Marketing is a core element to any business’s survival in the world. Marketing may be the key factor that determines if a business will hold on or go under. This is true especially at this time when the stiff competition has driven many businesses out of operation. People in the service industry and those marketing products often use different marketing techniques to attain their objectives. However, some people disagree with this point and claim that good marketing is just good marketing whether it is in the service or product industry. However, I highly think that product and service marketing is fundamentally different. (Rodriguez)
Many factors differentiate service marketing from product marketing. Key among these is the intangible nature of services. Since services cannot be touched, assessment of their value is almost impossible. In most cases, when one is offered a service, it may be many years before one gets to know how good the service really was. This is unlike product marketing where you get to know the effectiveness of the product almost immediately. This intangibility nature of services calls for a different marketing strategy from that of products since most clients want something they can “touch”. (Marketing Teacher 2000)
Another element that separates service and product marketing is the inseparable nature of services. Traditionally, the production of services is inseparable from its use. This makes it important for service marketers to be careful on how they conduct their marketing since the client is literary watching its production. This is unlike in product marketing where a client gets only the finished product. Where marketers can involve the client in determining the level of personalization required, this does not happen in product marketing since the products can be separated from their use. This calls for the strategy of marketing services and that of products to be fundamentally different. (Coldren 2006)
Another key factor that separates service and product marketing is the variability of services. The quality that can be gotten from one service can vary from one marketer to another. This is because individuals offer the services and it is hard to control one’s behavior. This variation can also be brought by the time of the month or time of the day that the service is being offered. This is unlike marketing a product where its functionality is always consistent. According to Cynthia Coldren, it is always risky to have one person establishing the initial relationship while another person delivers the service (Coldren 2006) This can irritate the clients and make them reject the service. This is unlike in product marketing and delivery since two different people can market and deliver the product respectively. (Coldren 2006)
The other element and probably the key difference between product and service marketing is the perishability of services. Unlike products, services cannot be stored for future use. This is most cases affects the performance of a different service in the market. Those in the business of marketing products have the advantage of scheduling production or even using inventory management an advantage that their counterparts in service production do not have. This then calls for a different marketing technique between the two. (Marketing Teacher 2000)
Although some people maintain that service and product marketing are carried out the same way, the reality on the ground shows a completely different picture. The perishability, inconsistency, inseparability and intangibility of services make it hard to market them the way one would do to a product. Understanding the existing differences, therefore, makes marketers take a different angle in their marketing from that of product marketers.
References
Coldren, C. (2006). Four Factors That Distinguish Services Marketing, Web.
Marketing Teacher. (2000) “Services Marketing and the Extended Marketing Mix (7P’s)” What is services Marketing? 2010. Web.
Rodriguez, G. Marketing a Service Business, 2010. Web.