Know-How Exchange : Strategy

A question: if you can target consumers, then why not sell directly to them? You’ll have better margins and won’t have to deal with slotting fees?

You want to create "Buzz" around your product. Get it into the hands of active Influencers. Get people talking about it. Cause media to report on it. People must know about it, believe it will help them somehow (socially or economically), and see other successful people using it.
Of course your product should actually do something useful.

Pull strategy.

The opposite is push strategy, where you get the sellers to push the products to consumers.

When you say that "How do I call the type of strategy where I promote my product to the end users first", are you doing this in some way already? If so, why do you need to change? What do you think is not working?

Also, from another point of view, is the reason that you are asking this question that you have an agreement with retail sellers of your product not to compete directly with them?

It depends on whether it's long term strategy or short term strategy.

If this is about creating instant demand for a short duration, then it's a short term, department level strategy. Specifically speaking 'Buzz Marketing' which is subset of larger strategy called 'Pull Marketing Strategy'. It belongs to marketing department of your organization.

In push marketing strategy, you create a push that pushes your product to market. This is generally done through sales, sales promotions, direct selling etc.

In Pull marketing, we create pull towards product. Rather than trying to shove product in customer's throat, we create interest about product in customers' minds and hope it converts into demand.

If you are talking about long term strategy, where you not only create demand but expect customers to deliver benefit in terms of increased market share or price premium, loyalty, advocacy etc then we are talking about 'Strategic Brand Management'. It's organizational level strategy.

I hope this is helpful in what you are looking for.

As noted above, it is called a "pull" strategy. Why do you ask? Is what it is called important?