I am not advocating that we stick with the 4p’s as if it were written in stone. It is just that that mindset is fundamental to the thinking of so many marketers today. My experience is that rushing to the next new thing without bridging to what people already know is a difficult proposition. As a good friend of mine likes to say, “When change meets culture, culture always wins.” In this case I think the old school models can be leveraged to educate people about the new environment.

Do you really believe that your marketing person still should be thinking 4P’s every time she is thinking about the marketing mix? To me that is a little frightening at this stage.

Increased transparency and accessibility of information about products (manufacturing, pricing etc) and the companies that make them, combined with consumers’ ability to communicate about and exchange this information through social media tools (web 2.0) has led to a shift in the (im)balance between company and customer.

With the consumer firmly in the driving seat (and knowing it), businesses need to reconsider how to stay competitive and continue to attract customers. It is no longer about what the company can do (the 4 P’s), but what the consumer is allowed to do (through involvement and influence) that will shape new products and thus make up the minds of the consumers around the world.