September 21, 2025

How one company approaches its marketing efforts can vary quite a bit from another, depending on the product or service each company is trying to sell. By

The Marketing Mix and Consumer Behavior

How one company approaches its marketing efforts can vary quite a bit from another, depending on the product or service each company is trying to sell. By focusing on the elements of the marketing mix, the 4 Ps (product, price, place, and promotion), marketers can work to ensure that the product or service in question successfully reaches its identified target market. And part of what marketers must understand is how the potential customers in that market are driven to make decisions. In other words, what factors will most strongly motivate the buyer to make the purchase? Based on that understanding, strategies can be developed to highlight one or more aspects of the marketing mix (such as price and place, for example) to encourage consumers to buy. In this Discussion, you will consider the role of persuasion, and the marketing mix on consumer behavior and marketing decisions.

To prepare for this Discussion:

Think of a buying experience you have had as a consumer in which you were unsure whether you wanted a product or needed a product or service. Consider the persuasive marketing efforts that impacted on your decisions, including which of the 4 Ps of the marketing mix played the strongest role in your decisions.

Post an analysis of the impact of persuasion on consumer behavior and the importance of the 4 Ps in making marketing decisions, to include the following:

Describe a buying experience in which you were unsure of whether you wanted or needed a particular product or service but ultimately made the purchase.
Analyze the impact of persuasion on your decision to purchase this product or service. Include how the product or service’s marketing campaign influenced your decision and what you think is the strategy behind that campaign. Provide specific examples to support your analysis.
Identify which of the 4 Ps of the marketing mix played the largest role in your decision to purchase the product or service.

Marketing for Competitiveness

Week 5 Learning Resources

The 4 Ps

· Emerald Works Limited. (n.d.). The marketing mix and the 4Ps of marketing Download The marketing mix and the 4Ps of marketing . MindTools. https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newSTR_94.htm MindTools.com. The Marketing Mix and the 4Ps of Marketing: Understanding How to Position Your Marketing Offer. Management Training and Leadership Training – Online. https://www.mindtools.com/community/pages/article/newSTR_94.php Reprinted by permission of Mind Tools Ltd. Via the Copyright Clearance Center. Licensed in 2021.

· Kareh, A. (2018, January 3). Evolution of the four Ps: Revisiting the marketing mix Links to an external site. . Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2018/01/03/evolution-of-the-four-ps-revisiting-the-marketing-mix/?sh=10ef6c351120

· Paxton/Patterson. (2017, March 14). The 4 Ps of the marketing mix simplified Links to an external site. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mco8vBAwOmA

Selling Strategies

Selling strategies are dependent on the buyer and seller’s relationship. A successful selling strategy isn’t always cut and dry; each strategy needs to be tailored to a specific outcome to move toward a result. There are essentially four selling strategies: script-based selling, needs-satisfaction selling, consultative selling, and strategic partnering. Through these resources, you will take a deeper dive into discovering how selling strategies enhance a marketing strategy.

· University of Minnesota. (2015). 13.2 customer relationships and selling strategiesLinks to an external site. . In Principles of marketing. University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing. https://pressbooks-dev.oer.hawaii.edu/principlesmarketing/chapter/13-2-customer-relationships-and-selling-strategies/

· Newman, L. (2018, November 27). Sales is not a dirty word!Links to an external site. [Video]. TED Conferences. https://www.ted.com/talks/lisa_newman_sales_is_not_a_dirty_word

· Pogue, D. (2006, February). Simplicity sellsLinks to an external site. [Video]. TED Conferences. https://www.ted.com/talks/david_pogue_simplicity_sells?language=en

· TEDxYouth@GrandBahama. (2019, March). Did you really want that? Exploring how sales professionals influence our choices Links to an external site. [Video]. TED Conferences. https://www.ted.com/talks/did_you_really_want_that_exploring_how_sales_professionals_influence_our_choices

Consumer Behavior

Consumer behavior is the study of what influences individuals and organizations to purchase certain products and support certain brands. Consumer behavior is also the study of how people are making purchase decisions to satisfy their needs, wants, or desires, and how their emotional, mental, and behavioral responses influence the buying decision. Marketing psychology, or the study of how and why we purchase goods or services, closely relates to consumer behavior. There are four factors that determine the characteristics of consumer behavior: personal, psychological, social, and cultural. All factors have a major impact on a consumer’s behavior and the characteristics that define a customer will change as their life changes.

· Ariely, D. (2008). Are we in control of our own decisions? Links to an external site. [Video]. TED Conferences. https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_ariely_are_we_in_control_of_our_own_decisions?language=en

· Bakhtiari, K. (2020, May 18). How will the pandemic change consumer behavior Links to an external site. . Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/kianbakhtiari/2020/05/18/how-will-the-pandemic-change-consumer-behavior/?sh=7f979ad266f6

· Dawar, N. (2018, May–June). Marketing in the age of Alexa . Harvard Business Review , 96 (3), 80–86.

· Grogan, K. (2018, November). The dark side of our personal marketing data Links to an external site. [Video]. TED Conferences. https://www.ted.com/talks/kirk_grogan_the_dark_side_of_our_personal_marketing_data/transcript?language=en

Soman, D., Kim, M., & An, J. (2018, Spring). Consumer behavior online: A playbook emergesLinks to an external site. . Rotman Management , 36–41.

Value Creation and Value Capture

Marketers work to create and capture the most value possible while maintaining a competitive advantage. Value capture is important to ongoing business survival because it allows for reinvestment in the business to create a stronger competitive advantage or fund research and development (R&D) for new products. A company can capture value by monetizing users and pricing appropriately, and then they can pass on that value to shareholders. Using these resources, you will examine how marketers create and capture value.

· Wienclaw , R. A. (2021). Product innovationLinks to an external site. . Salem Press Encyclopedia.

· Bython Media. (2018, February 14). Why continuous product innovation and differentiation are keys to sustained business success Links to an external site. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8AQ_78Moz8

Laja, P. (2019, May 16). How to create a unique value proposition (with examples)Links to an external site. . CXL . https://cxl.com/blog/value-proposition-examples-how-to-create/

· MaRS Startup Toolkit. (2015, October 13). Creating value for the customer and developing a business model Links to an external site. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3KTvAELD_w

Customer Value/Business Value/Culture Value

Customer value is the perception of what a product or service is worth to a customer versus the alternatives. Business value is an informal term that includes all forms of value that determine the health and well-being of a company in the long run. Cultural values are the core principles and ideals upon which an entire community exists. These three principles are the core of a successful marketing strategy whereby the marketer understands an array of customer needs.

· Carr, D. J. (2019, January 28). What value do you create? Marketing’s 3 types of value Links to an external site. . Medium. https://medium.com/@djc1805/what-value-do-you-create-marketings-3-types-of-value-7b5f40cad756

· Del Capo, G. (2019, October 11). The customer value journey Links to an external site. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nrnxb_tdnnE

· Mahajan, G. (2020). What is customer value and how can you create it?Links to an external site. Journal of Creating Value , 6 (1), 119–121. https://doi.org/10.1177/2394964320903557

Porter’s Five Forces Analysis

Porter’s Five Forces is a framework for analyzing a company’s competitive environment. The number and power of a company’s competitive rivals, potential new market entrants, suppliers, customers, and substitute products influence a company’s profitability. Porter’s Five Forces Framework is a method for analyzing the competitive environment of a business. It draws from industrial organization economics to derive five forces that determine the competitive intensity and, therefore, the attractiveness of an industry in terms of its profitability. Five forces analysis helps organizations to understand the factors affecting profitability in a specific industry and can help to inform decisions related to whether to enter a specific industry, whether to increase capacity in a specific industry, and the development of competitive strategies.

· Emerald Works Limited. (n.d.). Porter’s five forces: Understanding competitive forces to maximize profitability Download Porter’s five forces: Understanding competitive forces to maximize profitability . MindTools. https://www.mindtools.com/community/pages/article/newTMC_08.php MindTools.com. Porter’s Five Forces: Understanding Competitive Forces to Maximize Profitability. Management Training and Leadership Training – Online. https://www.mindtools.com/community/pages/article/newTMC_08.php Reprinted by permission of Mind Tools Ltd. Via the Copyright Clearance Center. Licensed in 2021.

· Harvard Business Review. (2014, June 10). The explainer: Porter's five forces Links to an external site. [Video]. https://hbr.org/video/3590615226001/the-explainer-porters-five-forces

· Porter, M. E. (2008). The five competitive forces that shape strategy . Harvard Business Review , 86 (1), 78–93.

Module 2 Assignment: Marketing Strategy Evaluation

Prepared by: Replace this text with your name.

Date: Replace this text with the submission date.

Walden University

MBAX 6060: Marketing for Competitiveness

Executive Summary

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Part 1: Incorporating the Marketing Mix

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