Providing Value to Customers

Developing and implementing a marketing program involves a combination of tools called the marketing mix (often referred to as the "four Ps" of marketing): product, price, place, and promotion.
Before settling on a marketing strategy, marketers often do marketing research to collect and analyze relevant data.
First, they look at secondary data that have already been collected, and then they collect new data, called primary data.
Methods for collecting primary data include surveys, personal interviews, and focus groups.
A brand is a word, letter, sound, or symbol that differentiates a product from its competitors.
To protect a brand name, the company takes out a trademark by registering it with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
There are three major branding strategies:

With private branding, the maker sells a product to a retailer who resells it under its own name.
Under generic branding, a no-brand product contains no identification except for a description of the contents.
Using manufacture branding, a company sells products under its own brand names.

When consumers have a favorable experience with a product, it builds brand equity. If consumers are loyal to it over time, it enjoys brand loyalty.
Packaging – the container holding the product – can influence consumers' decisions to buy products or not buy them. It offers them a glimpse of the product and should be designed to attract their attention.
Labeling – the information on the packaging – identifies the product. It provides information on the contents, the manufacturer, the place where it was made, and any risks associated with its use.