The Four Ps - Essential Elements of a Successful Marketing Campaign

The "Four Ps"- Product, Place, Price and Promotion, make up what is known as the Marketing Mix. The marketing mix also includes how each element is used within a marketing strategy.

In this article you will learn the ins and outs of each element of the marketing mix and how they contribute to successful marketing campaigns. We will look at the well-known computer software company Microsoft to illustrate the impact the marketing mix can have on marketing tactics and strategy.

Product

Of the Four Ps, Product is usually the easiest to identify. The Product is what your business is selling. An apple cart would have apples as its Product; a car dealership would have automobiles as its Product, a consulting company would have consulting services as its Product. In the case of Microsoft, the Product is computer software.

There are many categories and components within Microsoft's software Product, however, each sub-product is designed for use in conjunction with all the others, so in a way, Microsoft offers one large Product that can be purchased together or separately on an as-needed basis. The challenge for Microsoft is to convince the customer that all parts of the Product are desirable and even necessary in order to reap the full benefits of the software. A perusal of Microsoft's website will show that one of the ways the company meets this challenge is to offer "product families" (Microsoft.com, 2007). This approach emphasizes the idea that Microsoft's products are meant to be used together by implying a familial relationship between the components- a concept that can be very appealing to the customer.

It has been said that Product is "much more than just the physical good that becomes the possession of the customer. It is everything about the purchase experience that a customer finds satisfying" (MOTI, 2005). This view of the first P can significantly affect a marketing campaign as the seller must not only determine the product's appeal to the customer but also the appeal of how and why the customer will purchase the product.

Place