The marketing mix is a timeless framework that helps businesses deliver the right product to the right customer, at the right time, in the right way. Whether you’re launching a new product or refining your current strategy, understanding the marketing mix gives structure to your decisions and ensures your efforts are aligned across departments.
Originally defined by the four P’s — product, price, place, and promotion — the mix has since expanded to include three more: people, process, and physical evidence. Together, they form a comprehensive guide to delivering value and driving growth.
In this article, we’ll break down each of the four and seven P’s, show how they apply in today’s digital world, and explore how tools like Opensend support smarter execution across key areas of your marketing strategy.
The marketing mix is a foundational concept in marketing that outlines the key areas a business must manage to effectively promote and deliver its products or services. It provides a strategic structure for making decisions that align with customer needs, brand goals, and market conditions.
The term was popularized in the 1960s by marketing professor E. Jerome McCarthy, who introduced the original “4 P’s” framework: product, price, place, and promotion. These four elements cover what you’re selling, how much it costs, where it’s available, and how you communicate it to your audience.
As markets evolved — especially with the rise of digital and service-based businesses — three more P’s were added: people, process, and physical evidence. These reflect the importance of customer experience, operational efficiency, and tangible proof of value in today’s competitive landscape.
Together, the four and seven P’s form a flexible, time-tested guide that helps marketers deliver cohesive, customer-centered campaigns.
The four P’s — product, price, place, and promotion — form the core of any successful marketing strategy. Each element works together to ensure a product or service meets customer needs while positioning the brand effectively in the market.
Here's a closer look at each one:
This refers to what you’re selling, whether it’s a physical good, a digital service, or a combination of both. The product must solve a problem, fulfill a need, or create value for your target audience.
Key factors include design, features, quality, packaging, and the customer experience it delivers. Understanding your customer through research and feedback is essential to building a product that resonates and stands out.
Price determines how your product is perceived and positioned in the market. It should reflect the value provided, align with customer expectations, and support your revenue goals. Common strategies include cost-plus pricing, competitive pricing, and value-based pricing.
The right pricing strategy not only impacts sales volume but can also influence brand perception. Cheap doesn’t always mean appealing, and premium doesn’t always mean better unless the value is clear.
Place refers to where and how your product is made available to customers. This could include physical retail locations, online stores, direct-to-consumer websites, or third-party marketplaces. Distribution must be convenient for your target audience and reflect how they prefer to shop.
Today, many brands rely on an omnichannel approach to meet buyers wherever they are — in-store, online, or on their phone.
Promotion covers the tactics used to communicate your product’s value and convince people to buy. This includes advertising, email marketing, social media, search engine marketing, content creation, public relations, and sales promotions. The goal is to reach the right audience with the right message at the right time.
Opensend helps modern marketers automate and personalize their promotional efforts. By identifying high-intent visitors and triggering timely outreach across email, SMS, and ads, Opensend ensures that your promotional strategy stays relevant and effective, without overwhelming your team.
As marketing evolved beyond products on shelves and into services, digital platforms, and personalized experiences, three more elements were added to the original mix. These additional P’s — people, process, and physical evidence — help brands deliver consistency, build trust, and manage the customer experience more effectively.
People includes everyone involved in delivering your product or service, from customer service reps to sales teams, support staff, and even brand ambassadors. The human element is critical in shaping customer perception and loyalty.
A well-trained, knowledgeable, and empathetic team can elevate the entire brand experience, while a poor interaction can drive customers away. Hiring, training, and culture are all essential here.
Process refers to the systems and workflows that guide how your service or product is delivered. This includes checkout experiences, onboarding steps, customer service processes, and fulfillment logistics. Efficient, streamlined processes reduce friction, boost satisfaction, and build loyalty.
Opensend note: Opensend enhances marketing processes by automating outreach, syncing behavioral data across platforms, and ensuring that messages are delivered at the right moment without manual effort. This kind of automation makes your marketing smoother, faster, and more scalable.
Physical evidence is the tangible proof that your product or service delivers what it promises. In physical businesses, this might include packaging, store layout, or branded materials. In digital-first businesses, it could be user reviews, testimonials, case studies, or even a well-designed website.
These touchpoints reinforce credibility and trust, especially when customers can’t physically interact with your product before purchase. Combined with the original four P’s, these additional elements round out a modern marketing strategy that accounts for both experience and execution.
Despite the rapid evolution of marketing tools and channels, the marketing mix remains a foundational framework because it forces businesses to think holistically. It ensures you don’t just focus on the flashiest campaigns or the newest platforms, but instead, align every element of your strategy around delivering value to your customer.
The four P’s help keep your core offering strong. Are you creating the right product? Is it priced appropriately? Is it available where your customers are? Are you communicating its value clearly? These are still the right questions, whether you’re selling shoes or software.
The expanded seven P’s are even more relevant in today’s experience-driven economy. Customers expect seamless service, real-time communication, and consistent brand experiences. People, process, and physical evidence help brands meet those expectations and stand out in crowded markets.
Ultimately, the marketing mix gives structure to creative and strategic thinking. It balances innovation with consistency and grounds your marketing in purpose, not just trends.
Digital marketing hasn’t replaced the marketing mix — it’s expanded and accelerated it. Each element of the four and seven P’s now plays out across fast-moving, data-rich environments where personalization and timing are everything. Modern marketers must adapt the mix to match how people shop, engage, and decide today.
The marketing mix remains essential. What’s changed is how you bring it to life. With the right tools and a customer-first mindset, the mix becomes more powerful than ever in today’s digital landscape.
The marketing mix continues to be one of the most reliable frameworks for building thoughtful, effective strategies, whether you’re a startup launching a new product or an established brand refining your approach. The original four help you focus on what you’re offering and how to deliver it, while the expanded seven ensure your execution, experience, and credibility are just as strong.
Opensend helps brands bring the modern marketing mix to life, especially across promotion, place, and process. By identifying high-intent users and delivering personalized outreach across email, ads, SMS, and more, Opensend makes your marketing smarter, faster, and more scalable.
Ready to modernize your marketing strategy? Start your free trial or book a demo with Opensend and put the marketing mix to work in real time.
Sources:
Is Marketing Mix Modeling Still Relevant Today? | Marketing Evolution
Rethinking The 4 P's In The Digital Marketing Mix | Forbes
What Is Social Proof? How to Harness Its Power for Marketing Success | Gartner
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