The fourth P in the marketing mix is Place or placement of the product or service. If the product is not placed in the right location and the consumer does not know it exists, it will not sell as effectively. These are all controllable variables of the marketing mix. The uncontrollable variables that surround the four Ps also have to be considered when
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developing a marketing strategy. These variables include social cultural, ethical, technological, competitive, political-legal, and economic variables (Chanimal, 2004).
Fig. 1
The external or uncontrollable aspects of marketing also effect the success or failure of the marketing project. A company cannot control the level of unemployment in the targeted area. Technological changes are always an influence if your competition is ahead of your in making their product better and more desirable. Governmental regulations or support of your product is another uncontrollable variable to be considered in the marketing mix and strategy.
When Debbi Fields started her cookie business in the early seventies, she determined that the quality of her product was one of the most important aspects of her success. Placement, price and promotion also played into the success of a company that grew from one store in 1977 to an international company worth more than 100 million dollars. Her marketing technique was to bond with the customer and make them feel
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special. She only hired energetic and passionate sales people to promote her product. She believed that customer service is innate and had to come from the heart (Bauer, 2003).
When Mrs. Fields started looking for investors for the growth of her company, she took a plate of cookies and her business plan to several banks until she found someone who believed in her product as much as she did. Some of Mrs. Fields other marketing strategies and philosophies that were controllable variables included hiring people who were the best she could find. These employees had to love cookies and sell with the same passion with which she started her company. She hired people with attitude over ability and she turned change and challenge into opportunity (Gitomer, 1999).
Even during a weak economy, Mrs. Fields Famous Brands continued to grow by expanding franchises in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Some of the new marketing strategies used to grow the business included using the strength of the Mrs. Fields brand to draw in new international partners. Many perspective prospects knew of Mrs. Fields but did not know that the company also owned TCBY Ice Cream & Yogurt, Pretzel Time and Pretzelmaker. These companies were acquired in June of 2000 to expand the company’s portfolio (Soria, 2002). High quality and new materials continued to be the focus of Mrs. Fields growth and stability as the company developed new opportunities in the snack food industry.
Product and placement were key to Debi Fields’ success in the early seventies. Every sales person in her promotion and advertising campaign had to feel as strongly as she did about her product. Customers are willing to pay the price for a premium product. The four Ps in the marketing mix continue to fuel growth as the company expands into other areas and franchises including international marketing.
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References
Bauer, A. (2003, October). Her Recipe for Success. The Capital Journal, Retrieved
February 21, 2004 from the World Wide Web:
http://www.cjonline.com/stories/100403/bus_mrsfields.shtml
Chanimal Marketing Basics (2004). Retrieved February 21, 2004 from the World Wide
Web: Fig. 1
Cohn, T. (2003, December 7) .The Principles of Marketing: Marketing Principles.
Retrieved February 19, from the World Wide Web:
Gitomer, J. (1999, May 10). Sales Success with Cookies. Charleston Regional Business
Journal. Retrieved February 21, 2004 from the World Wide Web:
Soria, B. (2002, April). How to Grow Globally, Despite a Dismal Economy. Franchising
World, Vol 34, 19-20, Retrieved February 19, 2004 from EBSCOhost Research
Database on the World Wide Web:
Marketing Mix: Marketing for Profits LTD 2004. Retrieved February 19, 2004 from the
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