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Rethinking the 4 P’s

• Richard Ettenson,
• Eduardo Conrado,
• Jonathan Knowles

It’s time to retool the 4 P’s of marketing for today’s B2B reality. As a framework for fine-tuning the marketing mix, the P’s—product, place, price, and promotion—have served consumer marketers well for half a century. But in the B2B world, they yield narrow, product-focused strategies that are increasingly at odds with the imperative to deliver […]

It’s time to retool the 4 P’s of marketing for today’s B2B reality. As a framework for fine-tuning the marketing mix, the P’s—product, place, price, and promotion—have served consumer marketers well for half a century. But in the B2B world, they yield narrow, product-focused strategies that are increasingly at odds with the imperative to deliver solutions.

• RE Richard Ettenson is Professor and Keickhefer Fellow in Global Marketing and Brand Strategy, The Thunderbird School of Global Management, Arizona State University .
• EC Eduardo Conrado is a senior VP and the chief marketing officer at Motorola Solutions.
• JK Jonathan Knowles is the founder of the strategic advisory firm Type 2 Consulting and the codeveloper of the MAD approach to strategy .

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Marketing Mix: definitions, analysis examples [Complete Guide 2023].

The marketing mix aims at making your  marketing positioning  concrete . Often associated with the term “ 4Ps “, the objective of the marketing mix is to make your positioning tangible each time your brand is in contact with the consumer (the so-called “touchpoints”).

This article explains the  difference between 4P and 7P , explains each facet of the marketing mix with  numerous examples , and ends with a  detailed case study .

To go even further, we suggest you consult our  online resource , where we detail and illustrate all the factors to study for each of the 7Ps. We have also published case studies analyzed according to the 7Ps:  Rimac electric car ,  high-end watchmaking ,   fruit juice , cosmetics .

Finally, don’t miss our free pdf marketing mix guide with tons of exemples. It’s free to download.

• The 4P: definition
• Difference between 4P and 7P
• P1: Product
• P3: Promotion
• P6: Process
• P7: Physical Evidence
• Complete case study (Ryanair)
• Marketing mix guide (free download)

Marketing mix: what are the 4Ps?

The term “marketing mix” is often associated with another acronym: the 4Ps. The two have become almost interchangeable since Philip Kotler popularized the concept. “4Ps” is the English acronym for the 4 operational facets of marketing  that make your company’s positioning a reality. They all begin with the letter “p” in English:

• “Product” : all aspects related to the product (the Product Policy)
• “Price” : the price positioning of your product concerning its competitors (the Price Policy)
• “Promotion” : the aspects related to promotion such as advertising or the ways to make people aware of the existence of the product (the Communication Policy)
• “Placement” : aspects related to the distribution of your product (the Distribution Policy)

If Kotler popularized the 4Ps, its paternity goes to  E. Jerome McCarthy (1960) . The latter’s genius was to summarize these 4 facets in the form of an acronym that has now become part of everyday marketing language. Since the 1970s, however, marketing has evolved considerably. The 4Ps have become, if not obsolete, at least seriously incomplete. In the 1980s, marketing theorists called for a revision of the 4Ps, leading to  the birth of the 7Ps .

History: how the marketing mix went from 4Ps to 7Ps

• In 1960, McCarthy invented the 4P model (Product, Price, Place, Promotion)
• In 1987, Judd proposed a “human” component in the form of a fifth P (“people”).
• In 1986, Kotler added “political power” and public opinion (“public opinion formation”)
• It was in 1980 that the 7Ps took shape. Booms and Bitner proposed to add three “P’s”: “people” (to cover the human aspects of relationship marketing), “physical evidence” (a material component of the service), and the “process” part (interaction with the service user).

Marketing mix: what is the difference between the 4Ps and the 7Ps?

Digitalization has made the 4P’s seriously outdated. The 4Ps were indeed well adapted to a “physical” world but much less to e-commerce. They have therefore been supplemented by 3 new “P’s”:

• People : aspects related to human interactions through the multiple channels available today (primarily digital)
• Process : the processes put in place to guide interactions, especially those related to services.
• Physical Evidence: the tangible elements put forward to convince the customer (sales outlet layout, customer reviews, etc.)

To help you implement the marketing mix, we have prepared a detailed example  at the end of this article.

A recent example (2023): the collaboration between Yayoi Kusama and Vuitton

The famous Japanese artist collaborates once again in 2023 with Louis Vuitton. This collaboration allows us to illustrate several facets of the marketing mix:

• Physical evidence : the Vuitton flagship store, already famous for its spectacular window displays , is adorned with a unique ephemeral decor. The facade is studded with round motifs, symbols of Yayoi Kusama’s work, and a huge inflatable effigy in her image.
• Product : the collaboration is realized through a special edition of the famous Vuitton bag. The monogrammed canvas is adorned with round patterns. This is not the first time that Vuitton has carried out this kind of collaboration. We will remember, for example, the one conducted with the article by Jeff Koons.
• Promotion : this collaboration is making news, which results in a spectacular staging of the sales outlet on the Champs-Elysees and a limited edition product. This operation can, therefore, also be analyzed from the perspective of the Promotion P.

Vuitton’s flagship store on Avenue des Champs Elysées in Paris, photographed in February 2023 during the collaboration with Yayoi Kusama.

The P in “Product” (Product Policy)

The first of the 7Ps is, of course, the  product . The term product does not mean only a physical object. It can also be a service.

The chocolate maker Pierre Marcolini had materialized its collaboration with Kistuné by very original packaging.

To cover this first “P,” you will have to describe the product’s characteristics (design, packaging, functionalities), its place in the range, as well as the services that are attached to it (after-sales service, repair, end-of-life recycling).

Try to explain the characteristics of the product that make it different, unique, and that are part of its identity.

Also, think about the packaging, which is often an integral part of the  customer experience , as it is at Apple.

The P in “Price” (Pricing Policy)

In the marketing mix of luxury watch brands, the pricing strategy is “value-based.” The price is determined according to the value perceived by the customer and is not the sum of the price of the components used.

The second of the 7Ps is central since it is about price.

Here, the aim is to describe  how the company manages the different facets of “price” in its market . This starts with a description of the pricing strategy adopted by the company. The most well-known are the following:

• costs + margins: you add a margin to your production costs
• value-based: the price is determined according to the consumer’s perception of value
• competitive: you realize using the  competition research  and fix your price according to one of your competitors

The pricing strategy, once determined, will have to be declined in a “ price tactic .” The  pricing tactic is the operational extension of the pricing strategy. It describes how, in concrete terms, the pricing strategy is applied in the field. In this respect, the strategy of Swiss watchmakers is fascinating. They create a shortage that supports demand by voluntarily limiting production and choosing to whom they want to sell. Some, like Patek Philippe, also support the price level by buying back their older models at a high price to increase their desirability. The price of the products then soars on the parallel market, creating speculative bubbles like the one we described in this survey. The graph below shows the effect of the pricing tactics of Rolex, Audemars Piguet, and Patek Philippe on the price of their men’s watches.

Embed this media on your website

Once the overall strategy is described, you will need to describe  the other aspects of the marketing mix that depend on price:

• the pricing policy towards your intermediaries
• the discount policy towards your customers
• the payment policy and possible facilities offered to your customers to acquire your products

The P of “Promotion” (Communication Policy)

The third “P” is “Promotion.” It covers the aspects related to the company’s communication and the strategies used to make itself known on the market. The result is measured by the  notoriety  of the company among its target customers.

Electric hypercar manufacturer Rimac promotes its Nevera model by using YouTubers. Here Many Koshbin tries the vehicle in one of his YouTube videos (YouTube screenshot)

It is helpful to start by describing, in broad lines, the communication strategy followed by the company. What is the company’s position on advertising, and does it realize using advertising? Are specific media used (sponsoring, influencers, etc.)? If so, which channels are favored (digital, radio, TV, press, Out-Of-Home), and according to what logic are these channels selected?

When advertising investments are made, the repetition of messages plays a role in the persistence of the information in the consumer’s mind. Therefore, the analysis should try to clarify which repetition is aimed at, which will make it possible to deduce the advertising pressure that the company wants to impose and the importance of advertising in its global strategy.

In addition to advertising, the company can also promote itself through  inbound marketing . It is, therefore, a matter of attracting prospects naturally. Inbound marketing is a tactic that materializes in the digital space. The goal is to improve natural referencing (SEO) to capture the attention of Internet users and attract them to the company’s website. It is, therefore, necessary to analyze whether the company invests in content marketing and, if so, which online media are privileged.

The P of “Place” (Distribution Policy)

The fourth “P” concerns the distribution policy (“Place” or “Placement” according to the 4P terminology). In this part, we analyze how the product or service is distributed. There are three main distribution strategies:

• direct distribution
• distribution via a third-party network
• hybrid (a mix of the 2 previous ones)

Perugina commercializes its “Baci” in large-scale distribution but also has some stores of its own (here the one in Perugia)

Nespresso  distributes its coffee capsules through its own stores (direct distribution). Most food manufacturers sell their products through third-party networks (retailers). However, some of these manufacturers invest in their own stores ( Perugina , Lindt, M&M, ….). This is a hybrid strategy.

Once the broad lines have been drawn, the analysis of the marketing mix requires going into detail. It is advisable to study the opportunity of franchising, especially when the ambitions are high in terms of the geographical distribution of products. Covering a large territory requires significant resources. Therefore, a start-up with a product in high demand may have to turn to the franchise model to accelerate its deployment. This is a widespread model in the fast-food industry.

The Printemps store in Paris offers visibility to many brands and attracts foreign tourists. Crédits : gibs02 via Flickr.

Outsourced distribution  (via a franchise network or third-party distributors) also has marketing coverage advantages. Some brands may naturally attract customer segments that could represent additional sales for your company. Regardless of the distribution strategy chosen, careful consideration must be given to  the location of sales outlets (in the case of physical sales). The research on implementing physical commerce is of particular importance because of the  decline in the number of visitors to physical sales outlets . Over the last 10 years, city centers have lost 50% of their pedestrian traffic, which inevitably affects profitability.

If the company opts for e-commerce (which seems essential), particular attention must be paid to the logistical aspects. In particular, request what logistical processes need to be implemented to meet customer expectations regarding product availability and delivery times. Customer requirements are constantly increasing. They are shaped by  the delivery policies of the industry’s giants  (Amazon and others), whose logistical excellence allows them to shorten delivery times even further. For SMEs that lack operational excellence, the use of third-party fulfillment services can be an enjoyable (but costly) alternative to compete with the giants.

The P of “People” (Relationship policy)

Starbucks had set up a co-creation platform allowing customers to propose ideas to the company. Customer interaction was also possible.

The relational policy (the fifth “P”) is part of the 3 new “Ps” proposed by Booms and Bitner in 1981. The recognition of the role of the human being coincides with the emergence of relational marketing . We understand that the human component can contribute positively to the quality of service and customer satisfaction/loyalty.

In this part of the marketing mix, we will focus on understanding how its marketing positioning can be materialized through its human component. We will study the human part in the success of the company, and the satisfaction of the customer, as well as the role, played by the employees to transmit the values of the brand.

In the digital era, the relational policy is no longer only in B2C. It also materializes through C2C (Consumer To Consumer) interactions. Customers become ambassadors for the company and sometimes even play essential roles. Ryanair, for example, has set up a  customer advisory board . Hollister, a medical equipment manufacturer, has created its Vivre+ network to create links between patients through activities organized throughout France. The customer thus becomes an essential component of the marketing strategy. They become a full-fledged player, just like the employee.

The P of “Process” (the processes related to the service)

This part of the marketing mix is about describing and analyzing the processes surrounding the service. To make your analysis enjoyable, you should focus on the most distinctive elements of the processes.

Processes are a central component in the success of Ryanair’s low-cost business model.

In the case of a low-cost airline (see case study), we will look at  the role of processes in the business model’s success .

When the marketing positioning is the opposite (luxury), the sales processes play a significant role. The attitude, gestures, and behavior of salespeople are codified to align with the values embodied.

Your marketing mix analysis can quickly skim over certain aspects and should go into detail when justified.

The P of “Physical evidence”

Abercrombie & Fitch used to emphasize the plastic qualities of its salespeople to attract customers.

The last of the 7Ps is called “physical evidence.” In the spirit of the marketing mix, it is the tangible elements with which the customer is in contact when he buys the product .

These elements can be linked to the sales outlet itself (its design, its layout, the sound/smell / visual atmosphere), the objects found there, or the employees themselves (specific clothes, for example). The brand  Abercrombie & Fitch , for example, became famous for the olfactory and sound ambiance of its sales outlets. Its employees, chosen for their “visual” qualities, worked shirtless.

The brand Archiduchesse sends its products accompanied by some “goodies” (candies, stickers, key rings)

If we immediately think of the attributes of the sales outlet, we must not forget the digital space. Online reviews are now part of the “proof” that the customer integrates before making a decision. The delivery can also be an important moment to comfort the customer in his choice. In this article , we have given 3 examples of companies that use delivery as an emotional touchpoint with the customer: the wine estate Le Cazal that adds a sprig of wild thyme to its deliveries, Coolblue that sends a personalized postcard, and Archiduchesse that completes its orders with some “goodies.”

Case study: analysis of Ryanair’s marketing mix

In this research we propose to analyze the marketing mix of Ryanair, the Irish low-cost airline which is today the n°1 airline in Europe .

Marketing Mix guide (free download)

• Market research methodology

20 February 2022

Amazing stuff. I really found this article very interesting and helpful. The case study at the end of the article really helped to drive home the points raised in each of the elements of the 7 Ps. I say a big thank you to Dr Pierre-Nicolas S. Merci beaucoup.

21 February 2022

You’re welcome. THank you for your kind words. You can find even more here : https://www.intotheminds.com/blog/en/marketing-mix-guide/

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Use Our Resources and Tools to Get Started With Your Preparation!

4p framework, the 4p framework is a powerful tool to set the right marketing mix within a case study, use the 4ps to align the products of a company with the right price, place, and promotion, the right  product.

The product must meet the needs of customers. This category also includes  packaging,  as well as  services  and  guarantees,  which could come with the purchase. The key area in this framework is to understand the  distinctive characteristics  of the product in comparison to the competitors' products (see benchmarking ).

The right  price

Generally, 3 different approaches are used to set the price of a product:

• Cost-Based Pricing
• Competitive Analysis
• Value-Based Pricing

The “right” price is the one, which maximizes the revenue. To sell the greatest amount at the best price possible, we need to know how people value the product; therefore  value-based pricing  is usually recommended.

The right  place

Place refers to the PLACEment of a product in the market rather than just the point of sale. This dimension includes the whole  distribution system:  transportation, storage, and choice of a distribution channel to the point of sale among others. To choose the right place you need to focus on the customers’ needs, wants, and behavior.

The most effective  promotion

Promotion bundles all  communication activities  with the customers. Ideally, the information of a product is presented in such a manner that it raises awareness of the target group and convinces them to purchase the product. Promotional costs often represent a sizable proportion of the overall costs . 

Example : Starbucks

• Product : a variety of caffeinated drinks and a distinct ambiance unavailable before Starbucks in the US.
• Price : premium price because of the uniqueness in the American market and willingness of people to pay.
• Place : establishing themselves as a coffee-to-go place, therefore they set up coffee shops in places with a high frequency of walk-in customers.
• Promotion : Starbucks is one of the most recognized brands today. Starbucks addresses its modern clientele using various kinds of advertisements such as mobile apps, social networks, and other types of viral marketing.

Key takeaways of the 4P Framework

• Classical  marketing tool
• Key elements:  product ,  price ,  place,  and  promotion
• A helpful framework for the  introduction of new products

Related Cases

MBB Final Round Case - Smart Education

McKinsey Digital / BCG Platinion: Oil & Gas Upstream Technology

Bain 1st round case – blissottica, bain + bcg - hot wheels with video solution, bcg - yodaphone.

The 4 P’s of Marketing + Marketing Mix Examples

The 4 P’s are a concept from the business world that helps you define your business offerings and create the best individualized marketing strategy possible. 

What are the 4 P’s of Marketing? 

The 4 P‘s stands for: 

• Price 
• Place 

All aspects of marketing can be categorized under one of these 4 terms. According to conventional marketing wisdom, optimizing each of these 4 categories is a successful strategy for marketing. 

Marketing Mix Definition 

Because each of t he 4 P’s are supposed to work together like ingredients in a recipe, the 4 P’s are also called The Marketing Mix.

What is the marketing mix? Just your business’s unique blend of the 4 P’s to create your own custom recipe for marketing success. 

History of the 4 P’s 

The term “marketing mix” came first, when Harvard professor James Culliton used the recipe metaphor to describe the components of marketing in a 1948 paper. The book The Concept of the Marketing Mix further refined the idea and by 1960 the elements had been reduced to the 4 P’s we know today. 

This concept has proved remarkably useful through the decades, even as businesses move increasingly online. 

The First P of Marketing: Product + Example 

Defining your product is the first step in determining your unique marketing mix. What do you sell or provide to the customer? 

This can be a physical product like cars or hair accessories; a service like business consulting, or even a digital product like a membership to an online forum. 

The marketing mix 4P approach suggests that you clarify your product as much as possible by defining the following attributes:

• Who is my target customer?
• What are they searching for?
• How does my product meet their needs? 
• What makes my product distinctive? 
• What makes my product stand out from competitors? 
• What are my product’s features? 
• What are my product’s benefits? 

This will help you craft the most appealing description of your product and drive more consumer interest and sales. 

4 P’s of Marketing Example: Product 

Let’s take a barbershop that caters to families with young children. Their product is - obviously - haircuts. 

Applying the 4 Ps, the barbershop might describe its product this way:

“ We know your kids may be nervous about a new haircut. We offer a fun, no-pressure shop where your kids can watch their favorite cartoons from our custom-painted chairs. Our trained stylists can give your little ones the latest style or just a trim quickly and easily. It’s so much fun, your kids will want to come back every week!”

In this example, the barbershop is offering a very ordinary product -haircuts. But they know that their target customers are parents who are worried about their children not sitting still for haircuts. Therefore, they position their product as unique - a “fun” haircut. 

The Second P of Marketing: Price + Example 

Much ink has been spilled determining the pricing sweet spot for any given product. The marketing mix strategy acknowledges that different businesses will use different pricing strategies. 

• Premium pricing - especially for “luxury” or “premium” brands
• Undercutting competitors 
• Offering a loyalty program
• Offering purchase points redeemable for rewards 
• Coupons 
• Sales 
• Free shipping 
• Bonus offers/free gift with purchase 
• Entry-level pricing 
• Accepting credit or pay-later systems 
• Financing 

4 P’s of Marketing Example: Pricing 

Google now offers a range of smartphones that are positioned to compete with the iPhone. 

We can see that Google is using several pricing strategies here to promote the Pixel: 

• Trade-in old phone for purchase credit
• Free shipping
• Added products (phone protection; Google One storage) 

As part of the 4ps, Google is choosing pricing strategies that will appeal the most to its customers: those who want a good phone but still want a deal and those who want easy integration with their existing Google products. 

The Third P of Marketing: Place + Example 

Since a big part of the marketing mix definition is place, it’s not a relevant concept in the digital age, right? Not quite. 

Keep in mind that some businesses will always be local: you can’t hire a remote plumber, for example. 

Furthermore, around 70% of Americans say that shopping locally is important to them. So actual geographic location is still quite important. 

That said, over 80% of consumers worldwide shopped online. Unquestionably, customers are online. But located exactly where online will be a key to deciding where to place your product’s promotion.

The Third P of marketing refers more to where your product is marketed than your actual physical location. This means finding where your customers spend time online and placing your product there. 

Do your target customers frequent any of the following sites:

Determining this will rely primarily upon your demographic research, but competitor research can help too. 

Are your competitors placing their products on Facebook? Have they ignored Instagram because your audience doesn’t spend time there, or is this an opportunity for you to locate your product near customers but away from competition? 

4 P’s of Marketing Example: Place 

Popular skincare brand Curology uses the marketing mix to reach its target customer on social media. The company’s headquarters is in San Francisco, but that is irrelevant to the “place” component 4P. 

Curology sells customized skincare 100% online, so it places its promotions where customers are - social media. 

Take a look at the promoted ad from Facebook below:

This ad uses the marketing mix concept well because it summarizes the product by highlighting a few of its key benefits - it's customizable, and it’s delivered to you (which means convenient). 

The ad is placed on a site that people check almost reflexively, so they are likely to see the ad and follow it for more information on the brand. 

Next, we’ll turn to the final element of the marketing mix definition: promotion .

The Fourth P of Marketing: Promotion + Example 

The 4Ps wouldn’t be complete without promotion. This refers to how you reach your customers and what strategies you use to incentive purchases.

This may include some of the following tools and types of digital marketing : 

• Search engine marketing
• Direct emails
• Targeted ads
• Content marketing 
• Word of mouth
• Influencer marketing
• Billboards 
• Direct Mail 
• Radio 

Anything that gets your product in front of your target audience is part of your marketing strategy. 

Now, many new businesses are inclined to go for all the promotion strategies.

As any seasoned marketer can tell you, this is a waste of time and effort. It’s better to research which strategies work best for your product and audience and build quality promotions. 

Remember, The 4 Ps of marketing maintain that each business has its own unique recipe. Just because billboard advertising works great for the auto repair shop down the street doesn’t mean it will work for your marketing consulting firm. 

4 P’s of Marketing Example: Promotion 

Email marketing is an effective strategy, with studies showing it has some of the highest return on investment of all digital marketing strategies. 

Here is how an online vitamin company, Puritan’s Pride, used email marketing over a holiday weekend sale: 

In this image, you can see how the company is using price to incentivize a sale in the form of 75% off. 

The promotion comes as an email. These are quickly skimmed, so this promotion is visual and easy to scan, relying on images rather than text to get its message across quickly before the potential customer moves on to a different email. 

Do You Know the 4Ps of Your Business?  

Does your business have a well-defined marketing mix? Here are some ways you can tell:

• Your marketing goals are clearly defined 
• You have a strong brand voice
• You know what percentage of business occurs in-person and online
• You know what online channels your customers frequent 
• You are clear about your product(s) benefits
• You’ve invested in market and competitor research
• You have chosen your distribution channels
• You have a clear pricing strategy

If your business is fuzzy on some of these basics, you probably need to revisit your unique marketing mix. 

How to Apply the 4Ps in Your Own Business 

So - what is the marketing mix you should be using? 

Your marketing mix may be different for any given product or phase of your business growth. Ideally, you will be determining your mix before you even finish developing your first product.

This is because you want to make sure you are actually offering something customers need. 

Step 1: Research: Customers, Competition, and Market

• What products or services are people looking for?
• Is there dissatisfaction with the current offerings? 
• How can you offer something distinctive?
• What is your competition doing well and poorly? 

Step 2: Determine your Pricing Strategy

• Will you position your product as a luxury/premium offering?
• Will you undercut existing prices?
• Do you plan to offer customer loyalty incentives?
• Do you plan to offer free services or loss leaders?
• Do you anticipate raising prices over time? 

Step 3: Placement 

• What are your primary distribution channels?
• Online, in-person, or hybrid purchase offers?
• Will you need a physical location for promotion?
• Do you plan to work through wholesalers and retailers?
• What online channels will you place your ads on? 

Step 4: Determine Promotional Strategies 

• What is your promotional budget? 
• Do you have a digital promotion strategy?
• What promotions are most effective with your target audience?

These are a lot of questions to ask. The more time and thought you can invest in the front-end of developing a new product, the more specific you can be about your approach to business. 

Ultimately, this means you can more effectively track the success of your chosen strategy and determine what is and is not working. 

Case Study: The 4Ps of SEOptimer.com 

Since we are a marketing company, after all, let’s use the SEOptimer website as an example of the 4 P’s at work. 

4 P’s of Marketing: Product 

SEOptimer offers numerous tools to make online marketing easier. One of our key products is the SEO Audit and Reporting Tool.

The headline of this page immediately tells visitors what they will get: a free, comprehensive SEO audit of their URL. When visitors scroll down, they learn the features and benefits of this product. 

Search Engines rely on many factors to rank a website. SEOptimer is a Website SEO Checker which reviews these and more to help identify problems that could be holding your site back from its potential.

Additionally, we provide a clear, actionable, prioritized list of recommendations to help improve.

This further defines the value of the product for potential customers and increases their chances of trying it out. 

4 P’s of Marketing: Price 

SEOptimer offers the free SEO audit tool (and lots of other SEO tools), as part of a “freemium” strategy. This means that our tools are freely available, but advanced features require a paid subscription.  

This is a pricing strategy. We also offer paid SEO consulting services. Customers use our free tools, which builds their confidence in us as digital marketing experts. If they need professional services, they are then more likely to turn to our company. 

4 P’s of Marketing: Place

Since our products are digital, they are accessible from anywhere in the world. For a company like ours with a global reach, “place” is more about reaching customers digitally. 

Maintaining a strong presence on multiple social channels is one way we do this. Another is by focusing on our SEO strategy, which reaches costumes across the world, rather than in one limited geographic location. 

4 P’s of Marketing: Promotion

While SEOptimer uses multiple promotional strategies, one good example is our organic search strategy.

Not only do we provide free and paid SEO tools, but we also offer valuable guides, articles, and how-tos to our customers. 

This content is indexed by Google and other search engines, making it more likely that potential customers will find our content, read it, and then engage with our brand. 

The 4P’S - Find Your Custom Marketing Recipe 

The 4 P’s of marketing have successfully guided marketers for over 6 decades. Far from being obsolete, combining these 4 elements is a tried-and-true method of defining your business’s overall goals and strategy. 

Try this exercise today: see if you can clearly define the 4 P’s for any given product in your company: 

If you’re clear on these 4 elements, then chances are you have the marketing mix for your business mastered. 

Adam Krzywda

SEOptimer's CEO and venerable leader. Adam has a wealth of experience across Digital Marketing, SEO and software, and enjoys sharing his learnings from growing SEOptimer to an audience of over 100,000 monthly users.

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1.2 The Marketing Mix and the 4Ps of Marketing

Learning outcomes.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• 1 Define and describe the marketing mix.
• 2 List and explain the 4Ps of marketing.

Marketing Mix Defined

Having a great product or service is just the first step in establishing a successful business or building a successful brand. The best product or service in the world won’t translate to profits unless people know about it. How do you reach customers and help them connect with your product? That’s the role of the marketing mix.

The marketing mix is commonly referred to as the tactics a company can use to promote its products or services in the market in order to influence consumers to buy. The marketing mix is also known as the 4Ps: product, price, place, and promotion (see Figure 1.4 ). Let’s look more closely.

• The product is the good or service that the company provides.
• The price is what the consumer pays in exchange for the product.
• The place is where the product is purchased.
• Promotion is comprised of advertising, sales, and other communication efforts the company utilizes to attract the customer.

The 4Ps of Marketing

To this point, we’ve been talking marketing in somewhat of an abstract manner. Instead of continuing with a theoretical discussion of the marketing mix and the 4Ps of marketing, we’re going to approach these topics using an example of a product you probably already own—a backpack. Let’s get started.

Remember: product refers to a good or service that a company offers to its customers. Let’s consider a product that many of you likely own as a college student: a backpack (see Figure 1.5 ).

In terms of the first of the 4Ps, marketing analyzes the needs of consumers who buy backpacks and decides if they want more and/or different bags. For example, marketing will analyze what features consumers want in the bag. Do they want a water bottle pocket, padded shoulder straps, reflective tape, a padded laptop sleeve, or organizer pockets? Think about your own bag for a moment: Why did you buy this particular product? What features did it have that made it appealing to you?

Armed with market research knowledge, marketing then attempts to predict what types of backpacks different consumers will want and which of these consumers they will try to satisfy. For example, are you selling bags to adults for their children’s use? Are you selling them to young adults who might want more (or different) graphics on the bag? Are you selling to adults who will use these bags for work or for school?

Marketing will then estimate how many of these consumers will purchase backpacks over the next several years and how many bags they’ll likely purchase. Marketing will also estimate how many competitors will be producing backpacks, how many they’ll produce, and what types.

Price is the amount consumers pay for a product or service. There’s a delicate balance here. On one hand, marketers must link the price to the product’s real or perceived benefits while at the same time taking into consideration factors like production costs, seasonal and distributor discounts, and pricing product lines and different models within the line.

Marketers attempt to estimate how much consumers are willing to pay for the backpack and—perhaps more importantly—if the company can make a profit selling at that price. Pricing products or services can be both an art and a science. In the case of our backpack example, the company wants to determine two things:

• What’s the minimum price that the company can charge for the backpack and still make a profit?
• What’s the maximum price that the company can charge for the backpack without losing customers?

The “correct” answer usually lies somewhere in between those points on the price continuum.

Promotion includes advertising, public relations, and many other promotional strategies, including television and print advertisements, internet and social media advertising, and trade shows. A company’s promotional efforts must increase awareness of the product and articulate the reasons why customers should purchase their product. Remember: the goal of any promotional activity is to reach the “right” consumers at the right time and the right place.

In terms of our backpack example, marketing now needs to decide which kinds of promotional strategies should be used to tell potential customers about the company’s backpacks. For instance, should you use TV advertisements to make customers aware of the backpack? If so, you’ll want to run your commercials during programs that your target audience watches. For example, if you’re selling backpacks to children (or trying to entice them to badger their parents to purchase them), children’s cartoons may be the most cost-effective avenue to reach your target market. If your backpacks are designed for work or school, you’ll likely decide to advertise on television programs that target younger adults.

Link to Learning

Netflix, jansport, and stranger things.

A real-world promotional example is the recent brand partnership between Netflix and JanSport , the backpack company. These two companies collaborated on a Stranger Things –branded backpack with the launch of the fourth season of Stranger Things in 2022. This collaboration created five Hawkins-inspired backpacks centered on various Stranger Things themes. Read more about this promotion and see the backpacks here .

Perhaps you’ll decide to run magazine print ads. If so, you’ll need to decide in which magazines you’ll place the ads. Most magazines have a very specific readership demographic consisting of factors such as age, gender, and interests. If you’re going to advertise those backpacks with print ads, you’ll want to leverage readership demographics to ensure that your message is being seen by the right consumers—those who are most likely to buy your backpacks. 18

What about internet advertising? Internet advertising (sometimes known as online advertising or digital advertising) is a promotional strategy in which the company utilizes the internet as a medium to deliver its marketing messages. If you’re going to go the digital route, what types of internet advertising will you use? Search engine marketing? Email marketing? Social media ads? TikTok videos?

Place considerations focus on how and where to deliver the product to the consumer most likely to buy it. Where did you buy your backpack? Did you buy it in a big box store, online, in an office products store, or perhaps even the school bookstore? Once again, through market research, marketers determine where potential customers will be and how to get the company’s backpacks to them.

One important factor to note about the importance of place in the marketing mix is that it doesn’t refer to the location of the company itself but rather to the location of the customers or potential customers. Place deals with strategies the marketer can employ to get those backpacks from their present location—a warehouse, for example—to the location of the customers.

Knowledge Check

It’s time to check your knowledge on the concepts presented in this section. Refer to the Answer Key at the end of the book for feedback.

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What Are the 4 Ps of Marketing?

• Understanding the 4 Ps

4. Promotion

How to use the 4 ps of marketing in your marketing strategy, example of the four ps of marketing, how does apple use the four ps of marketing, the bottom line.

• Business Essentials

4 Ps of Marketing: What They Are & How to Use Them Successfully

Product, price, place, and promotion are the four Ps in a winning "marketing mix"

The four Ps or marketing are a “marketing mix” comprised of four key elements—product, price, place, and promotion.

These are the key factors that are involved in introducing a product or service to the public. Often referred to as a marketing mix , they provide a framework that companies can use to successfully market a product or service to consumers. Since the four Ps were introduced in the 1950s, more Ps have been added to the mix, including people, process, and physical evidence.

Key Takeaways

• The four Ps are the four essential factors involved in marketing a product or service to the public.
• The four Ps are product, price, place, and promotion.
• The concept of the four Ps has been around since the 1950s. As the marketing industry has evolved, other Ps have been identified: people, process, and physical evidence.

Investopedia / Julie Bang

Understanding the 4 Ps of Marketing

Neil Borden, an advertising professor at Harvard, popularized the idea of the marketing mix—and the concepts that would later be known primarily as the four Ps—in the 1950s. His 1964 article "The Concept of the Marketing Mix" demonstrated the ways that companies could use advertising tactics to engage their consumers.

Decades later, the concepts that Borden popularized are still being used by companies to advertise their goods and services.

Borden's ideas were developed and refined over a number of years by other key players in the industry. E. Jerome McCarthy, a marketing professor at Michigan State University, refined the concepts in Borden's article and named them the "four Ps" of marketing. McCarthy co-wrote the book Basic Marketing: A Managerial Approach , further popularizing the idea.

At the time the concept was introduced, it helped companies breach the physical barriers that could hamper widespread product adoption. Today, the Internet has helped businesses to overcome some of these barriers.

People, process, and physical evidence are extensions of the original Four Ps and are relevant to current trends in marketing.

Any successful marketing strategy should be revisited from time to time. The marketing mix you create is not intended to be static. It needs to be adjusted and refined as your product grows and your customer base changes .

Creating a marketing campaign starts with an understanding of the product itself. Who needs it, and why? What does it do that no competitor's product can do? Perhaps it's a new thing altogether and is so compelling in its design or function that consumers will have to have it when they see it.

The job of the marketer is to define the product and its qualities and introduce it to the consumer.

Defining the product also is key to its distribution. Marketers need to understand the life cycle of a product , and business executives need to have a plan for dealing with products at every stage of the life cycle.

The type of product also dictates in part how much it will cost, where it should be placed, and how it should be promoted.

Many of the most successful products have been the first in their category. For example, Apple was the first to create a touchscreen smartphone that could play music, browse the internet, and make phone calls. Apple reported total sales of the iPhone for FY 2022 at $205.4 billion. In 2021, it hit the milestone of 2 billion iPhones sold.

Price is the amount that consumers will be willing to pay for a product. Marketers must link the price to the product's real and perceived value, while also considering supply costs, seasonal discounts, competitors' prices, and retail markup.

In some cases, business decision-makers may raise the price of a product to give it the appearance of luxury or exclusivity. Or, they may lower the price so more consumers will try it.

Marketers also need to determine when and if discounting is appropriate. A discount can draw in more customers, but it can also give the impression that the product is less desirable than it was.

UNIQLO, headquartered in Japan, is a global manufacturer of casual wear. Like its competitors Gap and Zara, UNIQLO creates low-priced, fashion-forward garments for younger buyers.

What makes UNIQLO unique is that its products are innovative and high-quality. It accomplishes this by purchasing fabric in large volumes, continually seeking the highest-quality and lowest-cost materials in the world. The company also directly negotiates with its manufacturers and has built strategic partnerships with innovative Japanese manufacturers.

UNIQLO also outsources its production to partner factories. That gives it the flexibility to change production partners as its needs change.

Finally, the company employs a team of skilled textile artisans that it sends to its partner factories all over the world for quality control. Production managers visit factories once a week to resolve quality problems.

Place is the consideration of where the product should be available—in brick-and-mortar stores and online—and how it will be displayed.

The decision is key: The makers of a luxury cosmetic product would want to be displayed in Sephora and Neiman Marcus, not in Walmart or Family Dollar. The goal of business executives is always to get their products in front of the consumers who are the most likely to buy them.

That means placing a product only in certain stores and getting it displayed to the best advantage.

The term placement also refers to advertising the product in the right media to get the attention of target consumers.

For example, the 1995 movie GoldenEye was the 17th installment in the James Bond movie franchise and the first that did not feature an Aston Martin car. Instead, Bond actor Pierce Brosnan got into a BMW Z3. Although the Z3 was not released until months after the film had left theaters, BMW received 9,000 orders for the car the month after the movie opened.

The goal of promotion is to communicate to consumers that they need this product and that it is priced appropriately. Promotion encompasses advertising, public relations, and the overall media strategy for introducing a product.

Marketers tend to tie together promotion and placement elements to reach their core audiences. For example, In the digital age, the "place" and "promotion" factors are as much online as offline. Specifically, where a product appears on a company's web page or social media, as well as which types of search functions will trigger targeted ads for the product.

The Swedish vodka brand Absolut sold only 10,000 cases of its vodka in 1980. By 2000, the company had sold 4.5 million cases, thanks in part to its iconic advertising campaign. The images in the campaign featured the brand's signature bottle styled as a range of surreal images: a bottle with a halo, a bottle made of stone, or a bottle in the shape of the trees standing on a ski slope. To date, the Absolut campaign is one of the longest-running continuous campaigns of all time, from 1981 to 2005.

The four Ps provide a framework on which to build your marketing strategy. Think through each factor. And don't worry when the factors overlap. That's inevitable.

First, analyze the product you will be marketing. What are the characteristics that make it appealing? Consider similar products that are already on the market. Your product may be tougher, easier to use, more attractive, or longer-lasting. Its ingredients might be environmentally friendly or naturally sourced. Identify the qualities that will make it appealing to your target consumers.

Think through the appropriate price for the product. It's not simply the cost of production plus a profit margin. You may be positioning it as a premium or luxury product or as a bare-bones, lower-priced alternative.

Placement involves identifying the type of store, online and off, that stocks products like yours for consumers like yours.

Promotion can only be considered in the context of your target consumer. The product might be appealing to a hip younger crowd or to upscale professionals or to bargain hunters. Your media strategy needs to reach the right audience with the right message.

To put this into perspective, let's consider a fictional skincare company that produces organic skincare products. Here's how the four Ps might be utilized:

• Product: The company offers a range of organic skincare products, including cleansers, moisturizers, and serums. These products are formulated with natural ingredients, free from harsh chemicals, and designed to promote healthy and radiant skin.
• Price: The pricing strategy for these skincare products is positioned as premium, reflecting the high quality of ingredients and the company's commitment to sustainability and ethical sourcing.
• Place: The products are sold through multiple channels, including the company's website, select retail stores specializing in organic products, and high-end spas and salons. This distribution strategy ensures accessibility to environmentally conscious consumers seeking natural skincare solutions.
• Promotion: The company's promotional efforts focus on emphasizing the benefits of organic skincare, such as nourishment, hydration, and skin rejuvenation. This includes social media campaigns, influencer partnerships, and educational content highlighting the importance of using non-toxic products for skincare routines.

Apple utilizes the four Ps of marketing by focusing on:

Product innovation: Evident in its continuous development of cutting-edge technology like the iPhone, MacBook, and Apple Watch.

Pricing strategy: Apple often positions its products as premium offerings, targeting a more affluent consumer base.

Place: Apple emphasizes distribution through its own retail stores, online platforms, and strategic partnerships with authorized resellers.

Promotional efforts: Apple emphasizes sleek design, user experience, and aspirational branding, creating a sense of exclusivity and desirability around its products.

How Do You Use the 4 Ps of Marketing?

The model of the 4Ps can be used when you are planning a new product launch, evaluating an existing product, or trying to optimize the sales of an existing product.

A careful analysis of these four factors—product, price, place, and promotion—helps a marketing professional devise a strategy that successfully introduces or reintroduces a product to the public.

When Did the 4 Ps Become the 7 Ps?

The focus on the four Ps—product, price, place, and promotion—has been a core tenet of marketing since the 1950s. Three newer Ps expand the marketing mix for the 21st century.

• People places the focus on the personalities who represent the product. In the current era, that means not only sales and customer service employees but social media influencers and viral media campaigns.
• Process is logistics. Consumers increasingly demand fast and efficient delivery of the things they want, when they want them.
• Physical evidence is perhaps the most thoroughly modern of the seven Ps. If you're selling diamond jewelry on a website, it must be immediately clear to the consumer that you are a legitimate established business that will deliver as promised. A professionally designed website with excellent functionality, an "About" section that lists the principals of the company and its physical address, professional packaging, and efficient delivery service are all critical to convincing the consumer that your product is not only good, it's real.

What Are Some Examples of the 4 Ps of Marketing?

• Place refers to where consumers buy your product, or where they discover it. Today's consumers may learn about products and buy them online, through a smartphone app, at retail locations, or through a sales professional.
• Price refers to the cost of the product or service. Properly determining product price includes an analysis of the competition, the demand, production costs, and what consumers are willing to spend. Various pricing models may be considering, such as choosing between one-time purchase and subscription models.
• The product a company provides depends on the type of company and what they do best. For example, McDonald's provides consistent fast food in a casual setting. They may expand their offerings, but they wouldn't stray far from their core identity.
• Promotion refers to specific and thoughtful advertising that reaches the target market for the product. A company might use an Instagram campaign, a public relations campaign, advertising placement, an email campaign , or some combination of all of these to reach the right audience in the right place.

The four Ps of marketing—product, price, place, promotion—are often referred to as the marketing mix. These are the key elements involved in planning and marketing a product or service, and they interact significantly with each other. Considering all of these elements is one way to approach a holistic marketing strategy .

Neil Borden. " The Concept of the Marketing Mix ."

E. Jerome McCarthy. "Basic Marketing: A Managerial Approach." Richard D. Irwin, Inc., 1960.

Apple. " Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited) Q4 2022 ," Page 1.

Apple Insider. " At 2 Billion iPhones Sold, Apple Continues to Redefine What Customers Want ."

Harvard Business School: Technology and Operations Management. " UNIQLO: What’s Behind the Low-Cost High-Quality Casual Wear? "

Smart Insights. " Campaign of the Week: The Longest Running Print Ad Marketing Campaign in History ."

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Apple Marketing Mix Case Study

From one juggernaut to another, now we will describe Apple’s marketing mix according to product , price , promotion, and place.

Table of Contents

Apple’s product mix is mostly confined to consumer electronics and online services. As is the case with Amazon, however, Apple is expanding into other industries. 

The current product mix consists of:

• Wearables, Home, and Accessories – such as Apple TV and Apple Watch.
• Advertising.
• Digital Content.
• Payment Services, and 
• Cloud Services.

Most of these products form part of the Apple ecosystem that supports the company’s competitive advantage and makes each product more attractive to consumers.

In other words, Apple products sync with each other so consumers can easily copy media and other preferences across multiple devices. 

Apple’s pricing strategy relies on product differentiation. With a proven track record of innovation and stable consumer demand, the company has power over its pricing .

New product launches are invariably hyped, which means Apple can focus on selling its products for a premium price instead of increasing unit volume.

The company also designates a minimum advertised price (MAP) to prevent retailers from selling its products below a certain amount.

This protects profits and, to some extent, increases the brand ’s prestige and the desirability.

Apple also utilizes price skimming.

This involves setting a much higher price for new model releases before gradually lowering it over time as each model is superseded.

Apple’s ability to market and promote its products is almost as legendary as its ability to innovate. Its marketing strategies focus on the power of simplicity in product form and function.

Simplicity can also be seen in the way that Apple structures the ads themselves.

They tend to be “to the point” and do not contain irrelevant information while still making an emotional connection with the target audience.

The company also loves to mention its superior user experience, whether that be its immersive product ecosystem or the professional customer service and visual layout of an Apple store.

In terms of building its brand organically, Apple relies on positive review building and subtle product placement in movies.

The company also markets its new products via traditional channels such as television, billboards, and print media.

But in line with its pricing strategy , Apple products are never promoted on sale or as part of a limited-time offer. 

Apple utilizes multiple avenues to reach customers and make its product more visible on the global stage. These include:

• Apple stores – these stores embody the Apple brand and are placed in strategic locations with high foot traffic. Stores are designed in such a way that consumers can freely interact with demo products and Apple support staff. There are now approximately  518 stores in 25 countries around the world .
• Online stores – for those who prefer to order their products online or do not have access to an Apple store nearby.
• Retailers – countless retail businesses are also authorized to sell Apple products and services. These include many consumer electronics retailers, telecommunications companies, and department stores.
• Authorized enterprise resellers – these entities provide procurement, deployment, app development, and other services that help enterprises incorporate Apple products within their organizations.

Read Next: Marketing Mix , Apple Business Model

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Burger King’s Marketing Mix (4Ps) Analysis

Burger King uses its marketing mix (4Ps) as a response to the dynamic and saturated condition of the global quick-service restaurant industry. The marketing mix is a combination of strategies and tactics for effectively implementing a marketing plan. In this case, Burger King’s marketing mix aims to maximize competitiveness against a variety of players. For instance, the restaurant chain competes with other large firms, including McDonald’s , Wendy’s , KFC, Arby’s, Subway , and Dunkin’, as well as Starbucks and Tim Hortons. Considering this competitive environment, the marketing mix supports Burger King’s mission statement and vision statement , and the long-term goal of achieving the top position in the international fast-food restaurant market.

Burger King’s marketing mix (4Ps) facilitates business competitiveness. The corresponding strategies and tactics enable the foodservice company to address issues related to aggressive competition. Thus, this marketing mix and the corresponding marketing strategy strengthen the business against competitive pressure, which is noted in the Five Forces analysis of Burger King . The company’s marketing plan is seen as a response to the marketing strategies of competing quick-service restaurant businesses. Moreover, the external factors in the PESTEL/PESTLE analysis of Burger King indicate opportunities and threats that determine strategic decisions in the company’s 4P. This marketing mix is a reflection of the industry condition, the marketing opportunities available to Burger King in its target markets, and the company’s foodservice business capabilities to grow and improve based on such opportunities.

Burger King’s Products

Burger King operates as a quick-service restaurant business focusing on burgers as its main product, although other products are also significant in generating sales revenues. This component of the marketing mix presents the organizational outputs offered to target customers, who are diners or consumers of the company’s food and beverage products. In this product mix, the following are Burger King’s products:

• Chicken and fish
• Sweets/Desserts

The availability of these foods and drinks depends on the Burger King location. Burger products, such as Whopper sandwiches, are the main product line. The company also offers chicken and fish as alternatives. The sides include fries, nuggets, and onion rings. The beverages include soda, shakes, water, iced tea, fruit juices, coffee, and milk. The company’s desserts and sweets include pies and soft-serve ice cream. In this component of the marketing mix, Burger King has a limited approach, as manifested in its limited product mix. Nonetheless, this product mix aligns with Burger King’s generic competitive strategy and intensive growth strategies through the competitive advantage of the economies of scale derived from the large-scale production of a limited variety of product lines.

Place (Distribution) in the Marketing Mix

Burger King’s products are available at its restaurants worldwide. This component of the marketing mix refers to the venues or locations that the firm uses to transact with target customers. The following are the places Burger King uses to distribute its products:

• Restaurants (company-owned and franchised)
• Burger King mobile app
• Burger King websites

Burger King restaurants are the company’s main channel for directly distributing products to customers. The locations of many of these restaurants have high pedestrian traffic, which is desirable for maximizing market reach and brand exposure. Aside from restaurants, customers can use the company’s mobile app to access coupons for special offers and freebies. Customers can also use the company’s websites to place orders for home deliveries. In this component of its marketing mix, the company relies mainly on the physical presence and accessibility of its restaurants. To support such a distribution strategy in this marketing mix, Burger King’s operations management maintains a supply chain that matches the needs of the company’s locations around the world. Also, the place component and distribution strategy applied in this marketing mix influence the development of the divisions, groups, and teams in Burger King’s business structure (corporate structure) , which is designed to support multinational business operations and effective fast-food restaurant marketing strategy.

Burger King’s Promotion

Burger King employs various tactics to promote its products. This component of the marketing mix covers the tactics used to communicate with the target market about the firm’s offers. Burger King uses the following promotion or marketing communications tactics:

• Advertising
• Sales promotions
• Personal selling
• Public relations

This marketing-mix component depends on the effective use of the business strengths noted in the SWOT analysis of Burger King , such as the company’s brand. The quick-service restaurant chain relies mainly on advertising to promote its products. The company advertises on the Internet, on TV, and in print media. Also, Burger King’s promotional mix uses sales promotions in the form of coupons and other offers through the company’s websites and mobile app. The firm’s restaurant personnel also typically use personal selling to encourage customers to buy more products from the menu, such as desserts. Considering the human resource aspect of personal selling, Burger King’s work culture (organizational culture) is a significant factor in achieving effective promotion in this marketing mix. In applying public relations, the Burger King Foundation gives scholarships and financial assistance for educational programs, thereby also effectively promoting and strengthening the company’s brand. In this component of the marketing mix, the various promotion tactics satisfy market communications objectives, attract consumers to the fast-food business, and strengthen the company’s brand.

Prices and Pricing Strategies in Burger King’s 4P

Burger King’s pricing strategies are based mainly on the company’s generic strategy and its emphasis on minimizing costs and prices. In this component of the marketing mix, appropriate pricing of products is considered. Burger King’s pricing strategies are as follows:

• Market-oriented pricing strategy
• Bundle pricing strategy

Burger King uses a market-oriented pricing strategy as its primary approach to pricing. This pricing strategy involves setting price ranges and price points based on prevailing market conditions and factors, like supply availability, demand levels, and the prices of competing fast-food firms. The market-oriented pricing strategy ensures that the company’s prices are competitive. On the other hand, Burger King’s secondary pricing approach is the bundle pricing strategy. For example, customers can buy value meals, family bundles, and Kids meals at bundle prices that are more affordable than buying menu items separately. Bundle pricing attracts diners, especially those who come in groups, such as families. This component of Burger King’s marketing mix shows that the fast-food restaurant chain considers market conditions for determining its prices.

• Burger King – Locations .
• Burger King – Royal Perks .
• Burger King Foundation .
• Kingsnorth, S. (2022). Digital Marketing Strategy: An Integrated Approach to Online Marketing . Kogan Page Publishers.
• Kucuk, S. U. (2023). Marketing Mix Modeling and Coordination. In Visualizing Marketing: From Abstract to Intuitive (pp. 103-115). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
• Restaurant Brands International Inc. – Form 10-K .
• U.S. Department of Agriculture – Economic Research Service – Food Service Industry Market Segments .
• Winata, E. (2023). The effect of service quality, facilities and location on customer satisfaction: A case study in the food industry. International Journal of Law Policy and Governance, 2 (1), 1-2.
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Marketing Case Study: The Marketing Mix (4Ps) and Market Research

Subject: Business and finance

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Worksheet/Activity

Last updated

30 May 2022

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This case study for a toy manufacturer covers how to link market research to a marketing strategy using the Marketing Mix. Learners will work in teams to create a market research strategy which they will then have to link to the marketing mix. This case study can be used for a number of different qualifications, from GCSE to BTEC.

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