The marketing mix is used within the implementation of the marketing strategy. Please select one of the industries listed below, and search for information about the marketing mix used by at least two companies in your selected industry: soft drink, fast food/restaurant, BBA 3201, Principles of Marketing 2 hotel, cell phone provider, banking, automobile, airline, or entertainment. Provide an example of the four areas of the marketing mix—product, price, placement, and promotion—used by each of your selected companies. Discuss where their marketing mix strategies are similar and where they are different. Explain why. Identify the product positioning and brand strategy used by your two chosen companies. Relate the importance of product positioning to their brand strategy. Also, consider the element of ethical promotion and social responsibility toward consumers. In addition to company websites, http://www.ibisworld.com/ and http://www.mergent.com/ are excellent resources to find information about markets and individual companies.
Your essay must include an introduction. You must also reference at least one journal article from the CSU Online Library and two articles from business-related or news websites; therefore, your essay should be supported by at least three sources. Your research project must be at least six pages in length and double-spaced, not counting the title and reference pages. All sources used must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations. Use APA style guidelines for formatting. An abstract is not required. Information about accessing the grading rubric for this assignment is provided below.