Nguyễn Hoàng Sinh

The concept of the marketing mix was introduced by Neil Borden in the 1950s and the mix of twelve controllable marketing elements was later labelled the 4 Ps of marketing - product, price, place, and promotion - by McCarthy in 1964. The concept of 4 Ps has been criticised by number of studies. However, in spite of its deficiencies, the 4 Ps marketing mix remains the central framework for tackling marketing problems. The objective of this paper is to argue for the marketing mix as an idea to the marketers and can be used as tools to assist them in pursuing their marketing objectives. The paper also critically analyses the status of relationship marketing proposed by some scholars as a new paradigm.