“We do marketing” in everyday practice often means: we run ads, post on social media, print a flyer. Advertising is the most visible part of marketing – but only one part. Those who reduce marketing to communication give away most of the levers.
A common misunderstanding
Marketing is the market-oriented management of the entire company. It decides was is offered, at what price, by which route – and only then how it is talked about. Advertising is the last link in a long chain.
The marketing mix: seven levers
Modern marketing thinks in seven fields, the so-called 7 Ps:
- Product policy – the offering itself, its benefit and its design
- Pricing policy – pricing models, value communication, terms
- Distribution policy – the routes by which customers reach the offering
- Communication policy – advertising, content, PR, brand
- People – the people who embody the brand every day
- Processes – the processes that shape the customer experience
- Physical evidence – the visible proof that substantiates trust
Those who only adjust communication are optimising one seventh of the lever – and wonder why the impact fails to materialise.
From single instrument to system
These fields only unfold their power in combination. A convincing offer at the wrong price sells poorly. A strong campaign for a weak process disappoints. Marketing becomes effective when all seven fields point in the same direction.
That is precisely why good consulting does not start with the next advert, but with the question of which levers make the biggest difference in the first place.