Every true marketeer worth his salt knows all about the power of the four Ps. Or at least that is what they tell me. Here are the four Ps along with a short description just in case you do not already know what all this P stuff stands for (shame on you):
- Product - build a product that meets as many of the market needs as possible.
- Price - set a price that most of the consumers will pay and from which they perceive a worthwhile value (and that delivers a profit so that you can stay in business).
- Place - focus on the places to sell your products where the chance of success is the highest, especially in the beginning.
- Promotion - find out the best channels and means to increase visibility and make the attractive features known to a wide public.
The Four P's are a checklist, and a checklist invented in the 50s at that. As a marketing exec, I'm picky with my Ps. I consider them obsolete.
First of all, the Ps are marketer-centric and the whole idea behind marketing is to be customer centric.
Secondly, the Ps were in vogue before Brand had become so important. Brand includes the promise you make to customers, what people see in you and well as how you see yourself, the whole customer gestalt rather than the pieces.
I just wrote a book on this, as applied to in-house learning programs. Don't buy the book (Amazon gets $38 for it) unless you're really into it. But do check out the free excerpts on my site.
Interesting how you consider the four Ps obsolete when there are so many marketing companies out there who still believe one hundred percent in this approach. Yes, I agree totally with you that the customer should be the focal point. The poor customer is often unfairly left out of the equation and should be taken into account better. Branding seems to be the way to go, but I am not so sure if this applies equally well to consultants like myself who are basically just selling knowledge as a service. It is not like I am selling shoes, or is it?