Marketing Mix should present consistent message
Written by Shirley Lichti for The Record, July 16, 2003

Although there have been articles written suggesting that the concept of the marketing mix is in need of updating, it still stands as the heart and soul of most marketing plans.

Often called the 4Ps - representing Product, Price, Place and Promotion - the marketing mix represents the decisions and tactics that need to be implemented to ensure products or services are successful.

Deliberation is given to each element, with managers creating products and services that meet the needs of target customers, setting prices that are perceived as fair, designing distribution channels to deliver products or services, and ensuring promotions are in place so consumers hear everything about the other three Ps.

While each element is important, the question remains, "Is my marketing mix effective?" Below are some questions for you to think about as you analyse how well your marketing mix is working.

Are all elements consistent with each other?

If your product is high quality, does the price reflect it? Are your promotional materials also of high quality or do they look like you whipped them up yourself and ran off copies on a cheap printer? Each element in the marketing mix must work well with the others.

As an example of keeping elements consistent, consider Laura Secord, the Canadian specialty chocolatier. It sells its high end products in its own retail stores, plus via department stores such as The Bay, grocery stores like Sobeys and drug store chains such as Shoppers Drugmart.

Although it has been wooed to supply giant discounter Wal-Mart with boxed chocolates, it has resisted. The reason? Wal-Mart sends a low-price message and Laura Secord chocolates are priced at the high end of the scale. The company feels that its brand image would suffer by adding Wal-Mart to its distribution channels.

Does the mix meet the needs of my target market?

Think about your customers and their needs and wants. Are they bargain hunters or do they buy only the best products and services? Do they demand custom-made products or are they happy with one-size fits all? What are their unique requirements?

Haeir Group, a Chinese manufacturer of white goods, has managed to achieve nearly a 50 per cent share of the North American compact refrigerator market by understanding and meeting customer needs.

Most people who buy compact refrigerators are college students. Because they usually have very small apartments and also use computers, Haeir introduced a compact refrigerator with two wooden flaps on the sides that can be folded out to make a computer table. Students can put a computer on the refrigerator. And the flaps can be folded back down when extra space is needed.

Is each element being used to its best advantage?

Is there one aspect of how your product or service is designed that stands out? For example, does it offer outstanding quality or exceptional value? Are you getting as much mileage as possible from those unique attributes?

At one time, pantyhose were only sold at department stores. In 1969, Hanes introduced L'Eggs pantyhose in distinctive plastic egg-shaped packaging.

The product name and the package provided a play on words, helping to boost awareness. And L'Eggs could be purchased in grocery stores, making purchase very convenient.

With its innovative packaging, unusual name and unconventional distribution channel, L'Eggs become the best-selling pantyhose in the U.S.

Does the mix build on organizational strengths?

If your company's strength is in research and development or innovation, your promotions should reinforce product announcements resulting from these efforts.

Brick, a Waterloo-based brewery, introduced beer in 16-ounce (473 ml) brown plastic bottles, that chill faster, stay cold longer, are lightweight and unbreakable.

The fact that bottles are unbreakable is critical because it allows Brick to expand distribution to outlets where glass bottles are prohibited, such as university residences, sports events and concerts. It also lets the company compete with canned beer without having to invest in expensive canning equipment.

Brick is the first Canadian company to put beer in plastic bottles, a fact it promotes in all its advertisements, thus capitalizing on its reputation for innovation.

Does the mix create a distinctive personality in the marketplace?

Your marketing mix should help you establish how you are different from competitors and position your product or service in the minds of consumers. For example, when you think of Volvo, you think of safety, while BMW is associated with performance and Mercedes has become synonymous with luxury.

Branding experts sometimes go through an exercise where they ask, "If this product were a person, what type of personality would it have?" A Mercedes might be an older, affluent man, with an executive position, who seeks comfort, buys only the best products and is status-conscious.

By creating a distinctive personality for your product or service, you will help to attract people whose actual or desired self-image match that of your brand.

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