| I'm sure you remember sitting in your marketing | | | | Six C's of marketing. These concepts are not |
| class in college when your instructor blurted | | | | meant to replace the four P's, but rather |
| something about the Four P's of Marketing. If you | | | | compliment them. They provide a more granular |
| weren't paying attention or perhaps missed class | | | | look at the overall marketing strategy while taking |
| that day, here is a quick review. It's really a | | | | into consideration the following: customer, |
| simple concept that is still employed by many of | | | | consistency, creativity, culture, communication and |
| the fortune 500 companies today.A Quick Review | | | | change.Customer - this means that an |
| of the Four P'sMarketing strategies generally fall | | | | organization's marketing strategy needs to be |
| into four categories known as the four P's: they | | | | customer focused. It's about intimately |
| are product, price, place (or distribution), and | | | | understanding the target market not as |
| promotion. Most marketing managers (sometimes | | | | demographics, but as real, everyday people. It's |
| referred to as product marketing managers) have | | | | about focusing on the target customer first and |
| complete control of the product from | | | | then working backwards to the product and or |
| manufacturing and distribution to marketing and | | | | service; and then ultimately the brand. It's a never |
| promotions. The end goal, of course, is to make | | | | ending cyclical process.Consistency - how many |
| strategic decisions that center the four P's around | | | | times have you heard mixed messages from the |
| the target consumer group in order to | | | | same company's advertising? Marketers need to |
| communicate an effective value proposition and | | | | maintain consistency in their communication |
| create a positive customer experience.The term | | | | messages to reinforce the value proposition to |
| "product" refers to the tangible, physical product | | | | the target consumer. This will also serve to |
| itself. This includes the design of the form factor, | | | | reinforce the brand in a real life context and avoid |
| the brand name, the features and functionality, | | | | doing something lame like changing the Nike tag |
| quality, safety, packaging, the warranty, etc.When | | | | line from "just do it" to something |
| considering "price", marketers must take a holistic | | | | different.Creativity - it is important to use |
| view of the total cost to manufacture the | | | | creativity to attract the attention of the target |
| product, distribution costs and advertising costs; | | | | consumer since they are bombarded with |
| as well facilitating a competitive analysis and | | | | thousands of messages per day. Creativity |
| perhaps a focus group to find the target price | | | | means laying aside the "traditional" rules of |
| that consumers are willing to pay. Other | | | | advertising, and challenges marketers to think |
| considerations include defining a pricing strategy, | | | | out-of-box so that they can tap into their |
| suggesting a retail price, volume discounts and | | | | imaginations.Culture - all marketing messages need |
| wholesale pricing, seasonal pricing, and bundling the | | | | to have a cross-cultural component in order to be |
| product with other products.The distribution of the | | | | effective. It is dangerous to think that everyone |
| product (or place) is about getting the product | | | | in the world (including your target consumer) |
| from the warehouse to the customer and all the | | | | thinks, acts and makes purchase decisions exactly |
| steps between. Marketers must consider the | | | | like you. It's not true and having this perspective |
| most effective distribution channels, develop a | | | | can prove to be hazardous to your marketing |
| supply chain management strategy, identify | | | | health.Communication - people don't appreciate "in |
| specific channel partners, inventory management, | | | | your face" advertising. They don't want to be |
| warehousing, order processing, and | | | | "marketed to" either. They would much rather be |
| transportation.The last thing marketers must | | | | "communicated with". Effective communication |
| consider is promotion. Promotion represents the | | | | creates value with target customers, speaks in |
| various characteristics of an integrated marketing | | | | their language and tells your story.Change - don't |
| communication plan; that is, the communication | | | | fight it, embrace it. Change is here to stay! |
| messages that inform, educate and persuade | | | | Marketers must constantly change as society |
| consumers to buy the product. An effective | | | | changes. They should never be afraid to step out |
| integrated marketing communication plan would | | | | in faith to try something different. Marketing |
| include: advertising (online & offline), personal | | | | today is not what it used to be; it is constantly |
| selling, direct marketing, sales promotions, public | | | | evolving and marketers must consider change in |
| relations; as well as establishing a marketing | | | | the world, economy, market, consumers |
| budget and identifying measurable goals.Is there | | | | perceptions; as well as internal change within the |
| anything else to think about?Absolutely. Since we | | | | organization.To learn more about the Six C's of |
| are on the subject of acronyms, introducing the | | | | Marketing, please visit our online marketing blog. |