When promoting a product and working to increase brand equity, which refers to the value a brand adds to a product beyond its functional benefits, it is essential to understand and effectively utilize the four P’s of marketing: product, price, place, and promotion. The strategic use of these four elements, collectively referred to as the marketing mix, provides an overall framework for the successful promotion and marketing of a product or service (Twin, 2024). Depending on the stage of the brand life cycle, these elements can be adjusted to create a comprehensive marketing strategy that effectively supports the brand at its current stage.

Brand Development: Beyond Meat

Beyond Meat, a brand in the development stage, strategically applies all elements of the marketing mix. Founded in 2009, the company’s products are now available in over 133,000 retail and food service outlets across 65 countries.

Product: Beyond Meat must produce a high-quality product. Plant-based products are not a new concept, and this brand must differentiate itself from others. Customers are increasingly interested in environmental protection and healthier products that must also taste good, as they are unlikely to buy them otherwise (McKinnon, 2022). Because the reviews consistently state that it does not taste like a typical veggie burger (which can resemble cardboard), people have begun to purchase and enjoy these burgers, ultimately leading to the company becoming the first plant-based product alternative to be listed on the U.S. stock exchange (Khalse, 2025). The brand’s popularity stems from its taste and texture, as well as its commitment to healthy and environmentally friendly standards.

Price: Last year, Beyond Meat struggled with waning interest and negative sales, which caused it to reduce its operational costs and discontinue some of its products (Flood, 2024). The company has attempted to cut its prices to entice budget-conscious customers, but the brand resonates more with those in high-end and specialty shops. They actually raised their prices due to the costly ingredients they use to make their burgers, and they made significant revisions to their burger-making process to entice customers to invest the extra money in the premium product.

Promotion: As they worked to convince meat lovers that Beyond Meat was worth considering, they created burgers that resembled meat, even down to the “bleeding” effect (McKinnon, 2022). NBA players promoted the product, and it was finally seen as a product that would make people robust and vital. Average veggie burgers were never popular with the typical consumer, so Beyond Burger has made its brand look more like meat and demonstrated the healthiness and sustainability of the brand.

Place: Beyond Meat faced a significant challenge in overcoming stereotypes about their target customer. Traditionally, vegetarian or vegan burgers appealed to a narrow slice of society. However, through influencer marketing and strategic partnerships, they successfully expanded their reach and credibility, demonstrating the power of the marketing mix in overcoming challenges.

Increase Consumer Perception and Brand Equity

Beyond Meat effectively utilizes the marketing mix to enhance consumer perception and brand equity, even at its early brand development stage.

1. It places a strong emphasis on customers by catering specifically to their niche — health-conscious consumers who want good-tasting, wholesome plant-based alternatives to meat.
2. They engage regularly and authentically with their audience on social media to increase brand awareness and create a strong online community.
3. They attract environmentally conscious consumers by emphasizing the health and eco-friendly benefits of a plant-based diet.
4. They partner with major brands to increase their visibility and make their plant-based options more accessible.

(Osum, 2024)

Brand Growth: Zoom

As a brand in the growth stage, Zoom utilizes all four elements of the marketing mix to become the go-to brand for video conferencing (Patty, 2024). Zoom set itself apart from its competitors by focusing on the pain points of its target audience and providing an intuitive, user-friendly platform that addressed the areas of most significant concern to its customer base. The company leveraged all four parts of the marketing mix to advance and grow its brand in the best way possible.

Product: Zoom focuses on a product that is easy to use and requires only minimal effort to operate (Patty, 2024). It is a reliable platform that addresses all the needs of its users for video conferencing, while focusing on affordability and seamless navigability. Moreover, it is committed to the security of its platform to protect the privacy of its users.

Price: As mentioned, Zoom has focused on affordability, offering reasonably priced plans for both individuals and businesses (Patty, 2024). Due to the pandemic’s needs in 2020, it even provided increased free initiatives to address those needs. It continues to keep its costs down as much as possible, even five years later, by focusing on flexibility and meeting the needs of all its customers with the best product and price.

Promotion: Although promotion significantly ramped up during the pandemic, it has continued to position itself in the market through digital advertising campaigns, educational resources, and even targeting specific industries (Patty, 2024). It is promoted as the best solution for remote work, and its messaging resonates strongly with sectors such as education, healthcare, and finance, among others. It individualizes its promotion strategy based on the target audience, while still emphasizing the universality of affordability, reliability, and a customized experience.

Place: Due to the rise of remote work, Zoom stepped in and filled a need that emerged in 2020, and continues to this day. Customers can use Zoom from the comfort of their homes and have a seamless experience (Patty, 2024). They are a company that operates entirely online in the global marketplace, leveraging this presence with a diverse range of offerings and a fully customizable experience. As we move beyond remote work, it remains the best way to collaborate from anywhere in the world.

Increase Consumer Perception and Brand Equity

Since Zoom is in the growth phase, it utilizes the marketing mix innovatively and diversely to enhance consumer perception and brand equity. Here are a few ways it does this:

1. Zoom partners regularly introduce new user-focused tools and systems.
2. An expanded platform has provided new resources and tools not only desired by the consumers but also preferred.
3. Better communication across all areas of the brand, facilitated by the use of integrated tools, has made the brand even more customer- and partner-centric.
4. Enhanced incentives are being rolled out, appealing to the diverse needs of Zoom partners.
5. Programs and opportunities are expanding exponentially to improve the revenue of companies and those who support the brand.

(Zoom, 2024)

Brand Maturity: Samsung

Samsung is an example of a brand that started at the bottom and has worked its way up to be the eighth most valuable brand in 2020 (EdrawMind, n.d.). By employing an effective strategy that incorporates all elements of the marketing mix, the company has consistently evolved to keep pace with the dynamic electronics industry, emerging as a leader among its peers.

Product: It manufactures a wide range of cutting-edge electronic products worldwide (EdrawMind, n.d.). It performs research and development globally, and whenever it creates a new product, it invites a small consumer group to try it first to ensure the highest quality and saleability of the product.

Price: Samsung employs a competitive pricing model to remain relevant in the market among other similar brands (EdrawMind, n.d.). However, when it releases a new mobile phone with the latest technology and features, it employs a price skimming strategy, charging higher prices to capitalize on higher profits among its early adopters of these devices.

Promotion: Samsung uses aggressive marketing and advertising to entice its customer base through the use of sales and seasonal promotions (EdrawMind, n.d.). Additionally, it utilizes awards, incentives, and discounts, particularly for its business customers. When promoting new products, it utilizes celebrity partnerships and endorsements as well as advertisements in print, social media, and digital media.

Place: Samsung operates on a three-part channel marketing strategy when it comes to place (EdrawMind, n.d.). It utilizes the channels of sales and service, traditional and modern retail, and wholesale retailers. Because Samsung is such a well-known brand, retailers are actually obligated to offer it as a main product or alternative to their various clients. You can purchase Samsung products almost anywhere in the world, online or offline.

Increase Consumer Perception and Brand Equity

Samsung is an absolute master in using the marketing mix to increase consumer perception and brand equity. It makes perfect sense that they are one of the top brands worldwide. Here are a few of their strategies:

1. Samsung prioritizes its relationship with its customers and potential customers over its products.
2. They demonstrate that their products are from a brand that helps its users worldwide live a better, more comfortable life, uniting them in a thriving global community.
3. Their digital campaigns represent their uncompromising beliefs, their risk-taking attitude, and their messaging that inspires and motivates.
4. All of their marketing focuses on how customers interact with their devices, making their lives easier and fostering closer connections with their loved ones.

(Buildd, n.d.)

References

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