Marketing91

  • Home
  • Discounts and Deals
    • Marketing Tools Discounts
    • Financial Tools Discounts
  • Brands Analysis
    • Competitors
    • Top Brands Lists
    • SWOT of Brands
    • Brand Ownership
Home » Marketing » People in the marketing mix – The 5th P of marketing mix

People in the marketing mix – The 5th P of marketing mix

May 14, 2025 | By Hitesh Bhasin | Filed Under: Marketing

Though added later to the marketing mix, People are one of the most important elements ever of the marketing mix today. This is mainly because of the phenomenal rise of the services industry. Even products are being sold through retail outlets today.

And if the retail outlets are not handled with the right people, the product will not be sold. Thus, the right people are important in product as well as service marketing mix in the current marketing scenario.

There are many examples of total industries altogether relying on the expertise of the people hired by them. Who do you think MBA’s from Harvard or Kelloggs are so highly paid? This is because they are the right people to be given the correct responsibilities.

The salary of such people is directly proportional to the weight of the organization that they can carry on their shoulders. Thus, this old saying about society in general is absolutely correct in todays business environment.

The right person in the right place can make all the difference in the world –  Anonymous

Table of Contents

  • Importance of People in the marketing mix
  • People as differentiating factors.
  • People in customer service

Importance of People in the marketing mix

As per this article on Forbes, the most successful companies put the right people in the right job. But now, instead of companies which hire thousands of employees, let us think of small businesses. The lesser the people, the more their importance rises.

For example, in the airline industry, a very high attention is paid to the attire and the presentation of Air hostesses. So much so that there are now training institutes for Air hostesses. Similarly, at a barber shop, if your hair cut is not proper even once, you might never enter the shop again. Thus, you can see how important people becoming to the marketing mix especially if its a small sized or a micro sized business.

The restriction of right people is not just for the front liners. Even marketing managers and sales managers are important as people in the marketing mix. For example –  if the marketing manager does not understand the brand correctly, and implements the wrong marketing strategy, then the brand is sure to get affected.

Also Read  What is Offline Marketing? Strategies and Advantages

Similarly all technical companies, time and time again advertise for “Sales engineers” and not sales executives. This is because if they hire a smart talk, they will lose their technical clients who want more of technical information and not some guy who talks without the proper background.

Importance of customer interactions

People as differentiating factors.

Large IT companies like Accenture and Infosys differentiate themselves with the quality of manpower that they have. These companies always make the statement that they have “highly skilled manpower”. Thus, people over here become a major differentiating factor.

Similarly in restaurants, the better the cook, the more is the success of the hotel. Besides the cook, the way the waiter handles you, the Spa’s that make you feel great, the way they serve you food, are all contributions by people who work in that industry.

Industries nowadays know the importance of holistic marketing –  and how a single person who is in touch with the end customer, can make or break the relation with the end customer. Thus, most companies nowadays target the right people who match the companies requirement.

People in customer service

As per the point made here by marketing teacher, with the rise in the services industry, people have the most important and the most critical job in the world –  Customer service. It was as if this P in the marketing mix was made for the proper service to the customer.

Customers come to the service department when they are irritated and frustrated with the product, or when they want prompt service. The service department of companies like Vodafone and Airtel are the reason these companies have been able to maintain the top position. Similarly, ICICI and HDFC are examples of banks which are at the top because of customer service.

Maintaining your cool, handling customer complaints properly, are some pre requisites required from people in the services industry. These qualities are in built in some people whereas other people need to be taught the same. Thus, many top companies have training departments and they have a strict training schedule as well as incentive provisions to motivate their employees to serve customers better.

Also Read  What are Research Skills? And Why are they Important?

People are so much under observation that even sales departments are audited for the number of complaints escalated in a single year. Most companies have got the clear message that the right hierarchy makes a different to how the company is presented to the end customer.

So the bottom line –  If you are a company who has the right product marketing mix, then you better start thinking of the people who will play a major role in the success or failure of your organization.

Liked this post? Check out the complete series on Marketing

Related posts:

  1. Difference between product marketing mix and service marketing mix
  2. Retail Marketing Mix and the 7 P’s of the Retail Mix
  3. Service Marketing Mix – 7 P’s of marketing
  4. Media Mix Definition – What is Media Mix?
  5. Extended Marketing Mix
  6. Physical Evidence in Marketing Mix
  7. What is the Importance of Marketing Mix and why are the 4 P’s important?
  8. What is communications mix and its role in Marketing?
  9. What is Marketing Mix Modeling? Comprehensive Guide on How MMM Works
  10. Process In Marketing Mix – Concepts & Types Of Processes

About Hitesh Bhasin

Hitesh Bhasin is the Founder of Marketing91 and has over a decade of experience in the marketing field. He is an accomplished author of thousands of insightful articles, including in-depth analyses of brands and companies. Holding an MBA in Marketing, Hitesh manages several offline ventures, where he applies all the concepts of Marketing that he writes about.

All Knowledge Banks (Hub Pages)

  1. Marketing Hub
  2. Management Hub
  3. Marketing Strategy
  4. Advertising Hub
  5. Branding Hub
  6. Market Research
  7. Small Business Marketing
  8. Sales and Selling
  9. Marketing Careers
  1. Internet Marketing
  2. Business Model of Brands
  3. Marketing Mix of Brands
  4. Brand Competitors
  5. Strategy of Brands
  6. SWOT of Brands
  7. Customer Management
  8. Top 10 Lists
Not found what you are looking for? Search this website.

Comments

  1. bilal ibn Aameer says

    im student of BA 3rd year..
    i really like that answer…….(sir)

  2. Agness Lungu says

    I am an MBA student and I like your well explained thinking on Marketing.

Advertisement
Recent Posts
  • Helium 10 35% Off Coupon Code on Monthly Plans
  • Best Semrush Alternatives in 2025: 10 Top Competitors Compared
  • 3 Crucial Tools for Digital Acquisition Marketing – All for Free
  • Best Prop Firms for US Traders in 2025
  • eSIM Solutions That Save Big on Business Travel Expenses
Advertisement
Marketing Module 3 & 4
Module 3: Marketing Mix
  1. 4 A’s of Marketing
  2. 4 C’s of Marketing
  3. 5 C’s of Marketing
  4. Extended Marketing Mix
  5. Marketing Mix Modeling
  6. People in the Marketing Mix
  7. Place Marketing
  8. Promotions in Marketing
  9. Importance of Marketing Mix
  10. Marketing Mix
  11. Process in Marketing Mix
  12. Physical Evidence
  13. Pillars of Marketing
  14. Importance of Values
  15. Values Attitude Lifestyle
  16. Place Strategy
  17. Value Delivery
  18. Form Utility
  19. Bundling
  20. Line Filling
Module 4: Strategic Marketing
  1. Holistic Marketing Concept
  2. Integrated Marketing
  3. Integrated Marketing Communications
  4. Multi Channel Marketing Campaign
  5. Marketing Intelligence
  6. Bottom Up Marketing
  7. Situation Analysis
  8. Importance of Goals
  9. Intensive Growth
  10. Gain Market Share
  11. Marketing Objectives
  12. Objectives of Marketing Plan
  13. SMART Objectives

Marketing91

ABOUT THIS WEBSITE:

  • About Marketing91
  • Marketing91 Team
  • Sitemap
  • Contact us
  • Advertise with us
 

LEGAL NOTICES:

  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Editorial Policy
  • Terms of Use
Marketing91 - Discounts and Coupon Codes on Best Online Tools

Copyright © 2009 - 2025 Marketing91 All Rights Reserved