Marketing Mix Definition

Definition: Marketing Mix (4Ps)

Marketing Mix is a strategy which a company uses to formulate a product/service offering for its
customers. Marketing mix strategy is created using the 4Ps of marketing - Product, Place, Price,
Promotion and 7Ps in case of service- Physical Evidence, People, Process. The term Marketing Mix
is attributed to Neil Bordon. The term is named marketing mix because it suggest how a marketer
mixes various elements (Product, Price, Place, Promotion etc) in order to make a relevant/just right
offering to the customer. The main objective of marketing mix strategy is to make the right product at
correct price at the right place with right promotion.

The marketing mix definition is simple. It is about putting the right product or a combination
thereof in the place, at the right time, and at the right price. The difficult part is doing this well, as you
need to know every aspect of your business plan.

As we noted before, the marketing mix is predominately associated with the 4P’s of marketing, the
7P’s of service marketing, and the 4 Cs theories developed in the 1990s.

Here are the principles used in the application of the right marketing mix:

Marketing Mix 4P's

A marketing expert named E. Jerome McCarthy created the Marketing 4Ps in the 1960s. This
classification has been used throughout the world. Business schools teach this concept in basic
marketing classes.

The marketing 4Ps are also the foundation of the idea of marketing mix.

1 Marketing Mix – Product

A product is an item that is built or produced to satisfy the needs of a certain group of people. The
product can be intangible or tangible as it can be in the form of services or goods.

You must ensure to have the right type of product that is in demand for your market. So during the
product development phase, the marketer must do an extensive research on the life cycle of the
product that they are creating.

A product has a certain life cycle that includes the growth phase, the maturity phase, and the sales
decline phase. It is important for marketers to reinvent their products to stimulate more demand once
it reaches the sales decline phase.

Marketers must also create the right product mix. It may be wise to expand your current product mix
by diversifying and increasing the depth of your product line.
All in all, marketers must ask themselves the question “what can I do to offer a better product to this
group of people than my competitors”.

In developing the right product, you have to answer the following questions:

 What does the client want from the service or product?

 How will the customer use it?
 Where will the client use it?
 What features must the product have to meet the client’s needs?
 Are there any necessary features that you missed out?
 Are you creating features that are not needed by the client?
 What’s the name of the product?
 Does it have a catchy name?
 What are the sizes or colors available?
 How is the product different from the products of your competitors?
 What does the product look like?

2 Marketing Mix – Price

The price of the product is basically the amount that a customer pays for to enjoy it. Price is a very
important component of the marketing mix definition.

It is also a very important component of a marketing plan as it determines your firm’s profit and
survival. Adjusting the price of the product has a big impact on the entire marketing strategy as well
as greatly affecting the sales and demand of the product.

This is inherently a touchy area though. If a company is new to the market and has not made a name
for themselves yet, it is unlikely that your target market will be willing to pay a high price.

Although they may be willing in the future to hand over large sums of money, it is inevitably harder
to get them to do so during the birth of a business.

Pricing always help shape the perception of your product in consumers eyes. Always remember that a
low price usually means an inferior good in the consumers eyes as they compare your good to a
competitor.

Consequently, prices too high will make the costs outweigh the benefits in customers eyes, and they
will therefore value their money over your product. Be sure to examine competitors pricing and price
accordingly.

When setting the product price, marketers should consider the perceived value that the product offers.
There are three major pricing strategies, and these are:

1. Market penetration pricing

2. Market skimming pricing
3. Neutral pricing

Here are some of the important questions that you should ask yourself when you are setting the
product price:

 How much did it cost you to produce the product?

 What is the customers’ perceived product value?
 Do you think that the slight price decrease could significantly increase your market share?
 Can the current price of the product keep up with the price of the product’s competitors?

3 Marketing Mix – Place

Placement or distribution is a very
important part of the product mix
definition. You have to position and
distribute the product in a place that is
accessible to potential buyers.
This comes with a deep understanding
of your target market. Understand them
inside out and you will discover the
most efficient positioning and
distribution channels that directly speak
with your market.
There are many distribution strategies,
including:
 Intensive distribution
 Exclusive distribution
 Selective distribution
 Franchising
Here are some of the questions that you
should answer in developing your
distribution strategy:
 Where do your clients look for your
service or product?
 What kind of stores do potential
clients go to? Do they shop in a mall,
in a regular brick and mortar store, in
the supermarket, or online?
 How do you access the different
distribution channels?
 How is your distribution strategy
different from your competitors?
 Do you need a strong sales force?
 Do you need to attend trade fairs?
 Do you need to sell in an online
store?
#4 Marketing Mix – Promotion
Promotion is a very important
component of marketing as it can boost
brand recognition and sales. Promotion
is comprised of various elements like:
 Sales Organization
 Public Relations
 Advertising
 Sales Promotion
Advertising typically covers
communication methods that are paid
for like television advertisements, radio
commercials, print media, and internet
advertisements. In contemporary times,
there seems to be a shift in focus offline
to the online world.
Public relations, on the other hand, are
communications that are typically not
paid for. This includes press releases,
exhibitions, sponsorship deals,
seminars, conferences, and events.
Word of mouth is also a type of product
promotion. Word of mouth is an informal
communication about the benefits of
the product by satisfied customers and
ordinary individuals. The sales staff
plays a very important role in public
relations and word of mouth.
It is important to not take this literally.
Word of mouth can also circulate on the
internet. Harnessed effectively and it
has the potential to be one of the most
valuable assets you have in boosting
your profits online. An extremely good
example of this is online social media
and managing a firm's online social
media presence.
In creating an effective product
promotion strategy, you need to answer
the following questions:
 How can you send marketing
messages to your potential buyers?
 When is the best time to promote
your product?
 Will you reach your potential
audience and buyers through
television ads?
 Is it best to use the social media in
promoting the product?
 What is the promotion strategy of
your competitors?
Your combination of promotional
strategies and how you go about
promotion will depend on your budget,
the message you want to communicate,
and the target market you have defined
already in previous steps.

Marketing Mix 7P's

The 7Ps model is a marketing model
that modifies the 4Ps model. The 7Ps is
generally used in the service industries.
Here is the expansions from the 4Ps to
the 7Ps marketing model:

#5 Marketing Mix – People

Of both target market and people
directly related to the business.
Thorough research is important to
discover whether there are enough
people in your target market that is in
demand for certain types of products
and services.
The company’s employees are
important in marketing because they
are the ones who deliver the service. It
is important to hire and train the right
people to deliver superior service to the
clients, whether they run a support
desk, customer service, copywriters,
programmers…etc.
When a business finds people who
genuinely believe in the products or
services that the particular business
creates, it's is highly likely that the
employees will perform the best they
can.
Additionally, they'll be more open to
honest feedback about the business and
input their own thoughts and passions
which can scale and grow the business.
This is a secret, “internal” competitive
advantage a business can have over
other competitors which can inherently
affect a business's position in the
marketplace.

#6 Marketing Mix – Process

The systems and processes of the
organization affect the execution of the
service.
So, you have to make sure that you
have a well-tailored process in place to
minimize costs.
It could be your entire sales funnel, a
pay system, distribution system and
other systematic procedures and steps
to ensure a working business that is
running effectively.
Tweaking and enhancements can come
later to “tighten up” a business to
minimize costs and maximise profits.

#7 Marketing Mix – Physical

Evidence
In the service industries, there should
be physical evidence that the service
was delivered. Additionally, physical
evidence pertains also to how a
business and it's products are perceived
in the marketplace.
It is the physical evidence of a business'
presence and establishment. A concept
of this is branding. For example, when
you think of “fast food”, you think of
McDonalds.
When you think of sports, the names
Nike and Adidas come to mind.
You immediately know exactly what
their presence is in the marketplace, as
they are generally market leaders and
have established a physical evidence as
well as psychological evidence in their
marketing.
They have manipulated their consumer
perception so well to the point where
their brands appear first in line when an
individual is asked to broadly “name a
brand” in their niche or industry.

Marketing Mix 4C's

The 4Cs marketing model was
developed by Robert F. Lauterborn in
1990. It is a modification of the 4Ps
model. It is not a basic part of
the marketing mix definition, but
rather an extension. Here are the
components of this marketing model:
 Cost – According to Lauterborn, price
is not the only cost incurred when
purchasing a product. Cost of
conscience or opportunity cost is also
part of the cost of product ownership.
 Consumer Wants and Needs – A
company should only sell a product
that addresses consumer demand.
So, marketers and business
researchers should carefully study
the consumer wants and needs.
 Communication – According to
Lauterborn, “promotion” is
manipulative while communication is
“cooperative”. Marketers should aim
to create an open dialogue with
potential clients based on their needs
and wants.
 Convenience – The product should be
readily available to the consumers.
Marketers should strategically place
the products in several visible
distribution points.
Whether you are using the 4Ps, the 7Ps,
or the 4Cs, your marketing mix plan
plays a vital role. It is important to
devise a plan that balances profit, client
satisfaction, brand recognition, and
product availability. It is also extremely
important to consider the overall “how”
aspect that will ultimately determine
your success or failure.