Marketing managers have several different tools at their disposal that they can control as part of the strategic marketing process. We call those tools the marketing mix—product, price, place (distribution), and promotion. Unlike the environment in which marketing takes place, these variables are controllable by the firm, and as such are the key to how marketers appeal to the customers in their target markets.

Marketing managers have several different tools at their disposal that they can control as part of the strategic marketing process. We call those tools the marketing mix—product, price, place (distribution), and promotion. Unlike the environment in which marketing takes place, these variables are controllable by the firm, and as such are the key to how marketers appeal to the customers in their target markets.