Loosely stated, Marketing refers to the disciplined and often scientific approach to taking your products and services to market. Market research, product development, pricing strategies, delivery channels, customer service, collateral materials, advertising and even direct selling are all part of the Marketing process. Classical definitions are often based on variations of E. Jerome McCarthy’s “4 Ps” model, which provides a loose organizing structure for discussing product issues, pricing alternatives, promotional strategies/tactics and placement options.marketing is about controlling perception and generating response. Of course, response may take many forms. In the business-to-business environment, response is ultimately measured in terms of relationships and revenue. In the education market, response may be indicated by enrollment or fundraising. For non-profit organizations, response may be measurable through donations or an increase in volunteerism.

Just as needs vary between market sectors, the objectives of each individual organization may differ from the next. Marketing plans need to reflect the individuality of the organization if they are to be effective at establishing a unique and sustainable market position.

At MarketPoint, we help organizations define objectives and manage outcomes in all areas of marketing, from identifying the organization’s brand essence to achieving revenue, membership, enrollment or awareness objectives through traditional or guerrilla marketing techniques.

E. Jerome McCarthy’s classic marketing taxonomy – the E. Jerome McCarthy developed the 4 Ps model as a taxonomy for exploring and understanding the many “marketing mix” issues originally identified by Neil H. Borden in the 1960s. McCarthy’s 4 Ps model is particularly useful in marketing products and services (and potentially less useful for marketing an entire organization). The four Ps refer to: Product (brand name, function and performance, styling, quality and safety, packaging, service maintenance, and warranty); Pricing (retail price, promotional pricing, pricing strategy, discounting, and flexibility); Placement (distribution channels, market coverage, inventory management, order processing, and logistics); and Promotion (push and pull strategies, advertising and collateral communication, public relations, and selling).

Many authors have attempted to modify the 4 Ps model, by adding a fifth P (such as people or process), or by changing the designating letter (Cost instead of “price”, Convenience instead of “place”, Communication instead of “promotion”, Customer Value instead of “product”, and adding Community, which is coincidentally interchangeable with “partners”). These changes may be helpful in aligning the focus of your analysis to your organization’s specific challenges. But in the end, all such models are merely variations on Borden’s marketing mix and McCarthy’s 4 Ps model.“4 Ps” model – provides a useful structure for understanding our marketing services, which include

Product Development

• needs analysis, by target group
• perception studies (current and prospective members or customers)
• sizing and ranking potential markets
• competitive analysis
• organizational SWOT analysis
• target market values analysis
• product/service design and reengineering
• modeling (product/service design validation)

Pricing

• base pricing
• pricing strategies
• promotional pricing

Promotion

• positioning
• logos and tag lines
• collateral development
• communications and advertising campaigns
• lead generation
• employee communications
• public relations

Placement

• geographic and vertical market selection
• direct sales integration
• communicating with distributors and channel members
• customer service and support messaging

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