Most people say marketing is either 'selling' or marketing is 'advertising.' In reality marketing is much more than either selling or advertising. As a matter of fact, both advertising and selling are part of a larger "promotion mix" which also includes sales promotion, publicity, and public relations. The promotion mix, in turn, is one of four components of the overall "marketing mix" which consists of:
the product that is sold how the product is priced how the product is distributed and the promotion mix As you can see, marketing is much more than most people initially think. It includes a wide variety of activities. These activities constitute the marketing mix; they are the tools that marketers employ to manage demand for their goods and services.
There is a nice little acronym to help us remember the components of the marketing mix -- the "4- P's." This acronym stands for:
Product Price Place -- the term 'place' is substituted for 'distribution.' Promotion "4-P's" is much easier to remember than "3-P's" and a "D." However, bear in mind, that "place" really does refer to distribution.