In 1960, marketing professor Jerome McCarthy gave the world the 4Ps: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion, the original recipe for marketing success. It was simple, but timeless.
Over six decades later, some businesses are still struggling with the first and arguably most important “P”, Product.
A product isn’t just the physical thing you sell. It is the whole experience, what people come for, what they expect, what they actually get, and what (if you’re doing it right) pleasantly surprises them.
In marketing, we break down a product into five levels: the core (why the customer is buying), the basic (the actual item or service delivered), the expected (what the customer assumes will come with it), the augmented (nice surprises that delight), and the potential (future enhancements that keep things exciting). When all five are done right, the product moves from being a mere purchase to becoming an experience.
Think of a product like a good meal. The core is hunger; you want to be full. The basic is the food on the plate. The expected is that it is hot and fresh. The augmented is the unexpected garnish and maybe a free dessert. And the potential is when the chef brings out something off-menu just because they felt like impressing you.
Let’s look at hotels to illustrate this in a different way.
At the core level, a hotel offers one thing: rest and sleep. That is why the customer is there. They are not looking for a safari or a jazz band to play them a lullaby. They just want to sleep. But you cannot hand them a mattress and say good night. That is where the basic product comes in. A bed, a bathroom, and ideally some clean bedding.
Then the hotel offers you Wi-Fi, AC, a mini fridge, and a TV. These are not just extras, they are what every guest expects. This is the expected product. But sadly, hotels take people for granted and give them slow Wi-Fi like we are still in the 2G era. Worse still, their ugly TVs do not even work most of the time.
Some hotels try to separate themselves and stand out. They offer a decent complimentary breakfast, some sour welcome juice, and a terrible check-in experience. This is the augmented product, the one thing that makes people go, “okay, this is a good hotel.” In marketing terms, this is called customer delight. But then hotels act like adding two sugar sachets to your tea tray is above and beyond. Seriously, how much would an extra bottle of water cost you?
Then there is the potential product, the place where the magic of imagination lives. Things like a concierge, in-room massage, aromatherapy kits, spa access, and all the other things that add value to the core offering. This is where brands win hearts.
Meanwhile, some hotels are still struggling with low water pressure in their showers. They say room service is free and still charge you for it. Their food is painfully average like homemade pizza and still they have the audacity to call themselves five-star.
Look, a bed is not enough. Just like a phone is not just for calls, or a restaurant is not just for food, a hotel is not just about sleep. It is about how that sleep is delivered. Every layer adds value, and the absence of those layers subtracts it.
If you are running a hotel and still think having a bed and some stained white bedding is enough to win customers, do not be shocked when guests check in once and never come back. People do not pay for products, they pay for the experience. And if your hotel experience feels like that of an “executive lodge” in Ntcheu, you have failed.
A great product does not just deliver the thing, it also delivers the feeling that comes with it. And if you mess up the product, the other Ps will not save you. You cannot advertise a bad experience. You cannot scream discount on mediocrity.
So, before you focus on beautiful flyers or flood Facebook with your ads, fix your product. That is the P customers will always remember.
