Criticism of the marketing mix
While the mix provides a ‘backbone’ to marketing theory, which is both memorable and practical, it is not without its critics. Like any academic theory, the marketing mix does need to evolve in line with the business environment (e.g. the 7Ps for service marketing), and while criticism is both valid and healthy, it does not negate the importance of the concept.
Common criticisms are:
The 7Ps make no direct reference to forming, and sustaining, long-term relationships. If such relationships are critical to business success, why are they not directly addressed?
The mix can promote a view of product, price, place and promotion as being separate entities, as opposed to the integrated product offering most customers evaluate.
Internal resource constraints need to be considered, and without active acknowledgement of such factors, the inappropriate combinations of marketing mix variable may increase customer expectation beyond the organization’s ability to deliver.
Application of the 7Ps can promote standardization, or mass production, at a time when society increasingly values individuality.
The mix can be viewed as manipulative. The right combination, and intensity, of factors could pressure the buyer into purchase.
Describing trends
Read the text and describe the trends given below.
Users Report Dissatisfaction with CPA Offers: Mobile Offers are the Biggest Offender
Our survey asked users to rate their experiences with three different kinds of CPA offers: free, paid and mobile. The survey defined each type of offer for the user to make the distinctions clear. Offers are CPA advertisement that users complete in exchange for in-game virtual currency. Free offers require no form of payment, but do require users to submit personal/contact information while mobile offers require a user to submit their mobile phone number and agree to a subscription fee. Paid offers require a user to purchase something with a credit card in exchange for more in-game currency.
Nearly 90% of users we surveyed were either unhappy or neutral when it came to mobile advertising offers. Only 10.84% of users research surveyed responded positively to mobile offers (marking “satisfied” or “very satisfied”).
Comparing this with the data we collected on free and paid offers, it’s clear that users do not like mobile offers. These mobile offers are the type of offers Arrington referred to at the Virtual Goods Summit Friday as deceptive.
57.85% of users responded positively to free offers, marking “satisfied” or “very satisfied”, while 41.33% of users reported some degree of satisfaction with paid non-mobile offers such as Netflix and DirecTV.
Nearly 4 out of 5 (79.11%) users surveyed indicated they have never completed an advertising offer that required any form of payment for more in-game currency.
Critical thinking
Analyzing cause and effect
Think about the most recent product you bought. Describe the marketing mix in connection with that product.
List some examples of situations in which people buy things that they don’t really want or that they are not really good for them. Why do you think they do so?
Work in pairs. You have bought some goods that you really did not want or you thought were not good for you. Discuss: Why did you buy them? Who (what) is to blame for this purchase?