Marketing Mix

Marketing Mix

The most important things a company must consider whenever it elects to change a marketing strategy include the physical evidence and process. A marketing mix refers to factors determining how a company delivers value to its stakeholders or meets its organizational goals. In addition to people, place, promotion, price, and product, a company must also include physical evidence and process – the other two vital ingredients of the 7Ps of the marketing mix (Wenderoth, 2009). Therefore, in its plan to transition from selling its products to retailers to directly selling them to consumers through new shops and online platforms, the Senior Management Team (SMT) at Hard Graft Tools must consider the impact of physical evidence and process. This briefing, therefore, will first highlight the role of marketing processes that occur with the customer present and the role of marketing processes that occur before and after the customer interface. This will be followed by an evaluation of how the function of ‘process‘ can create customer focus and an appraisal of the purpose of physical evidence in the marketing mix.

The role of the marketing processes that take place with the customer present

Marketing refers to an organization’s activities to create, communicate, deliver, and exchange products/services that are valuable to others, especially customers (Wenderoth, 2009). Usually, some of the roles of marketing processes that occur with the customer present include identifying the customers or buyers, satisfying their needs, and retaining them. Typically, the responsibility of these marketing processes is to identify the target market or the customer segment and their needs and determine how much they put a value on those needs getting addressed. These marketing processes also determine a company’s flexibility by informing the designs of the services and products the company will produce to ensure it addresses the needs of clients and offers value equal to the costs of these products/services. Besides, these processes can help a business to conform and focus on customer needs, wishes, and experiences and ensure that the company’s senior management team understands these needs and the best way to address them. These processes also offer an opportunity for improvement.

The role of marketing processes which take place before and after the customer interface

The term customer interface primarily refers to the element an organization uses to interact with its clients. For instance, Hard Graft Tools presently interacts with its customers indirectly via its retailers. However, the company plans to shift to selling directly to its customers via online interactions (by selling it directly to consumers on its website) and physical shops. Therefore, based on these examples, a customer interface can be described as the mechanisms, systems, or services an organization employs to connect, interface, or interact with its consumers, such as face-to-face, the telephone, the website, etc. Usually, these marketing processes happen to be positioned at the final stage of the marketing cycle, linking the product and consumers. Before the customer interface, these marketing processes are paramount because they determine things like how easily consumers can access the company’s product. They also help inform customers of the types of products a company is selling as well as educate them on how to use them. But after the customer interface, these marketing processes determine the experiences, satisfaction, trust, and willingness of consumers to come back. For example, product reviews collected on a company’s website can tell the senior management of an organization whether or not customers are satisfied with what they bought.

How the Role of Process in the Marketing Mix Leads to Customer Focus

In the marketing mix, the term process is defined as the mechanism or flow of activities that take place when a business interacts with customers (Akroush, 2011). Process refers to steps or actions undertaken to reach a particular goal or to execute a particular function. On the other hand, the term ‘Focus’ refers to a center of attention or attraction. Therefore, the impact of process in the marketing mix in terms of leading to ‘customer focus’ can be measured by how best an organization has identified the needs and wants of consumers when producing or manufacturing its products. Typically, the company, before starting to produce any item or to design any service, must consider consumers’ needs and desires. They must identify the things that buyers value most in their products and what will drive them to pay that price. This is indeed what is referred to as ‘Customer Focus’; considering the things that clients want in the product/service. There are several incidences in the world today where ‘process’ in the marketing mix has led to customer focus. For example, when luxury automobile manufacturers, such as Bugatti or Rolls-Royce, obtain orders from their consumers for new cars, the first process is usually to obtain customer details, including preferences, tastes, and needs, including the color of the leather seats, the color of the exterior car, engine requirements, and so on. This customer focus process will help these companies customize the cars they produce to meet these needs – which are unique for each buyer.

The Role of Physical Evidence in the Marketing Mix

In the marketing mix, the term physical evidence refers to the external physical environment the customer experiences and interacts with (Anjani, Irham, & Waluyati, 2019). This could include the layout of the firm’s website or the physical layout or design of the premises or shops. Physical evidence (in this case, layout) plays an important role because they determine how easily a client can access the products and other services they desire. Typically, when designing a physical layout of a company, as well as the company’s website, the organization must consider making it as straightforward and simple as possible. Consumers might go somewhere else if they struggle to get what they desire. It is also critical that the company factors in the general appearance of physical evidence because customers love attractive and appealing designs and layouts. A good example of how physical evidence is important is in the supermarket business. In supermarkets like Kroger Co., food items are typically positioned in front for consumers to see easily. The shelves are also labeled to ensure customers can easily find desired products. Similarly, a company like Amazon, with hundreds of thousands of products to sell, has ensured that its website is responsive and easy to navigate. It is effortless to find and purchase products or even just to view their specifications.

References

Akroush, M. N. (2011). The 7Ps classification of the services marketing mix revisited: An empirical assessment of their generalizability, applicability, and effect on performance – evidence from Jordan’s services organizations. Jordan Journal of Business Administration, 7(1), 116-147.

Anjani, H., Irham, I., & Waluyati, L. R. (2019). Relationship of 7P marketing mix and consumers’ loyalty in traditional markets. Agro Ekonomi, 29(2), 261.

Wenderoth, M. (2009). Particularities in the marketing mix for service operations. GRIN Verlag.

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Marketing Mix

You are working as a freelance business consultant.  Shakti is the Managing Director of a medium-sized company called Hard Graft Tools, which produces power tools.

Hard Graft Tools currently sells its products to retailers.  In a change of strategy, Hard Graft Tools is now planning to withdraw from the retailers and sell the tools direct to consumers via new shops as well as online.  Shakti would like you to help the Senior Management Team (SMT) to understand how to start marketing the tools directly to customers.  Shakti invites you to visit the Hard Graft Tools head office to see the products and to have an initial discussion with the SMT.

Task 1

 Shakti asks you to write a detailed paper for the SMT to read before you meet for your initial discussion.  Write a paper for the SMT about the role of the product or service and the role of place in the marketing mix.  The paper must be at a suitable level and in a suitable format for senior managers.

You must make sure you include the following topics:

• An analysis of how the features and benefits of a product or service can be used in the marketing mix (AC1.1)
• A description of the use of the marketing mix at each stage of the Product Life Cycle (AC1.2)
• An analysis of the role of direct and indirect distribution channels to move products and services from the provider to the buyer (AC3.1)
• An analysis of the use of intensive distribution, selective distribution and exclusive distribution in the market coverage of products and services. (AC3.2)

Merit task

To achieve a Merit, you must additionally include in the paper:

• An analysis of how a business can create lifetime value to the customer by using the Customer Life Cycle (AC1M1)
• An explanation of the advantages of using a direct marketing channel. (AC3M1)

Distinction task

You decide that it could be helpful for the SMT to see how another organisation has used product or service and place in its marketing mix. To achieve a Distinction, choose an organisation which you have researched or have experience of, and additionally include in the paper:

• An evaluation of the role of product or service in that organisation’s marketing mix (AC1D1)
• An evaluation of the role of place in that organisation’s marketing mix. (AC3D1)

 Task 2

The meeting went well and Shakti said the SMT found your paper informative.  They would now like to find out more about the role of price and promotion in the marketing mix.  Shakti has asked you to prepare a presentation for the SMT on the topic of pricing strategy.  Prepare a presentation with an accompanying handout.  You must include:

• An analysis of the use of pricing to reflect the perceived value of the benefits of a product to the buyer (AC2.1)
• An analysis of the use of pricing to offset the costs of product manufacturing and/or service delivery (AC2.2)

Merit task

To achieve a Merit, you should analyse the effects of adjusting the price of a product or service. Shakti has asked that you include diagrammatic information in your analysis.

(AC 2M1)

Distinction task

To achieve a Distinction, you must choose an organisation which you have researched or have experience of, and additionally include in the presentation and handout:

• An evaluation of the role of price in that organisation’s marketing mix (AC2D1)

With regard to the promotion of products and services Shakti wishes to open a discussion with senior colleagues. Produce a paper to stimulate this discussion. This should include the following:

 An analysis of the aims of promotion in the marketing mix (AC4.1)

• An explanation of how the success of a promotional campaign is measured. (AC4.2)

Merit task

To achieve a Merit, you must include in the same paper an explanation of how promotional activities are regulated. You may use your own country or state. (AC4M1)

Distinction task

To achieve a Distinction, you must choose an organisation which you have researched or have experience of, and additionally include:

• An evaluation of the role of promotion in that organisation’s marketing mix. (AC4D1)

Task 3

The SMT interacted well with your presentation and the associated discussion and now want you to help them understand the role of people in the marketing mix.  Shakti asks you to produce a factsheet about the role of people in the marketing mix for the SMT.  Your factsheet must include:

• An analysis of the importance of recruiting the right people to become customer facing staff in businesses (AC6.1)
• An analysis of the importance to businesses of training customer-facing and non-customer-facing staff. (AC6.2)

Merit task

To achieve a Merit, you must include in the factsheet an evaluation of the use of Customer Relationship Management in businesses. (AC6M1)

Distinction task

To achieve a Distinction, you must choose an organisation which you have researched or have experience of and include in the factsheet an evaluation of the role of people in that organisation’s marketing mix. (AC6D1)

Task 4

The SMT found your factsheet useful.  Shakti asks you if there is anything else the SMT needs to understand regarding the marketing mix.  After a discussion with you, Shakti agrees with your suggestion that it would be useful for them to understand the role of process and the role of physical evidence in the marketing mix.  She asks you to prepare a briefing paper for the SMT about the role of process and the role of physical evidence in the marketing mix.  You must produce a briefing paper which includes:

• An explanation of the role of marketing processes which take place with the customer present (AC5.1)
• An explanation of the role of marketing processes which take place before and after the customer interface (AC5.2)
• An analysis of how the role of process in the marketing mix leads to customer focus (AC5.3)
• An analysis of the role of physical evidence in the marketing mix (AC7.1).

Distinction task

To achieve a Distinction, you must choose an organisation which you have researched or have experience of, and include in the briefing paper:

• An evaluation of the role of process in that organisation’s marketing mix (AC5D1)
• An evaluation of the role of physical evidence in that organisation’s marketing mix. (AC7D1)