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The 4Ps Are Out, the 4Es Are In

Brian Fetherstonhaugh ( OgilvyOne worldwide - New York )

Brian Fetherstonhaugh's article talks about the need for a change in marketing, replacing the 4Ps of marketing with the 4Es.

MANY OF US GREW UP with the Four Ps of Marketing: Product, Place, Price and Promotion. Do you know when the Four Ps of Marketing were invented? In 1960, by Jerome McCarthy. They were made leading-edge by Philip Kotler in his book Principles of Marketing in 1967.

The Four Ps thrived in a different world. It was a wonderful fantasy world. Marketers were king. Product differences lasted. Big, obedient audiences could be reached with big, efficient media.

What is the world of marketing today? The consumer has seized control. Audiences have shattered into fragments and slices. Product differences can last minutes, not years. The new ecosystem is millions and billions of unstructured one-to-one and peer-to-peer conversations.

Marketing is in the hot seat. So many of the tools and assumptions we grew up with are no longer valid. Many marketing leaders around the world got promoted into their jobs because they did two great product launches and three great TV campaigns, and figured out how to work with a few major retailers.

According to a recent study by Spencer Stuart, the average tenure of a CMO is less than 24 months. And only 14 percent of CMOs have been in their positions with the same company for more than three years. A CMO Council 2007 report concludes that only one-third of board members are satisfied that their marketing leaders can explain the ROI of marketing. We need a new framework. And a new tool kit. For starters, we need to throw away the Four Ps and embrace the Four Es:

from Product to Experience
from Place to Everyplace
from Price to Exchange
from Promotion to Evangelism

[Download full article - The 4Ps Are Out, the 4Es Are In]

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