Sherehan Ross

In the swirling world of marketing, we’ve been well-acquainted with the Ps – Product, Promotion, Price, Place, Positioning, and People. An age-old mantra that’s seeped into our marketing psyche.

 

But how often do we go back to basics and consider the 6Ws?
The What, Why, Who, When, Where, and the rebel, How
(Trust me, it counts – there’s a ‘W’ at the end).

 

Let’s unwrap.

 

WHAT?
What is your offering?
What are you selling?
What need are you fulfilling?
What gap are you bridging?
What is your product or service?
What solution are you providing?
What are you trying to accomplish?

It’s a reflection of your ‘Product’ in the traditional Ps, but it’s more than just a tangible offering.

 

WHY?
Why are you in this business?
Why do you want to solve this problem?
This digs deeper than profits and revenues.
The why behind your purpose, your vision, your mission.

The ‘Why’ is your North Star guiding your business through the choppy waters of the market.

 

WHO?
Who are you serving?
Who is your audience?
Who is your ideal customer?
This is where ‘People’ from the infamous Ps saunters in.
Identify your target audience, understand their aspirations, their pains, their joys.

It’s about creating a human-centric approach to your business.

 

WHEN?
When are you going to market?
When will you launch your products?
When are your seasonal promotions?
When are you rolling out specific campaigns?
Timing is a crucial player, often overlooked in the P mantra.

When you are planning the right message, to the right audience, on the right channel, you need to execute at ‘the right time’.

 

WHERE?
Where is your marketplace?
Where are you engaging with your audience?
The ‘Place’ from the traditional Ps of marketing.

Physical or digital, local or global, it’s where your strategies take flight, where your product meets its audience.

 

HOW?
How are you planning to execute?
It’s about the tactics, the methods, the nitty-gritty of executing.
How wraps up the remaining Ps (Promotion, Price, Positioning) and adds a strategic twist.

The ‘How’ defines the journey from your ‘Why’ to your customer’s ‘Wow’.

 

 

TL;DR:
In the ever-changing landscape of marketing, trends may rise and fall, but one thing remains constant: the power of asking the right questions.
What, why, who, when, where, and how?
Asking the right questions will anchor your strategies on a solid foundation of understanding.