I meet a number of professionals almost every week, some of them quite young, and I’m still surprised by the persistence of old mythical models in business. It seems impossible to read reports or hear presentations without being confronted with the 4P’s, the Porter 5 forces, some SWOT’s, etc. Generally tinkered and badly applied by people who never read the authors’books. It’s just a mess !
This is the case for the famous 4P’s. A lot of people think marketing equals 4 P’s. It’s just terrible !
Think about that:
- The 4 P’s model was developed in 1954, more than 60 years ago by Prof McCarthy (not by Philip Kotler as many believe). Do we still drive 1954 cars ?
- The 4P’s don’t take into account segmentation analysis and targeting / positioning decisions that are key in strategic marketing
- We are no more in the marketing of products. We are now marketing concepts: we sell solutions, service, image, customer experience . The 4P’s doesn’t take that into account
- The 4P’s mix in the same category strategic elements (pricing) and operational elements (promotion): it doesn’t make sense
- The 4P’s neglect the essential idea of value creation through branding, experiential marketing, service programs,… all took much importance in recent years
So, please, look for other models when you think about marketing ! Or maybe forget about models !
According to James Donius, Managing Director at Marketplace Measurement Worldwide, « a Marketing Model is a stylized representation of reality that is easier to deal with and explore for a specific purpose than reality itself. (Lilien, Rangaswamy) » – See more at: http://www.innovationglobalnetwork.com/pov/443/DEFINITION_OF_MARKETING_MODELS.html#sthash.ZR5RfcVW.dpuf
The problem is that the reality is quite complex and ambiguous today and trying to simplify it and to put it in a rigid costume leads to a distorsion of that reality. We should find other ways to express our views. See the reality through different lenses.
Modeling should not be oversimplifying. I recommend that we describe real phenomenons through a think back step and stop approach, starting from the decision we want to make (e.g., choosing a SPICE UP positioning concept), listing the questions we need to answer to get to that decision, then specifying how to get these answers, and so on.
I have no space to detail this here but do not hesitate to contact me should you be interested to discuss moreabout it.
We might not have found new solutions yet to describe the complex realities of today but something is sure : forget about the 4 P’s and send it to the museum of marketing !
Be inspired and Spice Up your marketing !
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Jean-Pierre Baeyens 