Hesley Borragini
Mar 8, 22 | 14 min read
Reading time: 11 minutes
One of the most famous and classic concepts when we study Advertising and Marketing is the marketing mix.
The concept was created by Professor Jerome McCarthy and spread by Philip Kotler .
Anyone who has already studied the subject has probably spent a portion of their time remembering and having on the tip of their tongue the meaning of the marketing mix, made up of the 4 P's:
product;
price ;
square and
promotion.
Or in English: Product, Price, Placement, Promotion.
Only we are not here to present you trinidad and tobago email address with a fact that any person, on the Internet search engines , can answer without much effort.
In truth, the goal is a little more daring, but more relevant to our readers.
We want you to understand the concept behind these four words and the universe they are part of.
And of course, its immeasurable importance for a brand to establish itself and remain firm and strong in the market, even in the face of crises and insecurities.
Therefore, we are going to fill this article with clear examples and objective explanations to help you understand what the 4Ps of marketing are, separately and together, and how to use this tool to your advantage.
Check out also our complete guide on Marketing Mix and its applications in business !
First of all: what is Marketing?
English terms often catch us off guard, even those with considerable knowledge of the language.
Marketing comes from the word market, which can be translated as market, or “to market”, from the verb to market. The “-ing” is the suffix that can be used to present an action that is happening at this moment.
So, if we take this construction as a hook for the formation of the word, we have marketing as “the action of marketing now.”
However, as much as this definition may help to translate the word, this is just the tip of the iceberg when we think about what that action actually is.
Marketing is adding all the functions that make a product or service offered by a company, able to be purchased by the consumer.
And that is where the marketing mix, also known as the 4 P's of Marketing or Marketing Mix, comes into play.
Before we continue, I want to inform you that our complete Marketing guide has just come out of the oven, in which you will be able to learn in detail all the concepts related to the subject. Download it for free while you read this article!
What is the marketing mix or 4P's of marketing?
The marketing mix, also called the 4Ps of marketing , represents the four basic pillars of any marketing strategy: Product , Price , Place and Promotion . When the 4 are in balance, they tend to influence and win over the public.
But, except for the variations in nomenclature, the central core remains unchanged: the 4Ps of marketing are the basic pillars of any and all strategies.
In essence, what does it mean to be successful in business?
Sell.
But to do that, you need to build a brand . And this means much more than just opening a sales channel and displaying merchandise. You need to design and build your brand on more than one pillar.
Do you want a well-known example in Brazil?
Havaianas. A simple rubber sandal.
Just over 20 years ago, it was one of the simplest and cheapest, sold in markets and aimed at a public with low purchasing power.
Who has never heard that “Havaianas were bricklayer's flip-flops ”?
But in 1994, the company launched Havaianas TOP. Instead of the classic white soles and blue or black straps, the new line came in bright colors and had a slightly higher heel.
Following a long-awaited campaign with original and humorous advertising , they became an object of desire, even being more expensive than the old model.
The distribution also underwent a major change.
Colours, models and sizes were chosen according to the public in the area. They invested in a colourful and quality display, where the pair was placed, ready to be paraded on the feet of the clients.
The result was exponential growth , which even led the company to create an area specifically focused on foreign trade.
And today, the sandal continues to occupy the status of a typical Brazilian shoe, with various stores spread across the country.
What's more, around the world…
Now let's go back to our situation: it would not have been enough for Havaianas to simply create colorful sandals (Product) , with a new value table (Price), invest in a distribution and sales dynamic (Place) or make fun and colorful commercials (Promotion).
The success of this case is that it found the balance between these 4 sectors, working to strengthen the brand in front of a well-selected target audience.
And now that we can show and make understood how the set of the 4p's of marketing or marketing mix works, it is time to understand what the role of each of them is.
