The marketing mix is the set of controllable, tactical marketing tools that a company uses to produce a desired response from its target market. It consists of everything that a company can do to influence demand for its product. It is also a tool to help marketing planning and execution. Show
The four Ps of marketing: product, price, place and promotionThe marketing mix can be divided into four groups of variables commonly known as the four Ps:
Marketing toolsEach of the four Ps has its own tools to contribute to the marketing mix:
Marketing strategyAn effective marketing strategy combines the 4 Ps of the marketing mix. It is designed to meet the company’s marketing objectives by providing its customers with value. The 4 Ps of the marketing mix are related, and combine to establish the product’s position within its target markets. Weaknesses of the marketing mixThe four Ps of the marketing mix have a number of weaknesses in that they omit or underemphasize some important marketing activities. For example, services are not explicitly mentioned, although they can be categorized as products (that is, service products). As well, other important marketing activities (such as packaging) are not specifically addressed but are placed within one of the four P groups. Another key problem is that the four Ps focus on the seller’s view of the market. The buyer’s view should be marketing’s main concern. The four Ps as the four CsThe four Ps of the marketing mix can be reinterpreted as the four Cs. They put the customer’s interests (the buyer) ahead of the marketer’s interests (the seller).
Want to learn how to understand and talk to your customers? Join us for our next cohort of the Customer Development Immersive. Expanding your business into a new market? Sign up to access our International Growth Collection —it features specialized resources built in partnership with Export Development Canada. Advertising - A paid form of communication and promotion involving a product and its attributes.
Agent - An intermediary who does not take title to merchandise but facilitates exchanges by bringing buyers and sellers together.
Brand - An identification (name, symbol, etc.) of a product that is unique and distinguishable from competitor’s products.
Channel of distribution - A product’s trip from producer or manufacturer to the buyer.
Coupon - A certificate that entitles a consumer to a price reduction or a cash refund. Demand - A schedule of the amount of a product that will be purchased at various prices.
Discount - A deduction from the list price in the form of cash or something else of value.
Forecasting - To predict the quantity of a product that will be sold at various times in the future.
Income - Money received in return for labor or services provided, sale of assets and return on investments.
Intermediary - An independent or corporate-owned business that helps move products from the producer to the ultimate consumer.
Label - A tag or part of a package that provides information about a product.
Market - A group of individuals with unsatisfied wants and needs who are willing and able buyers. It can be defined as narrowly as a specific place where buying and selling takes place or as broadly as the demand for a product.
Marketing research - A systematic and objective approach to developing and providing information for decision making regarding a specific marketing problem.
Marketing strategy - Marketing approach or method used to achieve a marketing goal.
Packaging - Designing and producing the container or wrapper for a product. Personal selling - Person-to-person communication in which the receiver provides immediate feedback on the source’s message. Purchasing - To obtain a product in exchange for money or its equivalent.
Price - The amount of money asked in exchange for something else (e.g. product).
Price fixing - When several firms in an industry collectively establish the price for a product.
Pricing strategies (market based) -- Approaches to setting prices based on the willingness of the buyer to purchase the product.
Pricing strategies (cost based) - Approaches to setting prices based on the cost of producing the product.
Pricing strategies (geography based) - Approaches to setting price based on the location and transportation costs associated with delivering the product to the buyer.
Product - Something produced that is sold to willing buyers.
Product distribution - The process of providing a product when and where it is desired by the consumer.
Promotion - Providing and communicating favorable information about a product to potential buyers.
Quality control - The traditional approach to quality in which problems are detected after manufacturing and an effort is made to remove sub-standard products before shipping to customers. Retailing - All activities used to sell products to ultimate consumers.
Selling - Assisting or persuading a prospective customer to buy a product.
Transaction - An exchange between two or more parties. Value proposition - How a product will provide value to its customers. Why a product will provide sufficient value to its customers to be worth its price. Wholesaling - All of the activities involved in selling products to retailers: to industrial, institutional, farm and professional businesses; or to other types of wholesaling intermediaries.
Don Hofstrand, retired extension value added agriculture specialist, What is the effort that a business makes to identify place and sell its products?Product differentiation is what makes your product or service stand out to your target audience. It's how you distinguish what you sell from what your competitors do, and it increases brand loyalty, sales, and growth.
What is it called when businesses sell similar products?Direct competitors.
These are businesses offering similar (or identical) products or services in the same market. They also vye for the same customer base.
What is the term that means all the different items that a company makes or sells?Inventory is the accounting of items, component parts and raw materials that a company either uses in production or sells.
Which term is used to identify a group of related product items?Product line - A group of products that are similar in attributes. Product mix - The range of products that a company offers to its customers.
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