How To Differentiate in The Crowded Pizza Marketplace?

Start with the standard XL pizza.

Give it a "name." 

Make it different. 

Add a celebrity endorsement.

Add fewer slices, from ten to eight.

Add more toppings.

Papa John’s introducing the “Shaq-a-Roni Pizza.”47

Simply known as “Shaq” or the NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal is a Papa John's board member plus a franchise owner. 

Under “presentation,” “product” and "price" or "pricing" in the 9P’s through August 23rd, Papa John’s will donate a buck from the price of every Shaq-a-Roni pizza sold to the Papa John’s Foundation for Building Communities.

Do you need examples of strengthening your pillars of your brand or branding strategies?  

Do you need a better understanding of all areas of Marketing? 

Do you have the responsibility and the need to increase sales and overall revenue?  

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 in court.

As a brand manager, entrepreneur, business owner or advertising agency professional, do you need more business, Marketing and advertising insights? 

Visit here for plenty of insights into Marketing. The 9P's is a framework; it includes targeting or "People," planning, product and services, promotion, pricing, partnership strategies, "Place," Passion and Presentation. Plus true, researched marketing insights and fun, insightful, advertising trivia.

For the past 48 years, I have been a Marketing professional, a certified, credentialed Forensic Litigation consultant (CFLC), a Marketing and Advertising consultant with Londre Marketing Consultants, LLC plus I teach and give seminars on Strategic Marketing, the nine P's of Marketing, Branding, Super Bowl spots, Global Marketing, Promotion and Advertising. 

I also present to MBA candidates, law schools and attorneys my  "What is Marketing? What is Advertising?" lecture and talk.  I have plenty of examples. I have been to UCLA School of Law and at Pepperdine University this semester. 

Twelve years ago, I created and own the marketing objectives, strategies and tactics practice of the 9P's of Marketing. The Nine P’s/9 P's of Marketing ©2007 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 a copyrighted Marketing concept. I've added "People," "Passion," "Planning" and "Partners" and "Presentation." 

In the late 60's I was first taught in Marketing 307 at USC that the "customer" or potential purchasers, buyers are king or kings, but potential consumers are missing as one of the P's. With the addition of "People," I expanded and developed the additional concepts under the nine P's. 

For marketing professionals, targeting or the "target market," "People," buyers, potential buyers and users are more prominent in my marketing model or theory. These potential buyers have their own "P."  It's "People," in the 9P's of Marketing. 

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. 

So, you and others may ask "What is Marketing?" 

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 and talks, 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") in your marketplace. 

Companies and new product/service development pros create products and services to meet market needs. Solving consumer "problems." 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 managers 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 or Simply Marketing 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; your insights can start a detailed formulation of a program of action. I like using a phrase from Ben Franklin; he supposedly said "Failure to plan is planning to fail."
• Look at 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 there's more under the other 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.
• Look and analyze your potential, new, existing and repeat customers and users. 
• To understand your "People" or your market segments, you may need to utilize many characteristics, including:
•  Demographics (such as age, family size, family life cycle, gender, income, occupation, education, religion, race, culture, generation, nationality, and social class).
• Geographics
• Psychographics (buyers are on basis of psychological/personality traits, lifecycle, values)
• Behavioral characteristics (needs and benefits, decision roles, user and usage-related variables, occasions, user status, usage rate buyer-readiness stage, loyalty status, attitude and multiple bases) and
• Technographics (potential buyers may or may not have the software and computer skills. 
• Think employees here too.) 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 or second step, which may need for your firm to do more research and planning. . 
• Product and Services: 
• It's 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.
• 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.
• Place (Distribution): 
• Consider, develop and review store and non-store options, e-commerce and “brick and mortar” factors, geographic considerations, objectives, strategies and tactics, including with your “Partners, too.” 
• It's your offering of 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.  
• Price or Pricing:
• Simply it's 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 or "Price" also includes wholesale/retail/promotional prices, discounts, trade-in allowances, quantity discounts, credit terms, sales and payment periods and credit terms. 
• Promotion: 
• I teach and consult that 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. Your sales force. 
• Helpful consulting tip or 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
• What some strategic questions under Promotion? 
• What should your company promote? Strategic copy points, for your product or service.
• 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, your promotional dollars?" 
• 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 programming 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 concern.  
• 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 displaying, using, presenting, and putting forward any of your efforts utilizing the other 9P’s© and/or components to your customers, suppliers, wholesalers, retailers, sales force, marketing intermediaries, clients, employees, partners, and/or others.
• Be sure to look for real” product and service experiences. 
• This "P" helps you enable 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:
• This "P" are 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.  

Will There Be Plenty Of Discounting Instore, Not As Much Online, This Summer?

For sure, look for deep discounting in store this Summer. 

There will be plenty of merchandise on sale this Summer.  That's an incentive for shoppers or "price," in my 9P's of Marketing strategies.

Marketing research is  predicting that retailers will be selling their inventories but it will take longer, even with the price discounting

There may be pent-up demand from "People" and potential shoppers or purchasers and there will definitely be more "Product" in stores, too. 

At retail. In store. Especially with all of the bankruptcies and liquidations of brick and mortar stores. Under "Place," I read that 100K U.S stores may close before 2025. 

Watch for sales and markdowns. These deals may not be as great online as in the stores.  

Look for deals and real bargains in apparel, nonessential goods, furniture and footwear. 


Look for dollar stores and discount chain stores with "price" incentives to get rid of their inventory of "product." 

You will see retail store executive management and professionals getting their stories ready for the shoppers.  They need to be Covid-19 sterilized and ready. 

After the initial phase of the Coronavirus or Covid-19, do you have the responsibility and the need to increase sales and overall revenue, for your products and services?  

Do you need a better understanding of all areas of Marketing? My nine P's of Marketing give you a framework for understanding and success. 

Do you need examples of strengthening your pillars of your brand strategy?  Branding?   

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 in court.

As a brand manager, entrepreneur, business owner or advertising agency professional, do you need more business, Marketing and advertising insights? It won't be easy getting the economy and sales back. 

Visit here for plenty of insights into Marketing. 

The 9P's is a framework I created while working, teaching and consulting.

The nine P's include targeting or "People," planning, product and services, promotion, pricing, partnership strategies, "Place," Passion and Presentation. Plus true, researched marketing insights and fun, insightful, advertising trivia.

For the past 48 years, I have been a Marketing professional, a certified, credentialed Forensic Litigation consultant (CFLC), a Marketing and Advertising consultant with Londre Marketing Consultants, LLC plus I teach and give seminars on Strategic Marketing, the nine P's of Marketing, Branding, Super Bowl spots, Global Marketing, Promotion and Advertising. 

I also give and present to MBA candidates, law schools and attorneys my "What is Marketing? What is Advertising?" lecture and talk.  I have plenty of examples. This semester I presented at Loyola Law School, Pepperdine University and Woodbury University. 

Twelve years ago, I created and developed the marketing objectives, strategies and tactics using the practice of the 9P's of Marketing. The Nine P’s/9 P's of Marketing ©2007 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 a copyrighted Marketing concept. I've added the important components of "People," "Passion," "Planning" and "Partners" and "Presentation." 

In the late 60's I was first taught in Marketing 307 at USC that the "customer," or potential purchasers, buyers are king or kings, but potential consumers are missing as one of the P's. I started teaching Marketing and Advertising in 1975.  I developed and added "People;" I expanded and developed the additional concepts under the nine P's. 

For marketing professionals, targeting or the "target market," "People," buyers, potential users and buyers are more prominent in my Marketing model, theory and practice. These potential buyers have their own "P."  It's "People," in the 9P's of Marketing. 

Marketing is considered an expense and especially at the middle and end of this year. It's being cut and was one of the first line items cut by companies when they are facing difficulties in the marketplace and tightening budgets. The Coronavirus changed everything. 

The utilization of the 9P's of Marketing helps, develops and guides 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. 

So, you and others may ask "What is Marketing?" 

Marketing is a planning and execution process that involves a product or service's key attributes, research, distribution, pricing, partnerships or alliances, promotion and more. 

In my Marketing presentations and talks, 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. Companies, firms and associations with the most effective marketing efforts try to thoroughly understand their potential purchasers, buyers and customers ("People") in your marketplace. 

Companies and new product/service development pros create products and services to meet market needs. Solving consumer "problems." 

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 managers 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 as in Marketing Planning and Research: 
• Planning starts with researching and research. With the Coronavirus we have seen distribution and inventory issues. 
• This element of planning in the nine P's is a method for achieving an end, and, looking at the eight other parts; your insights can start a detailed formulation of a program of action. I like using a phrase Benjamin Franklin supposedly once said:“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.”
• Look at 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 there's more under the other 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.
• Look and analyze your potential, new, existing and repeat customers and users. 
• To understand your "People" or your market segments, you may need to utilize many characteristics, including:
• Demographics (such as age, family size, family life cycle, gender, income, occupation, education, religion, race, generation, nationality, social class (is also sometimes put under psychographics.)
• Geographics (By region, city, metro size, density, climate; plus, by countries and territories.)
• Psychographics (Social class--Lower lowers to Upper uppers. Social class is also under demographics; Lifestyle-- achievers, strivers, and strugglers; Personality-- Compulsive, gregarious, authoritarian, and ambitious; Lifestyles/Attitudes/Interests and Opinions)
• Behavioral (Occasions (regular occasions, special occasions, holidays, vacations); Orange juice for breakfast, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day; Benefits (quality, service, economy, convenience, speed---Quality, Time, Money); User status (nonuser, ex-user, potential user, first-time user, regular user); Usage rate (light, medium, heavy user); Loyalty status (none, medium, strong, absolute); Readiness attitude toward product (aware, interest, desire, intending to buy); Attitude toward product (enthusiastic, positive, indifferent, negative, hostile). 
• Technographics or technographical characteristics. Understand your potential consumer. Remember, in the back of your mind, that the reason technology is phenomenal is because it displaces years, or centuries, of previous technology. Consumers may or may not have the skills. Think employees here too. The reason technology skills are transitory is because they will almost certainly be displaced, too.  Think employees here too, 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 or second step, which may need for your firm to do more research and planning. . 
• Product and Services: 
• It's 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.
• 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.
• Place (Distribution): 
• Consider, develop and review store and non-store options, e-commerce and “brick and mortar” factors, geographic considerations, objectives, strategies and tactics, including with your “Partners, too.” 
• It's your offering of 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.  
• Price or Pricing:
• Simply it's 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 or "Price" also includes wholesale/retail/promotional prices, discounts, trade-in allowances, quantity discounts, credit terms, sales and payment periods and credit terms. 
• Promotion: 
• I teach and consult that 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. Your sales force. 
• Helpful consulting tip or hint: Listen more than you talk. People who listen more, learn more, plus helps you position your service/product/solution or offering. 
• From the legendary movie Glengarry Glen Ross of '92: “A-B-C. A-Always, B-Be, C-Closing. Always be closing.” 
• 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."  People used to plan their lives around TV, now they plan television around their lives.
• 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
• What some strategic questions under Promotion? 
• What should your company promote? Strategic copy points, for your product or service. Price and discounting are promotional strategies.
• 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, your promotional dollars?" 
• 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 programming 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 concern.  
• 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: 
• Be sure to look for "real” product and service experiences. 
• This “P” or “Presentation” is the act of displaying, using, presenting, and putting forward any of your efforts utilizing the other 9P’s© and/or components to your customers, suppliers, wholesalers, retailers, sales force, marketing intermediaries, clients, employees, partners, and/or others.
• This "P" helps you enable 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:
• This "P" are 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. 

How Does The "Rainbow" Gray Skittles Fit As An Example of "Promotion," "Presentation" And More, Under The Nine P's Of Marketing?

Excellent example of using “Presentation,” “Promotion” and more under the 9P’s of Marketing. Gray Skittles available at CVS and Walmart. The brand is donating $1 to GLAAD and using the line “Only one rainbow matters during Pride and the month of June

The gray Skittles is honoring the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan, which many consider the tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the US. In June, Americans come together to celebrate LGBTQ Pride Month.

There are events and promotions and this year more are of these will be online due to the Covid 19 pandemic. Many nonprofits are recognized by brands and companies for their work and donations.

Do you need examples of strengthening your pillars of your brand or branding strategies?  

Do you need a better understanding of all areas of Marketing? 

Do you have the responsibility and the need to increase sales and overall revenue?  

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 in court.

As a brand manager, entrepreneur, business owner or advertising agency professional, do you need more business, Marketing and advertising insights? 

Visit here for plenty of insights into Marketing. The 9P's is a framework; it includes targeting or "People," planning, product and services, promotion, pricing, partnership strategies, "Place," Passion and Presentation. Plus true, researched marketing insights and fun, insightful, advertising trivia.

For the past 48 years, I have been a Marketing professional, a certified, credentialed Forensic Litigation consultant (CFLC), a Marketing and Advertising consultant with Londre Marketing Consultants, LLC plus I teach and give seminars on Strategic Marketing, the nine P's of Marketing, Branding, Super Bowl spots, Global Marketing, Promotion and Advertising. 

I also present to MBA candidates, law schools and attorneys my  "What is Marketing? What is Advertising?" lecture and talk.  I have plenty of examples. I have been to UCLA School of Law and at Pepperdine University this semester. 

Twelve years ago, I created and own the marketing objectives, strategies and tactics practice of the 9P's of Marketing. The Nine P’s/9 P's of Marketing ©2007 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 a copyrighted Marketing concept. I've added "People," "Passion," "Planning" and "Partners" and "Presentation." 

In the late 60's I was first taught in Marketing 307 at USC that the "customer," or potential purchasers, buyers are king or kings, but potential consumers are missing as one of the P's. With the addition of "People," I expanded and developed the additional concepts under the nine P's. 

For marketing professionals, targeting or the "target market," "People," buyers, potential buyers and users are more prominent in my marketing model or theory. These potential buyers have their own "P."  It's "People," in the 9P's of Marketing. 

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. 

So, you and others may ask "What is Marketing?" 

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 and talks, 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") in your marketplace. 

Companies and new product/service development pros create products and services to meet market needs. Solving consumer "problems." 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 managers 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 or Simply Marketing 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; your insights can start a detailed formulation of a program of action. I like using a phrase from Ben Franklin; he supposedly said "Failure to plan is planning to fail."
• Look at 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 there's more under the other 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.
• Look and analyze your potential, new, existing and repeat customers and users. 
• Look at targeting for messaging for gray Skittles. 
• To understand your "People" or your market segments, you may need to utilize many characteristics, including:
• Demographics (such as age, family size, family life cycle, gender, income, occupation, education, religion, race, culture, generation, nationality, and social class). They are using targeting to supporters of GLAAD and 
• Geographics
• Psychographics (buyers are on basis of psychological/personality traits, lifecycle, values)
• Behavioral characteristics (needs and benefits, decision roles, user and usage-related variables, occasions, user status, usage rate buyer-readiness stage, loyalty status, attitude and multiple bases) and
• Technographics (potential buyers may or may not have the software and computer skills. 
• Think employees here too.) 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 or second step, which may need for your firm to do more research and planning. . 
• Product and Services: 
• It's 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.
• 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.
• Packages of Skittles are branded with gray packaging to show the LGBTQ+ community and others, by sending the promotional, targeted message that another rainbow is important during this time of year. 
• Place (Distribution): 
• Now, the creative pride-themed candies are out in stores, such as CVS and Walmart which got promotional mentions in "People" magazine. Please Consider, develop and review store and non-store options, e-commerce and “brick and mortar” factors, geographic considerations, objectives, strategies and tactics, including with your “Partners, too.” 
• It's your offering of 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.  
• Price or Pricing:
• Simply it's 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 or "Price" also includes wholesale/retail/promotional prices, discounts, trade-in allowances, quantity discounts, credit terms, sales and payment periods and credit terms. 
• Promotion: 
• I teach and consult that 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. Your sales force. 
• Helpful consulting tip or 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
• What some strategic questions under Promotion? 
• Look at the timing for gray Skittles. What should your company promote? Strategic copy points, for your product or service.
• 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, your promotional dollars?" 
• 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 programming 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 concern.  
• 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 displaying, using, presenting, and putting forward any of your efforts utilizing the other 9P’s© and/or components to your customers, suppliers, wholesalers, retailers, sales force, marketing intermediaries, clients, employees, partners, and/or others.
• Be sure to look for real” product and service experiences. 
• This "P" helps you enable 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:
• This "P" are 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.