ABSTRACT
This unit covers our third key element of the marketing mix and encompasses the means and
mechanisms whereby products and services are made available to customers.
Variously referred to as either distribution or (in the context of our 4Ps) ‘place’, this element for
a variety of reasons has been perhaps a neglected area of marketing. However, as we shall
see, and as no doubt you can appreciate, the place element is just as important as each of the
other three elements of the mix, and is very much the responsibility of the marketer – though
increasingly the management and planning of channels of distribution and logistics is a task
for a specialist in this area. In fact many organizations now employ such experts. While
acknowledging that this is an increasingly specialized field and therefore it is not necessary,
appropriate, or possible for you to become an expert in this area, we must add that the focus for
the design and planning of distribution and logistics must be the customer and his or her needs.
Because of this and because of its central importance to effective marketing plans, it is vital that
you at least appreciate the role of the marketing function in the design, operation and control of
place.
