The purpose of this essay is to evaluate Gronroos’s criticisms that the marketing mix theory has restricted marketers the way to study marketing and consider about the complex situation in the marketplace. The paper begins by reviewing the relevant literatures on the Gronroos’s criticisms of the marketing mix. It will examine Gronroos’s different criticisms on the marketing mix and compare others’ relevant opinions with Gronroons’s to evaluate whether the 4Ps framework becomes the toolkit approach for thinking. The discussion highlights three separate cases studies to support the criticisms from Gronroons and one to oppose that.
The emergence of mass media technology outmodes the 4Ps marketing mix model in this new era. Analyzing the limitations of this model, first of all, this simple pattern concentrates on production-selling in temporary, which puts consumers in a passive position. Moreover, it ignores the various external environment, which limits the scope of the marketing mix to cover all variables (Gordon, 2012). However, the dominated position of the 4Ps theory in the marketing education is the main reason to push businessmen to view the marketplace in a fixed way. Therefore, the evaluation of the 4Ps marketing mix paradigm is discussed as follows.
There are three points, which have been warned by Gronroos to