I often get a common request from potential customers. They want us to promote their brand — to advertise their products and services in such a way that sales just come rolling in the door. That is a reasonable request for a marketing company. We are here to help our clients sell their wares. However, it often is a request cloaked in two misconceptions: this will be easy to do and it is not a long process. What our customers soon find out is, that to be effective in marketing, there is some leg work that needs to happen before you can create a campaign. In building a marketing campaign, it is important to consider your marketing mix — what is often called the Four Ps.

What I am going to share with you has been around for quite a while in marketing, but it still works as an effective way to build a marketing strategy. Back in 1960, Jerome McCarthy published a book calledBasic Marketing: A Managerial Approach. In it, he broke marketing campaign planning into four components — what he called the Four Ps of the Marketing Mix. The Four Ps are Product, Price, Promotion, and Place. These Four Ps are used to formulate a marketing plan. Each of the Ps are important to effectively reach a target market with your brand.

Product

Is your brand a tangible item or is it a service — or some combination of the two? In defining your product, you describe not only what you are selling, but the group that would buy it. Who needs it? By describing this group, you can name your brand something that would appeal to them. Does it solve a problem for them? Does it enhance their lives or make them feel some sort of good emotion? How is it different from the competition’s products? All these items should be answered in developing your marketing campaign.

Price

Is your brand priced competitively in its market? Are there seasonal conditions that would make your product more in demand at certain times of the year (think about the price of Christmas trees between December 1-24 compared to the rest of the year.) Are you selling a premium brand that would demand more dollars than a cheaper quality product?

Place

Where is the consumer going to buy your product? We live in a world that prefers to buy items online. However, not everything can be bought on a computer and delivered to your front door. If I want to purchase gasoline, get an eye exam, paint my house, have my car washed, or buy an ice cream cone, that has to be purchased at a specific place that specializes in these consumer products and services. The place where the consumer experiences your brand is important because your brand needs to be seen and recognized in this place so that both the place and brand are associated together. The place always needs to make it easy for the customer to gain access and make a purchase. This is all a part of the marketing mix.

Promotion

The promotion packages the other three Ps together and pushes the best message of the brand to the consumer. What it is, where it can be found and what it costs should all be wrapped up in your promotion. Consider who you are talking to — your target market — and what they like and dislike.

Now let’s put this into practice. Let’s say that we have created a new formula to make ice cream. How do the Four Ps help us market our new ice cream?

Product: What is it and how is it different? Let’s say we have made our ice cream taste very rich and creamy with half the calories of regular ice cream. We think we can sell this to consumers who love ice cream but don’t want all the empty calories. We come up with a brand we think will confer this message:Ice Lean, and a campaign tagline that speaks to our target audience: Ice cream flavor without the fat!

Price: We decide that we can sell our Ice Lean at a slightly higher price than regular ice cream because people will pay a premium to satisfy their sweet tooth without the calories.

Place: We think that people who will buy Ice Lean are frequenting entertainment venues and seeking leisure fun, such as amusement parks and sports facilities. We decide to sell wholesale to these venues. We also decide that we will package Ice Lean and sell it in supermarkets.

Promotion: We have a promotion with the entertainment venues’ tickets to get $2 off Ice Lean in the grocery store if you present your ticket. In this way, we sell Ice Lean at the entertainment venue and give the consumer an incentive to buy at the grocery store.

The Four Ps help you break down your marketing strategy and think through the different components. I would encourage you to make a chart of your marketing mix. Before you attempt to promote your brand, think through the three other Ps and how they impact your target market. Build your campaign from there.