Question

Long Answer Type Question.
What is marketing mix? What are its main elements? Explain.

Answer 1

Marketing mix is described as the set of marketing tools that a firm uses to pursue its marketing objectives in a target market.

The marketing mix consists of various variables, which have broadly been classified into four categories, popularly known as four Ps of marketing. These are: (i) Product, (ii) Price, (iii) Place, and (iv) Promotion, and are discussed as follows:

1. Product: Product means goods or services or ‘anything of value’, which is offered to the market for exchange. For example, Hindustan Lever company offers number of consumer products like toiletries (Close-Up Toothpaste, Lifebuoy Soap, etc.) detergent powder (Surf, Wheel), food products (Refined Vegetable Oil); Tata offers Tata Steel.

The concept of product relates to not only the physical product as mentioned in the above examples but also the benefits offered by it from customer’s view point (for example toothpaste is bought for whitening teeth, strengthening gums, etc.). The concept of product also include the extended product or what is offered to the customers by way of after sales services, handling complaints, availability of spare parts etc. These aspects are very important, particularly in the marketing of consumer durable products (like Automobiles, Refrigerators, etc.). The important product decisions include deciding about the features, quality, packaging, labeling and branding of the products.

2. Price: Price is the amount of money customers have to pay to obtain the product. In case of most of the products, level of price affects the level of their demand. The marketers have not only to decide about the objectives of price setting but to analyse the factors determining the price and fix a price for the firm’s products. Decisions have also to be taken in respect of discounts to customers, traders and credit terms, etc. so that customers perceive the price to be in line with the value of the product.

3. Place: Place or Physical Distribution include activities that make firm’s products available to the target customers. Important decision areas in this respect include selection of dealers or intermediaries to reach the customers, providing support to the intermediaries (by way of discounts, promotional campaigns, etc.). The intermediaries in turn keep inventory of the firm’s products, demonstrate them to potential buyers, negotiate price with buyers, close sales and also service the products after the sale. The other decision areas relate to managing inventory, storage and warehousing and transportation of goods from the place it is produced to the place it is required by the buyers.

4. Promotion: Promotion of products and services include activities that communicate availability, features, merits, etc. of the products to the target customers and persuade them to buy it. Most marketing organisations, undertake various promotional activities and spend substantial amount of money on the promotion of their goods through using number of tools such as advertising, personal selling and sales promotion techniques (like price discounts, free samples, etc.). A large number of decisions are to be taken in each of the area specified above. For example, in the respect of advertising it is important to decide about the message, the media to be used (example print-media–newspaper, magazines, etc. the objections of customers, etc.). The success of a market offer will depend on how well these ingredients are mixed to create superior value for the customers and simultaneously achieve their sale and profit objectives. Let us say a firm would like to achieve necessary volume of sale at a cost that will permit a desired level of profit. But so many alternative mixes can be adopted by a firm to achieve this objectives. The issue before a firm then is to decide what would be the most effective combination of elements to achieve the given objectives.