Five Years Of Struggle. Fewer People Attending Sea World.

Sometimes promotion can be negative. 

Ever since 2013 and the CNN documentary Blackfish, attendance has been decreasing at Sea World. 

Then the CEO stepped down after saying he was turning things around.  

I've always said in my MBA classes that you can build revenue or cut costs. Revenue is declining so Sea World is cutting costs. 

With declining attendance it brings lower revenue and lower profits. 

Sea World said that it lost about $200 million in fiscal 2017. Laid off more personnel. That doesn't usually mean a better park experience. 

They are adding 15 new rides, which would change in some part the park experience. But they are facing the animal rights organization PETA with its continued their complaints about the treatment of animals. Last year Ringling Brothers shut down. 

Need more business, Marketing and advertising insights in 2018? Increase sales and overall revenue?

Visit here for plenty of insights and examples into Marketing, the 9 P's, targeting or "People," product and services, promotion, pricing, and advertising strategies. Plus true, researched marketing insights and fun, insightful, advertising trivia.

For the past 48 years, I have been a Marketing professional, a certified Forensic Marketing Expert, Marketing and Advertising consultant with Londre Marketing Consultants, LLC plus I teach and give seminars on Marketing, Super Bowl spots, global Marketing, Promotion and Advertising. 

I also like giving to MBA candidates, law schools and attorneys my presentations on "What is Marketing? What is Advertising?" 

Eleven years ago, I created and own a copyright for the Marketing concept, the Nine P’s/9 P's of Marketing ©2007, which augments the Marketing Mix or the 4P's (Product, Price, Promotion and Place) by the American Marketing Association, Neil Borden and Jerome McCarthy in the study and practices of Marketing.

In the late 60's I was first taught in Marketing 307 that the "customer," or potential purchasers, buyers are king or kings, but they or consumers are missing as one of the P's, in the 4P's. For marketing professionals, the "target market," "People," buyers, potential buyers and users are more prominent. They have their own "P."  It's "People," in the 9P's of Marketing. 

The Nine P's/9P's of Marketing help brand managers, marketing managers, companies, firms, business owners and business managers to find marketing problems, to identify and create Marketing opportunities or solutions, in a number of areas. 

The utilization of the 9P's of Marketing help, develop and guide a company or a firm's marketing objectives, strategies, tactics and solutions. 

The Nine P's can be truly insightful, in many ways and in many possible tactics and actions. They will help build revenue, manage costs more effectively. 

I consult, teach and work as a Marketing, business and Advertising expert using many Marketing concepts, standards of practice and practices, including the Nine P's/9P's of Marketing.

So, what is Marketing, you and others may ask? Marketing is a planning and execution process that involves a product or service's attributes, research, distribution, pricing, partnerships or alliances, promotion and more. 

In my presentations, I detail that advertising is only a small percentage of the answers to marketing problems. All of the Marketing activities and tasks must work together to assure successful marketing practices. Firms, associations and companies with the most effective marketing efforts try to thoroughly understand their potential buyers and customers ("People") and the marketplace. 

Companies and new product/service development pros create products and services to meet market needs. These firms and others use marketing research and channels for understanding and communicating to market segments, a target market or audience ("People" in the 9P's of Marketing).

In the study and practice of Marketing, Marketing manager and brand agents develop planning, objectives, strategies and tactics. 

For any size firm and entrepreneurs, the 9P's of Marketing include important components, parts, elements, actions, tactics and efforts. 

Let's start with planning, research, one of the nine P's and also with targeting, "People," one of the other nine elements or components:

• Planning: 
• Planning starts with research and researching. Sea World's research would be coming back with why there are declining attendance at their parks. 
• This element of planning in the nine P's is a method for achieving an end, and, looking at the eight other parts, can be a detailed formulation of a program of action. I like using a phrase from John Wooden; he said "Failure to plan is planning to fail."
• Developing and transforming marketing objectives into marketing strategies to tactics, marketing management and managers must make basic decisions on marketing targets (“People”), marketing mix, pricing, distribution, marketing budgets/expenditures and marketing allocations. 
• Review dividing the total marketing budget among the various tools in the marketing mix and for the various products, channels, promotion, media and sales areas. And more under the 9Ps of Marketing
• People 
• Look and analyze potential, new, existing and repeat customers and users. 
• "People" or targeting has almost always been left out of the traditional "Marketing Mix," almost every diagram includes the four P's with Product, Promotion, Place and Price.
• Place "consumer" or "People" or "potential buyers" in the middle of a circle. Find information or data on them.
• Add the other components in the nine P's. In Marketing, from my education, training, research and analysis plus testimony, there needs to be greater focus on the buyer, "customer," or "People," in both planning ad implementation.
• To understand your "People" or market segments, it may utilize many characteristics, including demographics, geographics, psychographics, behavioral characteristics and technographics, which may be a vital component or components of the 9P's of Marketing. 
• Once a target market is chosen, the organization can develop its marketing strategies to target a market segment or marketing segments.
• Simply it's about Segmentation and Targeting. Add Positioning and you have STP, as a major first step. 
• Product and Services: 
• Sea World has services and products. With declining attendance they would be selling fewer products and lower levels of overall food service. It's the goods and service combination the firm offers to the target market, including variety of product mix, features, branding, designs, packaging, sizes, services, maintenance contracts, warranties and return policies.
• A product (service) is anything that can be offered to a market for attention, acquisition, use or consumption that might satisfy a want or need.
• Place (Distribution): 
• Offering the right product at the right PLACE or location, at the right time, at the right price. It's the company’s activities that make the product available, using distribution and trade channels, roles, coverage, assortments, locations, inventory and transportation characteristics and alternatives.  
• Consider, develop and review store and non-store options, e-commerce and “brick and mortar” factors, geographic considerations, objectives, strategies and tactics, including “Partners, too.” 
• Price or Pricing:
• Simply, the amount of money a consumer is willing to pay to obtain the product, but "price" is so much more.  
• “Pricing” is the sum of the values that customers exchange for the benefits of having or using the product or service. 
• Pricing decision making involves adjusting prices concerning the competitive environment, economic situations and involve buyer perceptions. Simply, all aspects regarding pricing. 
• Pricing includes wholesale/retail/promotional prices, discounts, trade-in allowances, quantity discounts, credit terms, sales and payment periods and credit terms. 
• Promotion: 
• There are eight (8) major, strategic components or communication elements which are personal and non-personal communication activities, under "promotion." . 
• The activities that communicate the merits of the overall product include:
• Personal Selling/ Sales Force: Sales persons
• Helpful hint: Listen more than you talk. People who listen more, learn more, plus helps you position your service/product/solution or offering. 
• Advertising is paid media. There's an expression "It is only creative if the product or service sells." I wanted to add "It is only good media spending if it sells." 
• Sales Promotion
• Collateral Materials
• Direct Marketing (also referred to as Action or Direct Response Advertising)
• Interactive/Internet/Web, Digital Media, Social Media:  
• Events and Experiences
• Public Relations/PR
• Here are some strategic questions under Promotion:
• What should you promote? Strategic copy points. They have 15 new rides coming on. 
• Evaluate the eight different elements under Promotion and your brand's practices. Ask is there a better way? A different promotional mix. There has to be a better way. 
• What are your costs in dollars and manpower or person power? Ask "Is there a different way or ways to budget?" 
• Look at different strategic partners? Their costs?
• To whom should you target and promote? Under "People/"Targeting, target market, audience with media falls here. That affects media planning. 
• You can differentiate with price. Discounting? Special sales? What economic and discount levels should you offer? Look at revenue versus costs. 
• What form or combination of promotion should you offer? Features?
• How frequent? Add media planning here. 
• Partners: 
• Working with others and organizations which take part in an undertaking with another or others, in a business or company with shared risks and profits.
• Also referred to as Alliances. 
• With "Partners" and your Marketing efforts, it is vitally important to partner and align with firms that have similar corporate philosophies. Simple but complex and difficult, have agreed upon objectives and strategies.
• Presentation: 
• This “P” or “Presentation” is the act of presenting, displaying and putting forward any of the different 9P’s© and/or components to your customers, suppliers, wholesalers, retailers, sales force, marketing intermediaries, clients, employees, partners, and/or others.
• Look at “real” product and service experiences. 
• Enabling consumers and “allowing” them to feel the brand. As part of "presentation," I also place “events and experiences” under Promotion. 
• While traditional marketing is based on target audience impressions/ views/ clicks/ exposure, experimental marketing involves engaging with your potential consumers. 
• Passion:
• Those intense, driving or overmastering feelings, emotions in the planning, developing, implementing and executions of pricing, promoting, partnering, selling and overall marketing of products or services. 

For more on insights, ideas, concepts and Marketing solutions: Go to londremarketing.com and look under “Articles and Resources” and the 9P’s/Nine P’s ©2007. Specifically you will find them detailed at 9P’s/Nine P’s.

Or for more fun, marketing strategies/tactics and facts: Go to Marketing Trivia with 40+ stimulating questions and answers at Londre Marketing Consultants, LLC. 

When Are The Academy Awards And Which Films Have Won The Most Oscars? Ton Of Promotion, Under The 9P's Of Marketing

Yes, there is a ton of promotion including motion picture companies, distributors, production companies, actors, actresses, the pictures, venues, and all of the advertising and PR.

Add ABC who will be promotion the show and all of its programming too.

At 13 1/2 inches tall  and 8 1/2 pounds this year's Oscars will be awarded at the Academy Awards this Sunday March 4th on ABC.

Ben Hur in 1959, Titanic in 1997 and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in 2003 all won 11 Oscars. It's been a real gold rush to the stage to get their Oscars.  

The name "Oscar" came from the Academy 's librarian, Margaret Herrick, who said "Why, it looks like my uncle Oscar." 

The Shape of Water has 13 nominations this Sunday. It's a long shot to get to win eleven out of 13. 

Need more business, Marketing and advertising insights in 2018? Increase sales and overall revenue?

Visit here for plenty of insights and examples into Marketing, the 9 P's, targeting or "People," product and services, promotion, pricing, and advertising strategies. Plus true, researched marketing insights and fun, insightful, advertising trivia.

For the past 48 years, I have been a Marketing professional, a certified Forensic Marketing Expert, Marketing and Advertising consultant with Londre Marketing Consultants, LLC plus I teach and give seminars on Marketing, Super Bowl spots, global Marketing, Promotion and Advertising. 

I also like giving to MBA candidates, law schools and attorneys my presentations on "What is Marketing? What is Advertising?" 

Eleven years ago, I created and own a copyright for the Marketing concept, the Nine P’s/9 P's of Marketing ©2007, which augments the Marketing Mix or the 4P's (Product, Price, Promotion and Place) by the American Marketing Association, Neil Borden and Jerome McCarthy in the study and practices of Marketing.

In the late 60's I was first taught in Marketing 307 that the "customer," or potential purchasers, buyers are king or kings, but they or consumers are missing as one of the P's, in the 4P's. For marketing professionals, the "target market," "People," buyers, potential buyers and users are more prominent. They have their own "P."  It's "People," in the 9P's of Marketing. 

The Nine P's/9P's of Marketing help brand managers, marketing managers, companies, firms, business owners and business managers to find marketing problems, to identify and create Marketing opportunities or solutions, in a number of areas. 

The utilization of the 9P's of Marketing help, develop and guide a company or a firm's marketing objectives, strategies, tactics and solutions. 

The Nine P's can be truly insightful, in many ways and in many possible tactics and actions. They will help build revenue, manage costs more effectively. 

I consult, teach and work as a Marketing, business and Advertising expert using many Marketing concepts, standards of practice and practices, including the Nine P's/9P's of Marketing.

So, what is Marketing, you and others may ask? Marketing is a planning and execution process that involves a product or service's attributes, research, distribution, pricing, partnerships or alliances, promotion and more. 

In my presentations, I detail that advertising is only a small percentage of the answers to marketing problems. All of the Marketing activities and tasks must work together to assure successful marketing practices. Firms, associations and companies with the most effective marketing efforts try to thoroughly understand their potential buyers and customers ("People") and the marketplace. 

Companies and new product/service development pros create products and services to meet market needs. These firms and others use marketing research and channels for understanding and communicating to market segments, a target market or audience ("People" in the 9P's of Marketing).

In the study and practice of Marketing, Marketing manager and brand agents develop planning, objectives, strategies and tactics. 

For any size firm and entrepreneurs, the 9P's of Marketing include important components, parts, elements, actions, tactics and efforts. 

Let's start with planning, research, one of the nine P's and also with targeting, "People," one of the other nine elements or components:

• Planning: 
• Planning starts with research and researching. 
• This element of planning in the nine P's is a method for achieving an end, and, looking at the eight other parts, can be a detailed formulation of a program of action. I like using a phrase from John Wooden; he said "Failure to plan is planning to fail."
• Developing and transforming marketing objectives into marketing strategies to tactics, marketing management and managers must make basic decisions on marketing targets (“People”), marketing mix, pricing, distribution, marketing budgets/expenditures and marketing allocations. 
• Review dividing the total marketing budget among the various tools in the marketing mix and for the various products, channels, promotion, media and sales areas. And more under the 9Ps of Marketing
• People 
• Look and analyze potential, new, existing and repeat customers and users. 
• "People" or targeting has almost always been left out of the traditional "Marketing Mix," almost every diagram includes the four P's with Product, Promotion, Place and Price.
• Place "consumer" or "People" or "potential buyers" in the middle of a circle. Find information or data on them.
• Add the other components in the nine P's. In Marketing, from my education, training, research and analysis plus testimony, there needs to be greater focus on the buyer, "customer," or "People," in both planning ad implementation.
• To understand your "People" or market segments, it may utilize many characteristics, including demographics, geographics, psychographics, behavioral characteristics and technographics, which may be a vital component or components of the 9P's of Marketing. 
• Once a target market is chosen, the organization can develop its marketing strategies to target a market segment or marketing segments.
• Simply it's about Segmentation and Targeting. Add Positioning and you have STP, as a major first step. 
• Product and Services: 
• It's the goods and service combination the firm offers to the target market, including variety of product mix, features, branding, designs, packaging, sizes, services, maintenance contracts, warranties and return policies.
• A product (service) is anything that can be offered to a market for attention, acquisition, use or consumption that might satisfy a want or need.
• Place (Distribution): 
• Offering the right product at the right PLACE or location, at the right time, at the right price. It's the company’s activities that make the product available, using distribution and trade channels, roles, coverage, assortments, locations, inventory and transportation characteristics and alternatives.  
• Consider, develop and review store and non-store options, e-commerce and “brick and mortar” factors, geographic considerations, objectives, strategies and tactics, including “Partners, too.” 
• Price or Pricing:
• Simply, the amount of money a consumer is willing to pay to obtain the product, but "price" is so much more.  
• “Pricing” is the sum of the values that customers exchange for the benefits of having or using the product or service. 
• Pricing decision making involves adjusting prices concerning the competitive environment, economic situations and involve buyer perceptions. Simply, all aspects regarding pricing. 
• Pricing includes wholesale/retail/promotional prices, discounts, trade-in allowances, quantity discounts, credit terms, sales and payment periods and credit terms. 
• Promotion: 
• There are eight (8) major, strategic components or communication elements which are personal and non-personal communication activities, under "promotion." . 
• The activities that communicate the merits of the overall product include:
• Personal Selling/ Sales Force: Sales persons
• Helpful hint: Listen more than you talk. People who listen more, learn more, plus helps you position your service/product/solution or offering. 
• Advertising is paid media. There's an expression "It is only creative if the product or service sells." I wanted to add "It is only good media spending if it sells." 
• Sales Promotion
• Collateral Materials
• Direct Marketing (also referred to as Action or Direct Response Advertising)
• Interactive/Internet/Web, Digital Media, Social Media:  
• Events and Experiences
• Public Relations/PR
• Here are some strategic questions under Promotion:
• What should you promote? Strategic copy points for all of the entities associated with the Academy Awards and the individual films. .
• Evaluate the eight different elements under Promotion and your brand's practices. Ask is there a better way? A different promotional mix. There has to be a better way. 
• What are your costs in dollars and manpower or person power? Ask "Is there a different way or ways to budget?" 
• Look at different strategic partners? Their costs?
• To whom should you target and promote? Under "People/"Targeting, target market, audience with media falls here. Have you noticed that you may watch what you want to watch in TV programing when you want to watch it and anywhere, any screen? That affects media planning. 
• You can differentiate with price. Discounting? Special sales? What economic and discount levels should you offer? Look at revenue versus costs. Movie theatres have many pricing deals. 
• What form or combination of promotion should you offer? Features?
• How frequent? Add media planning here. 
• Partners: 
• Working with others and organizations which take part in an undertaking with another or others, in a business or company with shared risks and profits.
• Also referred to as Alliances. 
• With "Partners" and your Marketing efforts, it is vitally important to partner and align with firms that have similar corporate philosophies. Simple but complex and difficult, have agreed upon objectives and strategies.
• Presentation: 
• This “P” or “Presentation” is the act of presenting, displaying and putting forward any of the different 9P’s© and/or components to your customers, suppliers, wholesalers, retailers, sales force, marketing intermediaries, clients, employees, partners, and/or others.
• Look at “real” product and service experiences. 
• Enabling consumers and “allowing” them to feel the brand. As part of "presentation," I also place “events and experiences” under Promotion. 
• While traditional marketing is based on target audience impressions/ views/ clicks/ exposure, experimental marketing involves engaging with your potential consumers. 
• Passion:
• Those intense, driving or overmastering feelings, emotions in the planning, developing, implementing and executions of pricing, promoting, partnering, selling and overall marketing of products or services.

For more on insights, ideas, concepts and Marketing solutions: Go to londremarketing.com and look under “Articles and Resources” and the 9P’s/Nine P’s ©2007. Specifically you will find them detailed at 9P’s/Nine P’s.

Or for more fun, marketing strategies/tactics and facts: Go to Marketing Trivia with 40+ stimulating questions and answers at Londre Marketing Consultants, LLC. 

Changing Messaging And People Or Target In Selling Guns: Promotion And People Under The 9P's Of Marketing.

It just feels different this time, to me, with the corporate anti-gun messages.

Two weeks after the February 14th killing of 17 at a Parkland, Florida high school, there's another corporate response.

One of the largest sporting-goods retailer's "Promotion" is communicating that they are going to stop selling guns which just may generate more overall sales for a sporting goods retailer if more consumers like their new messages.

Dick’s Sporting Goods, based in Pittsburgh, with about 800 stores, is using one of the eight tools under Promotion in the nine P's of Marketing.  Using PR to communicate they are no longer selling guns to those under 21 years of age, no longer selling assault-style rifles and are advocating for more stringent gun laws.

Technically the message isn't "demarketing."  Demarketing is to encourage less demand or decrease demand for a product that is in short supply. They are marketing or promotional efforts targeted at users discouraging the demand for a product which the manufacturer or producer cannot supply in large-enough quantities or does not want to supply in a geographical regions ("Place") where the costs and expenses of distribution or promotion allow little revenue and profit.  Common demarketing strategies include higher prices, different promotion and advertising, or in some cases, product redesign. 

Simply, urging potential and actual consumers to limit the consumption of a product, which may be in short supply.

As another corporate entity coming out and changing their strategies at Dick's they are having an impact in their stores and in the marketplace. 

Need more business, Marketing and advertising insights in 2018? Increase sales and overall revenue?

Visit here for plenty of insights and examples into Marketing, the 9 P's, targeting or "People," product and services, promotion, pricing, and advertising strategies. Plus true, researched marketing insights and fun, insightful, advertising trivia.

For the past 48 years, I have been a Marketing professional, a certified Forensic Marketing Expert, Marketing and Advertising consultant with Londre Marketing Consultants, LLC plus I teach and give seminars on Marketing, Super Bowl spots, global Marketing, Promotion and Advertising. 

I also like giving to MBA candidates, law schools and attorneys my presentations on "What is Marketing? What is Advertising?" 

Eleven years ago, I created and own a copyright for the Marketing concept, the Nine P’s/9 P's of Marketing ©2007, which augments the Marketing Mix or the 4P's (Product, Price, Promotion and Place) by the American Marketing Association, Neil Borden and Jerome McCarthy in the study and practices of Marketing.

In the late 60's I was first taught in Marketing 307 that the "customer," or potential purchasers, buyers are king or kings, but they or consumers are missing as one of the P's, in the 4P's. For marketing professionals, the "target market," "People," buyers, potential buyers and users are more prominent. They have their own "P."  It's "People," in the 9P's of Marketing. 

The Nine P's/9P's of Marketing help brand managers, marketing managers, companies, firms, business owners and business managers to find marketing problems, to identify and create Marketing opportunities or solutions, in a number of areas. 

The utilization of the 9P's of Marketing help, develop and guide a company or a firm's marketing objectives, strategies, tactics and solutions. 

The Nine P's can be truly insightful, in many ways and in many possible tactics and actions. They will help build revenue, manage costs more effectively. 

I consult, teach and work as a Marketing, business and Advertising expert using many Marketing concepts, standards of practice and practices, including the Nine P's/9P's of Marketing.

So, what is Marketing, you and others may ask? Marketing is a planning and execution process that involves a product or service's attributes, research, distribution, pricing, partnerships or alliances, promotion and more. 

In my presentations, I detail that advertising is only a small percentage of the answers to marketing problems. All of the Marketing activities and tasks must work together to assure successful marketing practices. Firms, associations and companies with the most effective marketing efforts try to thoroughly understand their potential buyers and customers ("People") and the marketplace. 

Companies and new product/service development pros create products and services to meet market needs. These firms and others use marketing research and channels for understanding and communicating to market segments, a target market or audience ("People" in the 9P's of Marketing).

In the study and practice of Marketing, Marketing manager and brand agents develop planning, objectives, strategies and tactics. 

For any size firm and entrepreneurs, the 9P's of Marketing include important components, parts, elements, actions, tactics and efforts. 

Let's start with planning, research, one of the nine P's and also with targeting, "People," one of the other nine elements or components:

• Planning: 
• Planning starts with research and researching. It didn't take that much time for Dick's Sporting Goods to make a corporate change. They looked at potential, new, existing and repeat customers and users. 
• This element of planning in the nine P's is a method for achieving an end, and, looking at the eight other parts, can be a detailed formulation of a program of action. I like using a phrase from John Wooden; he said "Failure to plan is planning to fail."
• Developing and transforming marketing objectives into marketing strategies to tactics, marketing management and managers must make basic decisions on marketing targets (“People”), marketing mix, pricing, distribution, marketing budgets/expenditures and marketing allocations. 
• Review dividing the total marketing budget among the various tools in the marketing mix and for the various products, channels, promotion, media and sales areas. And more under the 9Ps of Marketing
• People 
• "People" or targeting has almost always been left out of the traditional "Marketing Mix," almost every diagram includes the four P's with Product, Promotion, Place and Price.
• Place "consumer" or "People" or "potential buyers" in the middle of a circle. Find information or data on them.
• Add the other components in the nine P's. In Marketing, from my education, training, research and analysis plus testimony, there needs to be greater focus on the buyer, "customer," or "People," in both planning ad implementation.
• To understand your "People" or market segments, it may utilize many characteristics, including demographics, geographics, psychographics, behavioral characteristics and technographics, which may be a vital component or components of the 9P's of Marketing. 
• Once a target market is chosen, the organization can develop its marketing strategies to target a market segment or marketing segments.
• Simply it's about Segmentation and Targeting. Add Positioning and you have STP, as a major first step. 
• Product and Services: 
• It's the goods and service combination the firm offers to the target market, including variety of product mix, features, branding, designs, packaging, sizes, services, maintenance contracts, warranties and return policies.
• A product (service) is anything that can be offered to a market for attention, acquisition, use or consumption that might satisfy a want or need.
• Place (Distribution): 
• In this example they are not going to offer the right product at the right PLACE or location, at the right time, at the right price to specific demographic. Place is the company’s activities that make the product available, using distribution and trade channels, roles, coverage, assortments, locations, inventory and transportation characteristics and alternatives.  
• Consider, develop and review store and non-store options, e-commerce and “brick and mortar” factors, geographic considerations, objectives, strategies and tactics, including “Partners, too.” 
• Price or Pricing:
• Simply, the amount of money a consumer is willing to pay to obtain the product, but "price" is so much more.  
• “Pricing” is the sum of the values that customers exchange for the benefits of having or using the product or service. 
• Pricing decision making involves adjusting prices concerning the competitive environment, economic situations and involve buyer perceptions. Simply, all aspects regarding pricing. 
• Pricing includes wholesale/retail/promotional prices, discounts, trade-in allowances, quantity discounts, credit terms, sales and payment periods and credit terms. 
• Promotion: 
• There are eight (8) major, strategic components or communication elements which are personal and non-personal communication activities, under "promotion." . 
• The activities that communicate the merits of the overall product include:
• Personal Selling/ Sales Force: Sales persons
• Helpful hint: Listen more than you talk. People who listen more, learn more, plus helps you position your service/product/solution or offering. 
• Advertising is paid media. There's an expression "It is only creative if the product or service sells." I wanted to add "It is only good media spending if it sells." 
• Sales Promotion
• Collateral Materials
• Direct Marketing (also referred to as Action or Direct Response Advertising)
• Interactive/Internet/Web, Digital Media, Social Media:  
• Events and Experiences
• Public Relations/PR
• Here are some strategic questions under Promotion:
• What should you promote? Strategic copy points. Not selling guns to a specific demo. 
• Evaluate the eight different elements under Promotion and your brand's practices. Ask is there a better way? A different promotional mix. There has to be a better way. 
• What are your costs in dollars and manpower or person power? Ask "Is there a different way or ways to budget?" 
• Look at different strategic partners? Their costs?
• To whom should you target and promote? Under "People/"Targeting, target market, audience with media falls here. Have you noticed that you may watch what you want to watch in TV programing when you want to watch it and anywhere, any screen? That affects media planning. 
• You can differentiate with price. Discounting? Special sales? What economic and discount levels should you offer? Look at revenue versus costs. 
• What form or combination of promotion should you offer? Features?
• How frequent? Add media planning here. 
• Partners: 
• Working with others and organizations which take part in an undertaking with another or others, in a business or company with shared risks and profits.
• Also referred to as Alliances. 
• With "Partners" and your Marketing efforts, it is vitally important to partner and align with firms that have similar corporate philosophies. Simple but complex and difficult, have agreed upon objectives and strategies.
• Presentation: 
• This “P” or “Presentation” is the act of presenting, displaying and putting forward any of the different 9P’s© and/or components to your customers, suppliers, wholesalers, retailers, sales force, marketing intermediaries, clients, employees, partners, and/or others.
• Look at “real” product and service experiences. 
• Enabling consumers and “allowing” them to feel the brand. As part of "presentation," I also place “events and experiences” under Promotion. 
• While traditional marketing is based on target audience impressions/ views/ clicks/ exposure, experimental marketing involves engaging with your potential consumers. 
• Passion:
• Those intense, driving or overmastering feelings, emotions in the planning, developing, implementing and executions of pricing, promoting, partnering, selling and overall marketing of products or services.

For more on insights, ideas, concepts and Marketing solutions: Go to londremarketing.com and look under “Articles and Resources” and the 9P’s/Nine P’s ©2007. Specifically you will find them detailed at 9P’s/Nine P’s.

Or for more fun, marketing strategies/tactics and facts: Go to Marketing Trivia with 40+ stimulating questions and answers at Londre Marketing Consultants, LLC. 

It Was Ten Years Ago That Starbucks Did The Unthinkable.

Closed their Starbuck stores. 

It was reported by the Wall Street Journal that Starbucks in 2008, on this date, closed every one of their stores. Over seven thousand stores (7.1K locations at the time) for three whole hours to give managers the time to explain to the baristas why their customers really choose Starbucks and their coffee, which they have changed brewing and beans, over time.

What makes them different? Employees even sipped coffee and discussed how it smelled. Plus keys to excellent customer service. Add on top of that multiple locations. 

Visit here for more examples and insights into Marketing, targeting or "people," promotional and advertising strategies, Plus true, researched marketing insights and advertising trivia.

I am a senior Forensic Marketing Expert, Marketing and Advertising consultant with Londre Marketing Consultants, LLC plus I teach Marketing, global Marketing and Advertising. 

I created and own a copyright for the marketing concept, the Nine P’s/9 P's of Marketing ©2007, which augments the Marketing Mix (Product, Price, Promotion and Place) or, known as the "4P’s" by the American Marketing Association, Neil Borden and Jerome McCarthy in the study and practices of Marketing.

In the late 60's I was taught In Marketing that the "customer," or potential purchasers, buyers are king, but they are missing as one of the P's, in the 4P's. It's prominent and its own "P" in the 9P's of Marketing. 

The Nine P's/9P's of Marketing help companies, firms and business managers to identify marketing opportunities, solutions and find marketing problems and opportunities in a number of areas. They help, develop and guide a company or the firm's marketing objectives, strategies, tactics and solutions. 

The Nine P's can be truly insightful, in many ways. 

I consult and teach using many Marketing concepts and practices, including the Nine P's/9P's of Marketing.

Marketing is a planning and execution process that involves a product or service's attributes, pricing, distribution, partnerships/alliances and promotion. All of these activities must work together to assure successful marketing practices. Companies and firms with the most effective marketing efforts try to thoroughly understand their customers and the marketplace. Companies and new product/service development professionals create products and services to meet market needs. These firms and others use marketing research and channels for understanding and communicating to a target market or audience ("People" in the 9P's of Marketing).

In the study and practice of Marketing, Marketing and Brand Managers develop objectives, plans, strategies and tactics. 

The Nine P's of Marketing include these important components, elements and efforts. Let's start with "People, one of the nine elements or components. :

• People 
• "People" or targeting has almost always been left out of the traditional "Marketing Mix." Almost every diagram includes the four P's with "Consumer" or "People" or "Potential Buyers" in the middle of the circle. In Marketing, from my education, training, research and analysis plus testimony, there needs to be great focus on the "Customer," or "People." 
• "People," market segments utilizing demographics, geographics, psychographics, behavioral characteristics and technographics are a vital component of the 9P's of Marketing. Once a target market is chosen, the organization can develop its marketing strategies to target this market segment.
• Simply it's about Segmentation and Targeting. Add Positioning and you have STP, as a start. 
• Planning: 
• Research. 
• Developing and transforming marketing objectives to marketing strategies to tactics, marketing management must make basic decisions on marketing targets (“People”), marketing mix, marketing budgets/expenditures and marketing allocations. 
• It’s dividing the total marketing budget among the various tools in the marketing mix and for the various products, channels, promotion, media and sales areas.
• Product and Services: 
• The goods and service combination the firm offers to the target market, including variety of product mix, features, branding, designs, packaging, sizes, services, maintenance contracts, warranties and return policies.
• A product (service) is anything that can be offered to a market for attention, acquisition, use or consumption that might satisfy a want or need.
• Place (Distribution): 
• The company’s activities that make the product available, using distribution and trade channels, roles, coverage, assortments, locations, inventory and transportation characteristics and alternatives. 
• Offering the right product at the right PLACE, at the right time, at the right price. 
• Please consider, develop and review store and non-store, e-commerce and “brick and mortar” factors, considerations, objectives, strategies and tactics, including “Partners.” 
• Price:
• All aspects regarding pricing. “Pricing” is the sum of the values that customers exchange for the benefits of having or using the product or service. 
• The amount of money a consumer is willing to pay to obtain the product. Pricing includes wholesale/retail/promotional prices, discounts, trade-in allowances, quantity discounts, credit terms, sales and payment periods and credit terms.  
• Pricing decision making also involves adjusting prices concerning the competitive environment, economic situations and involve buyer perceptions.
• Promotion: 
• Eight (8) major, strategic components: The communication elements include personal and non-personal communication activities. Activities that communicate the merits of the overall product, which include:
• Personal Selling/ Sales Force: Sales persons: Listen more than you talk. People who listen more, learn more, plus helps you position your service/product/solution or offering. 
• Advertising
• Sales Promotion
• Collateral Materials
• Direct Marketing (also referred to as Action or Direct Response Advertising
• Interactive/Internet/Web, Digital Media, Social Media 
• Events and Experiences-
• Public Relations
• Here are some strategic questions under Promotion::
• Evaluate the eight elements and your practices and ask is there a better way? What are your costs in dollars and manpower or person power and ask "Is there a different way or ways?" Different partners? Costs?
• What should you promote?
• To whom should you promote?
• What economic and discount levels should you offer?
• What form of promotion should you offer? Features?
• How frequent?
• Partners: 
• Also know as Alliances.
• It is important to partner with firms that have similar corporate philosophies, who have agreed upon objectives and strategies.
• Presentation: 
• The “P” or “Presentation” is the act of presenting any of the different 9P’s© and/or components to your customers, suppliers, wholesalers, retailers, sales force, marketing intermediaries, clients, employees, partners, and/or others.
• Look at “real” product and service experiences. 
• I place “events and experiences” also under Promotion. 
• While traditional marketing is based on target audience impressions/ views/ clicks/ exposure, experimental marketing involves engaging with consumers. Enabling consumers and “allowing” them to feel the brand. 
• Passion:
• Those intense, driving or overmastering feelings, emotions in the planning, developing, pricing, promoting, partnering, selling and overall marketing of products or services.

For more on ideas, concepts and Marketing solutions: Go to londremarketing.com and look under “Articles and Resources” and the 9P’s/Nine P’s ©2007. Specifically you will find them detailed at 9P’s/Nine P’s.

Or for more fun, marketing strategies/tactics and facts: Go to Marketing Trivia with 38+ stimulating questions and answers at Londre Marketing Consultants, LLC. Here to help. All the best.