Marketing Mix Strategies for Businesses

The provided text consists of a list of scholarly articles related to various aspects of marketing mix strategies and their impact on businesses. It covers topics such as consumer attitude metrics, the influence of uncertainty on marketing mix decisions in emerging markets, brand awareness and market outcomes, challenges in digital marketing, cultural intelligence in marketing adaptation, and more. The articles highlight the importance of understanding consumer behavior, adapting marketing strategies to different contexts, and leveraging data-driven insights for effective marketing mix implementation.

Running head: MARKETING IN TRAVEL AND TOURISM
Marketing in Travel and Tourism
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

1MARKETING IN TRAVEL AND TOURISM
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
3.1 Discussing issues in the product, price and place elements of Thomas Cook...........................3
3.2 Assessing the significance of service sector mix elements to the travel sector.........................5
3.3 Concept of the total tourism product to an individual tourism business...................................8
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................10
References......................................................................................................................................11

2MARKETING IN TRAVEL AND TOURISM
Introduction
Travel and tourism are considered as one of the fastest growing sectors in the world that
are increasing due to changing preferences of the world population. In the fast-paced life, people
prefer to travel in order to enjoy and relax. The travel and tourism sector contributes largely to
the economy of the country due to increased tourists. Additionally, the travel and tourism
industry contributes largely to the employment of the country thereby, improving the economy of
the country (Roxas & Chadee, 2013). The travel and tourism sector has several business
organizations that have resulted in fierce and tough competition. Thus, the business organizations
in the travel and tourism sector need to implement appropriate marketing strategies in order to
achieve their organizational goals and objectives as well as fight with the competitors.
Appropriate and innovative marketing strategies provide an opportunity for the business
organizations in the travel and tourism sector to create a unique image in the eye of the target
customers thereby, ensuring business expansion and maximizing revenues (Surugiu & Surugiu,
2013).
This report introduces Thomas Cook, a travel and tourism in the UK that aim towards
launching it's summer 2018 holidays for Morocco. This report highlights the significance of the
role of the marketing mix in the travel and tourism industry along with discussing the issues in
the product, price and place in terms of the Thomas Cook's 2018 holidays for Morocco.
Additionally, the report also discusses the significance of service sector marketing mix and the
Thomas Cook help sheet.

3MARKETING IN TRAVEL AND TOURISM
3.1 Discussing issues in the product, price and place elements of Thomas Cook
The key elements of the marketing mix include product, price and place that play a
significant role while the business organization launches a new service product in the market.
While deciding the marketing mix strategies of the particular product or service, the business
organizations encounter various challenges and issues that result in the loss of valuable resources
such as time and cost. Similarly, Thomas Cook also encountered various challenges in terms of
product, price and place while launching the summer 2018 holidays for Morocco (Leeflang et al.,
2014).
Product
This is because the Thomas Cook provides intangible service that makes the customers
think twice before using the services. Thus, in this case, product classification mainly highlights
the service that Thomas Cook has built for the target customers. The product portfolio of Thomas
Cook highlights all the services offered by the company in their summer 2018 holidays to
Morocco. Thus, the total tourism product includes the flights fare, accommodation, meals,
sightseeing and local conveyance along with tourist guide. As the services provided by Thomas
Cook in the holiday package needs to be within the range of limited capital, the company
encounter issues in deciding their tourism services and products. The main factors of the service
include accommodation, services, ease of destination and attractiveness of the destination
thereby, making it difficult to manage (Huang & Sarigollu, 2014). Selling a product or service
successfully brings back money to the business organization. Thus, one of the major issues while
deciding the product or service is the target customers of the organization. This is because the
preferences and demands of the target customers vary to a certain extent that is difficult to
include in the service. Considering the demands and needs of all the customers separately is an

4MARKETING IN TRAVEL AND TOURISM
issue due to the vastness of target population. Additional issues while developing the service that
business organization encounters include unique selling points and the competitive edge over the
competitors. As the travel and tourism sector is crowded with companies with similar services,
deciding unique services at times is extremely challenging (Mintz & Currim, 2013).
Price
In the marketing mix, the price is another factor that creates potential challenges for the
travel and tourism business organizations. As commented by Fan, Lau and Zhao (2015), based
on the price, the product and service of the business organizations are sold. The price of the
products or services helps in attracting and creating an image in the eye of the target customers.
Thomas Cook also faced issues in terms of price while launching their summer 2018 holiday to
Morocco. The factors affecting pricing strategy in the travel and tourism industry includes the
differences in preferences among the individuals. It has been seen that the companies use
multiple pricing strategies for launching new products, as this provides an opportunity to cover
the cost effective unless the company wanted to expand their customer base. Similarly, Thomas
Cook has also used multiple pricing strategy for their summer offer. As mentioned by Hanssens
et al., (2014), the worth of the service is determined by the amount the target customers are
willing to pay. However, as argued by Helm and Gritsch (2014), the willingness to pay for a
particular product vary from individuals to individuals. Thus, it is difficult for the travel and
tourism business organizations to fix a price. This is because some customers prefer to pay less
while considers lower price with low quality service. While launching the summer 2018 holidays
to Morocco, Thomas Cook might also encounter issues in terms of the pricing of the services and
products due to the difference in the preferences of the potential customers.

5MARKETING IN TRAVEL AND TOURISM
Place
The place is another significant factor in the marketing mix while launching the new
product and the service. As commented by Davari and Strutton (2014), the place in the
marketing mix determined the place where the product was developed or the service offered to
the customer. Thus, the product is developed at a place but transported to other places thereby,
increasing the sales. The business organizations in the travel and tourism industry need to
consider the wide range of demands and needs of the customers (Chen & Chang, 2013). The
objectives of place in the marketing mix is to ensure that the product or service reaches the
customers without hindrances. As Thomas Cook sells service, the impact of physical distribution
channel and logistics are negligible. However, Thomas Cook implements vertical marketing, as
this provided an opportunity for the producer, wholesaler and retailer to work together and fulfil
the demand of the customers. Thus, Thomas Cook needs to consider the place the target
customers want to visit in Morocco for developing and launching summer 2018 holidays. This is
often an issue because the travel and tourism companies have to develop more than one holiday
packages. This is because it is difficult for the companies to provide travel plan that includes all
the spots within a particular destination due to budget and resource locations (Krause et al.,
2016). Similarly, Thomas Cook also encountered issues while deciding the places in the package
within limited budget and resources and fulfilling the needs and demands of the customers.
3.2 Assessing the significance of service sector mix elements to the travel sector
The marketing mix elements in the service sector are important, relevant and pertinent in
the travel and tourism industry. Physical evidence, people and process play a crucial role in
travel and tourism sector apart from the 4 Ps of the marketing mix that includes product, price,

6MARKETING IN TRAVEL AND TOURISM
place and promotions (Sreenivas, Srinivasarao & Srinivasa, 2013). Thus, physical evidence,
process and people play a significant role in ensuring the delivery of best service in the travel
and tourism industry. Thomas Cook needs to ensure the successful implementation of physical
evidence, process and people while launching it's summer 2018 holidays to Morocco.
Process
In the travel and tourism sector, the process of service is worshipped as this allows the
business organizations to provide service to the target customers. As commented by Magnusson
et al., (2013), developing hassle free service for the customers is necessary that can be ensured
by the confident and robust processes followed by the companies. Thus, Thomas Cook needs to
aim towards developed finely processed and hassle free services for the target customers in their
summer 2018 holidays to Morocco. Thomas Cook can achieve this by using their robust and
confident business processes in the travel and tourism sector. However, as argued by Nufer
(2013), the customers prefer availing services that do not force them to compromise with their
demands, needs and expectations. Thomas Cook needs to deliver the services that do not
compromise with the quality of the package. This will help Thomas Cook to attract more
customers and maximize the sales of summer 2018 holidays to Morocco. Another significant
aspect of the process service mix is that the service consists of the blueprint before establishing
the service offerings (Tyagi et al., 2015). This provides an opportunity for the business
organization in the travel and tourism industry to outline the way the company will provide the
service to the target customers. Thus, Thomas Cook needs to outline the way they are going to
provide the service in summer 2018 holidays to Morocco to the target customers.
People

7MARKETING IN TRAVEL AND TOURISM
People are another significant aspect of the service marketing mix, as this determines the
quality of the people working in the company. As commented by Gilaninia, Taleghani and Azizi
(2013), the employees are the backbone of the company, as they help in creating an impact on
the target customers and expand the customer base gradually. It can be said that the quality of the
service marketing mix is largely dependent on the employees such as the front-end executives
and managers working for the company (Benur & Bramwell, 2015). This is because these
employees interact with the target customers on behalf of the company and sell their service
packages. Additionally, the behaviour of the employees with the customers helps in defining the
probability of developing the loyal customer base for the business organizations (Mihai, 2013).
Thus, Thomas Cook needs to ensure that the employees working for them are well trained, well
behaved, disciplined and empathetic while communicating with the target customers. This will
help in creating a loyal customer base by Thomas Cook and maximize the sale of summer 2018
holidays to Morocco. Thus, people is one of the significant factors in the service marketing mix,
as the employees largely determine the likeability and reputation of the business organization in
the eye of the target customers (Sreenivas, Srinivasarao & Srinivasa, 2013).
Physical evidence
Physical evidence highlights the tangible products that are offered to the customers while
selling them the product or service. The services provided by the business organizations in the
travel and tourism industry are mostly intangible in nature (Astuti, Silalahi & Wijaya, 2015).
Thus, it is essential for the service sector to add different tangible factors in terms of the physical
evidence while providing service to the target customers. For instance, in the travel tourism
sector, the various physical evidence offering includes the accommodation selected by the
company and type of meals offered arranged by the company for the customers (Sreenivas,

8MARKETING IN TRAVEL AND TOURISM
Srinivasarao & Srinivasa, 2013). Thus, Thomas Cook can use physical evidence as the major
differentiator while launching their summer 2018 holidays to Morocco by providing unique and
innovative service offerings to the target customers. The physical evidence also provides an
opportunity for the business organizations in the travel and tourism industry to gain a
competitive advantage over the competitors in the market (Fuchs & Unger, 2013). Therefore, by
offering unique service in terms of accommodation, meals and activities in the summer 2018
holidays to Morocco, Thomas Cook can create a unique eye in the eye of the target customers
and stand out from their rivals in the market.
3.3 Concept of the total tourism product to an individual tourism business
Total tourism product is defined as the group of elements and products that the business
organizations in the travel and tourism industry offer in a bundle that aims towards satisfying the
needs of the customers. As commented by Srinvasan, Rutz and Pauwels (2016), the tourism
product is the entire experience of the visitors that are influenced by the attraction, consumption
and acquisitions offered by the companies. The needs of the customers are satisfied when
business organizations in the travel and tourism industry tend to fulfil their needs and demands.
The main features of individual tourism product include:
Primary need of the tourists
Primary tourist need is considered as an individual tourist product that encourages a
person to for taking a holiday trip in order to relax and enjoy away from the fast paced life.
Secondary need of the tourists

9MARKETING IN TRAVEL AND TOURISM
The secondary needs of the tourist rise when the individuals make the decision of going
for a trip (Phan & Vu, 2015). As known, the total tourism product constitutes the entire needs of
the target customers that are included in a single package such as accommodation, meals,
transports, and sightseeing and leisure activities. Thus, the specific tourism product for summer
2018 holidays to Morocco by Thomas Cook includes the accommodation along with the meals,
sightseeing, and transport and leisure activities offered by the company to the target customers.
The various offerings provided in the summer 2018 holidays to Morocco is influenced by
the following characteristics:
Combination of intangible and tangible products: The total tourism product offered by
Thomas Cook in summer 2018 holidays to Morocco includes both tangible and intangible
product mix (Sreenivas, Srinivasarao & Srinivasa, 2013). The tangible features of the offer
include the meals, transports and accommodation whereas the intangible features include the
sightseeing and leisure activities offered in the package by Thomas Cook in summer 2018
holidays to Morocco.
Core product: The duration of the package and the places to be visited forms the core product
of the summer 2018 holidays to Morocco by Thomas Cook.
Product development: The product development is crucial for the business organizations in the
travel and tourism industry. This is because the development of the product determines the
success of the new tourism package developed by the business organizations. Thus, Thomas
Cook needs to develop their summer 2018 holidays to Morocco appropriately that will determine
the success of the tourism package. One of the methods of efficient product development
includes considering the feedback of the customers. As commented by Gmelin and Seuring

10MARKETING IN TRAVEL AND TOURISM
(2014), considering the customer's feedback provides an opportunity for the business
organizations to develop products that fulfil the needs and demand of the customers. As a result,
the target customers feel valued and significant for the business organization thereby, ensuring
customer loyalty. Additionally, considering the feedback from the customers also allows the
business organizations to develop products that the customers want at an affordable price
(Sreenivas, Srinivasarao & Srinivasa, 2013). Thus, while developing summer 2018 holidays to
Morocco Thomas Cook needs to consider the customer feedbacks that will help in maximising
the sales of the service package.
Conclusion
In this report, it can be concluded that travel and tourism is one of the growing business
sectors of the country that contributes largely towards the economic growth of the country. As a
result, tough competition among the business organizations in the travel and tourism is prevalent.
Thus, marketing is the key factor that provides an opportunity for the business organizations to
create a unique image in the eye of the customers. In this report, Thomas Cook is planning to
launch summer 2018 holidays to Morocco. Thus, implementing the service marketing mix is
essential for Thomas Cook for attracting the customers and maximizing the sales of the service.
However, Thomas Cook encounters challenges while developing the service due to the
difference in product, price and place in the service package. This is due to the varied
expectations, needs and demands of the individual customers in the target market segment.
Additionally, the significance of the service marketing mix is also analysed in the report that
Thomas Cook needs to follow to attract more customers. People, physical evidence and process
are the significant service marketing mix that Thomas Cook needs to follow for the successful
launch of summer 2018 holidays to Morocco. Additionally, Thomas Cook has to provide both

11MARKETING IN TRAVEL AND TOURISM
tangible and intangible features in the single package that fulfil the needs and demands of the
customers thereby, making it successful.

12MARKETING IN TRAVEL AND TOURISM
References
Astuti, R., Silalahi, R. L. R., & Wijaya, G. D. P. (2015). Marketing Strategy Based on Marketing
Mix Influence on Purchasing Decisions of Malang Apples Consumers at Giant Olympic
Garden Mall (MOG), Malang City, East Java Province, Indonesia. Agriculture and
Agricultural Science Procedia, 3, 67-71.
Benur, A. M., & Bramwell, B. (2015). Tourism product development and product diversification
in destinations. Tourism Management, 50, 213-224.
Chen, Y. S., & Chang, C. H. (2013). The determinants of green product development
performance: Green dynamic capabilities, green transformational leadership, and green
creativity. Journal of Business Ethics, 116(1), 107-119.
Davari, A., & Strutton, D. (2014). Marketing mix strategies for closing the gap between green
consumers' pro-environmental beliefs and behaviors. Journal of Strategic
Marketing, 22(7), 563-586.
Fan, S., Lau, R. Y., & Zhao, J. L. (2015). Demystifying big data analytics for business
intelligence through the lens of marketing mix. Big Data Research, 2(1), 28-32.
Gilaninia, S., Taleghani, M., & Azizi, N. (2013). Marketing Mix And Consumer
Behavior. Kuwait Chapter of Arabian Journal of Business and Management
Review, 2(12), 53-58.
Gmelin, H., & Seuring, S. (2014). Determinants of a sustainable new product
development. Journal of Cleaner production, 69, 1-9.

13MARKETING IN TRAVEL AND TOURISM
Hanssens, D. M., Pauwels, K. H., Srinivasan, S., Vanhuele, M., & Yildirim, G. (2014).
Consumer attitude metrics for guiding marketing mix decisions. Marketing
Science, 33(4), 534-550.
Helm, R., & Gritsch, S. (2014). Examining the influence of uncertainty on marketing mix
strategy elements in emerging business to business export-markets. International
Business Review, 23(2), 418-428.
Huang, R., & Sarigöllü, E. (2014). How brand awareness relates to market outcome, brand
equity, and the marketing mix. In Fashion Branding and Consumer Behaviors (pp. 113-
132). Springer New York.
Leeflang, P. S., Verhoef, P. C., Dahlström, P., & Freundt, T. (2014). Challenges and solutions
for marketing in a digital era. European management journal, 32(1), 1-12.
Magnusson, P., Westjohn, S. A., Semenov, A. V., Randrianasolo, A. A., & Zdravkovic, S.
(2013). The role of cultural intelligence in marketing adaptation and export
performance. Journal of Marketing Research, 21(4), 44-61.
Mihai, A. L. (2013). Sport marketing mix strategies. Cross-Cultural Management Journal, 2(28),
76-81.
Mintz, O., & Currim, I. S. (2013). What drives managerial use of marketing and financial metrics
and does metric use affect performance of marketing-mix activities?. Journal of
Marketing, 77(2), 17-40.

14MARKETING IN TRAVEL AND TOURISM
Phan, T. T. H., & Vu, P. A. (2015). The impact of marketing mix elements on food buying
behavior: a study of supermarket consumers in Vietnam. International Journal of
Business and Management, 10(10), 206.
Roxas, B., & Chadee, D. (2013). Effects of formal institutions on the performance of the tourism
sector in the Philippines: The mediating role of entrepreneurial orientation. Tourism
Management, 37, 1-12.
Sreenivas, T., Srinivasarao, B., & Srinivasa Rao, U. (2013). An analysis on marketing mix in
hospitals. Int. J. Adv. Res. Manage. Soc. Sci, 2(4), 187-207.
Srinivasan, S., Rutz, O. J., & Pauwels, K. (2016). Paths to and off purchase: quantifying the
impact of traditional marketing and online consumer activity. Journal of the Academy of
Marketing Science, 44(4), 440-453.
Surugiu, C., & Surugiu, M. R. (2013). Is the tourism sector supportive of economic growth?
Empirical evidence on Romanian tourism. Tourism Economics, 19(1), 115-132.
Tyagi, S., Choudhary, A., Cai, X., & Yang, K. (2015). Value stream mapping to reduce the lead-
time of a product development process. International Journal of Production
Economics, 160, 202-212.