Marketing Mix PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT 5
Marketing MixLance VandegriftUniversity Of PhoenixMKT/421August 12, 2007Marketing Mix"Product, price, promotion, and place the four P's of the marketing mix. This mix recognizes that marketing is customer focused and products are developed to meet the desires of groups of customers. Management of the product and product marketing are the specification of the goods or service and how it meets the customer's needs and wants. What product does the company sell? The answer to the question should speak about a customer desires and wishes not what research and development have come up with" (Armstrong & Kotler, 2005)The portions of the marketing mix ...view middle of the document...
In the early days of air travel, only the wealthy could afford to fly. Flying to a destination was a luxury and not a part of everyday life. Today there is a wide variety of airlines and appeals to a wide variety of consumers. "Southwest Airlines distinguishes its products and services from the competition through its marketing campaigns. The Dallas-based airline carved its niche in short-haul flights with low prices, reliable service, and a healthy sense of humor" (Armstrong & Kotler, 2005). "This humor is a major theme in the marketing campaign. Southwest distinguishes itself as a "fun" airline, known for humorous in-flight commentary from pilots and cabin crew members" (Armstrong & Kotler, 2005).Southwest has brought the place aspect of the marketing mix to all consumers. The place aspect of the marketing mix is where and when to deliver the product. Southwest Airlines uses various avenues for this. One area is providing an 800 number for the consumer to check pricing and availability. Another avenue used is the internet. Southwest Airlines has won several awards for their internet site. The Internet site allows the consumer to visit Southwest Airlines from anywhere there is an internet connection. So, if you are at the library, office, internet café, or on a portable device such as a Blackberry, Southwest Airlines is there.Southwest has become known as a low cost airline. Through research, Southwest found there is a need for a low cost, no frills airline. Price was important to the consumer when choosing an airline. "A poll taken by Airliners.net surveyed, 31% ranked ticket cost as the most important factor when choosing an airline" (Airliners, 2006).For the price element of the marketing mix to work, Southwest streamlined its operations. by lowering their costs, and can offer lower fares than their competition. For example, Southwest uses one type of aircraft, Boeing 737s; all equipped with the same flight instruments. By doing so, Southwest saves time and money in training their employees on only one type of equipment, also "management can substitute aircraft, reschedule flight crews, or transfer mechanics quickly, this tactic also saves money through lower spare-parts inventories and better deals when acquiring new planes" (Armstrong & Kotler, 2005).The final P of the marketing mix is promotion. Southwest promotes its services is a variety of methods. Television commercials air during highly viewed hours such as sporting events or popular television shows. These commercials usually have a humorous tone as well as information on the latest special. Southwest latest marketing tool is named "Ding". Ding is a computer program that allows the consumer to be notified of specials. Notifications of the specials occur at various times of...
