MAP Policy Development & Compliance:
Build Clarity. Monitor with Purpose. Enforce What Matters.
Your Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) policy is the backbone of your brand protection program. But too many are vague, outdated, or impossible to enforce. Howell & Associates brings decades of expertise to move brands from chaos to control with MAP policy development and enforcement that works. At Howell & Associates we build the system and manage the details so your team can stay focused on growth, launches, and partners, not chasing violations.
The Problem with Most MAP Policies
Many brands believe that having a Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) policy and tracking violations is enough. But very few brands have a policy that’s enforceable, understood, or consistently followed. The truth is: MAP monitoring tools provide visibility, but visibility alone doesn’t stop violations.
Weak MAP policies erode brand value and credibility.
Loopholes let unauthorized sellers drag prices down.
Even authorized sellers and trusted partners lose faith in your channel control.
Your MAP policy should be a strategic asset, not a liability. It should protect your partners as much as your price.
Our Four-Phase MAP Compliance Framework
At Howell & Associates, we take brands from chaos to control with a MAP strategy built to work in the real world.
Whether you're starting from scratch or stuck in monitoring purgatory, we help you move fast, act decisively, and build long-term protection.
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Phase 1: Create or Elevate Your MAP Policy
Build a policy that holds up across teams, partners, and legal reviews.
This is where where we focus first. Whether you're creating from scratch or reworking an inherited policy, we make sure it holds up in practice and in court, so everyone enforces with the same terms and expectations.
We help you:
Write or refine policy language that is enforceable and brand-aligned
Build in violation tiers, timing, and escalation triggers
Align internal legal, sales, and channel stakeholders
Prepare a rollout plan with communications and partner support materials -
Phase 2: Monitor With Purpose
Turn data into direction with clear thresholds and workflows.
A strong policy only matters if you can track compliance. We connect your MAP terms to real-time monitoring, helping your team surface what matters and ignore what doesn’t.
We help you:
Select or configure monitoring tools
Define pricing triggers and violation thresholds
Establish reporting KPIs, timelines, and cycles
Set up workflows to review and prioritize issues -
Phase 3: Investigate Unauthorized Activity
Uncover who’s behind violations. And how they got your product.
When violations occur, we help you look beyond the listing to understand who’s behind it and how they sourced your product. That means identifying not just the violator and the leak so the root cause gets fixed, not just the symptoms.
We help you:
Cross-reference violators against your partner list
Trace product flow and identify diversion risks
Document seller behavior to support enforcement -
Phase 4: Enforce Strategically
Take action that drives compliance without burning bridges.
Once your policy is active and violations surface, we help you enforce without putting key relationships or legal standing at risk. Enforcement letters are tied directly to your MAP terms — firm, clear, and built to drive results while preserving what matters.
We help you:
Issue enforcement letters tied directly to your policy terms
Escalate based on documented violation severity
Monitor response and drive toward compliance
Client Results:
MAP Policy That Delivers
"We had a MAP policy for years, but it wasn’t working. Howell & Associates didn’t just rewrite it. They built a system that actually drives compliance. For the first time, our team feels confident enforcing, and our partners are finally on the same page."
- VP of Channel Strategy,
National Consumer Goods Brand
We don’t just write policies. We make them work.
Our team brings together legal insight, channel strategy, and real-world enforcement experience.
We balance brand control with partner trust.
We design MAP programs that your partners can get behind—because they protect everyone, not just you.
We meet you where you are.
Whether you’re starting from scratch or trying to fix a legacy policy, we know how to get you moving.
We build for scale.
As your business grows, your policy should too. We future-proof your MAP strategy from the start.
Why Brands Choose
Howell & Associates
Launched enforceable MAP policies in under 90 days
Improved compliance across hundreds of reseller partners
Reduced partner pushback and confusion during rollout
Aligned internal teams around a unified enforcement plan
Created policy frameworks that held up in platform disputes
We don’t just make your policy sound good. We make it work for your business, your partners, and your bottom line.
What Our Clients Experience
Our Clients Include:
Your Brand Protection Stack
We work across the full lifecycle of brand control. Whether you’re cleaning up unauthorized sellers, enforcing MAP, or preventing gray market diversion before it starts, our approach is built to scale with you. Click to learn more:
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Channel Strategy & Risk Consulting
Design stronger systems that prevent problems before they start
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MAP Policy Development & Enforcement
Build an enforceable policy that works in the real world
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Marketplace Monitoring & Enforcement
Turn your data into action with real follow-through
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Reseller Investigation & Channel Enforcement
Find out who’s behind the violations, and shut it down
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Gray Market & Counterfeit Protection
Protect your brand as you grow. Keep threats from coming back.
Ready to turn your MAP policy into your most valuable brand protection tool?