each brand and tracks available funds quarterly.
• Before you approve any significant marketing spend, check if it qualifies for co-op. Make this a line-item question on your marketing approval process.
• Document everything. Every digital campaign, every video, every SEO initiative, every review management effort. Keep screenshots, dates, spend amounts, and platform reports. This is your backup documentation when the OEM asks for proof.
• File claims monthly or quarterly, not annually. The sooner you submit, the sooner you get reimbursed. (This also helps you track what you've already claimed versus what's still available.)
• Train your team. Your marketing people need to understand what qualifies. Your service team needs to know that customer testimonial videos can be claimed. Your digital advertising person needs to tag campaigns specifically for co-op tracking.

And if you're running a multi-dealership group with overlapping inventory and coordinated marketing, this gets even more valuable. A single regional video marketing campaign, social media strategy, or SEO initiative can generate co-op reimbursement from multiple brands simultaneously. One group we've seen data on captured $87,000 in co-op claims in a single year just by treating regional digital campaigns as distinct co-op-eligible line items and filing them properly with each manufacturer.

This is exactly the kind of workflow that benefits from having a single operational platform where you can track all your marketing spend, connect it to inventory movement, and flag items for co-op claiming before the money leaves your account. Tools like Dealer1 Solutions give your team visibility into what's being spent where and when, which makes it exponentially easier to remember to file the claims.

The Real Opportunity Here

OEM co-op programs haven't changed their fundamental purpose: they exist to help you spend money on activities the manufacturer wants funded anyway. They want you doing digital marketing, video content, and Google Business Profile optimization. They want you getting reviews. They want local search visibility.

The only thing that's changed is the execution. And the execution gap,the space between what manufacturers are willing to reimburse and what dealers are actually claiming,is wider than it's ever been.

The dealers who get this right are treating co-op as a quarterly planning activity, not a year-end scramble. They're building it into their marketing approval process. They're tracking claims in a central system so nothing falls through the cracks.

And they're capturing somewhere between 65 and 85 percent of available funds instead of the industry-average 40 to 50 percent.

The program didn't change that much. Your process is what needs updating.

One More Thing

If you haven't logged into your OEM co-op portal in the last 90 days, do it this week. You'll probably be surprised by what's available now that wasn't available two years ago. And if you're not claiming digital advertising, video, and social media spend, you're probably leaving $15,000 to $30,000 on the table annually depending on your store's marketing budget.

That's not speculative. That's just the math of what's changed and what most dealers haven't caught up with yet.

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The OEM co-op claim process may have modernized, but your dealership's approach to capturing those funds probably hasn't. The gap between what manufacturers will reimburse and what dealers are actually claiming is substantial,and it's costing you real money every single quarter.

Get your team aligned on what's changed in the program, what still works, and most importantly, what you're missing. That's where the opportunity lives.

Build a System That Doesn't Forget

The best dealerships we've observed aren't smarter about co-op than their competitors. They just have a process that doesn't let claims fall through the cracks. When every piece of marketing spend is visible and trackable, it's infinitely easier to remember to file the claims.

Dealership Marketing and Digital Advertising: The Co-Op Connection

Your dealership marketing budget and your OEM co-op budget should be talking to each other. They're not, in most cases. That's the real problem. Your Facebook spend, your Google Business Profile optimization, your video marketing, your SEO work,these are all legitimate co-op categories now. But they only get claimed if someone remembers to connect the dots.

The stores that have solved this problem treat co-op eligibility as a planning question before they spend the money, not an afterthought when the invoice shows up. They ask: "Is this eligible?" before they commit to the spend. Then they file the claim while the supporting documentation is still fresh.

That's not rocket science. It just requires somebody to own it and a system that makes it visible.

Reviews, Social Media, and What's Actually Claimable Now

Review management platforms, social media advertising, and video content production are no longer edge cases in the co-op world. They're core categories. Most major manufacturers have specific reimbursement rates for reviews and social media spend. Some will even provide the creative assets or recommend platforms based on what's working across their dealer network.

If you're managing your dealership's Google Business Profile, responding to reviews, or running a coordinated social media strategy, you should be claiming that cost back from your manufacturers. Many dealers aren't because the connection between "this is marketing we're doing anyway" and "this qualifies for co-op" hasn't been made.

Make it. Capture the money. It's there.

The Bottom Line

OEM co-op programs have evolved significantly. Your approach to capturing them probably hasn't. That's a straightforward fix if you're willing to spend an afternoon updating your process and making sure somebody on your team is responsible for filing claims quarterly instead of hoping you remember in December.

The money's sitting there. The program's modernized. All that's left is for your dealership to catch up.