CMF cheat sheet

Marketing mix = Product, Price, Place, Promotion (the 4Ps); services add People, Process, Physical evidence (7Ps).

STP sequence: Segmentation → Targeting → Positioning; positioning follows target selection, never precedes it.

Market share = firm sales ÷ total market sales; relative market share = firm share ÷ largest competitor's share.

SWOT pairs internal Strengths/Weaknesses with external Opportunities/Threats; it is a summary tool, not a strategy generator.

Porter's generic strategies: cost leadership, differentiation, focus - a firm stuck between them is 'stuck in the middle'.

Product life cycle stages: introduction, growth, maturity, decline; profit typically peaks in late growth/early maturity.

Ansoff matrix axes are product (existing/new) and market (existing/new): market penetration, development, product development, diversification.

Contribution margin = price − variable cost per unit; break-even units = fixed costs ÷ contribution margin per unit.

Primary data is collected for the current problem; secondary data already exists and is cheaper but may not fit the question.

Probability samples (simple random, stratified, cluster) allow inferential statistics; non-probability samples (convenience, quota, snowball) do not.

Sampling error falls with sample size roughly as 1/√n; doubling precision requires about four times the sample.

Reliability = consistency of a measure; validity = it measures what it claims. A valid measure must be reliable, but reliable need not be valid.

Likert scales are ordinal; report medians or frequencies rather than means when treating them strictly.

Maslow's hierarchy order: physiological, safety, social, esteem, self-actualization; lower needs are prioritized when unmet.

Cognitive dissonance is post-purchase discomfort from conflicting beliefs; marketers reduce it via reassurance and return policies.

Reference groups and opinion leaders shape purchase through informational, utilitarian, and value-expressive influence.

Brand equity is the differential value a brand name adds; Keller's model builds salience → performance/imagery → judgments/feelings → resonance.

Brand architecture options: house of brands, branded house, endorsed brands, hybrid; choice trades focus against spillover risk.

A brand extension reuses an existing name in a new category; line extension adds a variant within the same category.

Product levels: core benefit, actual product, augmented product; differentiation usually lives in the augmented layer.

The BCG matrix uses market growth and relative share: stars, cash cows, question marks, dogs.

Cannibalization occurs when a new product takes sales from the firm's own existing products, not from competitors.

A unique selling proposition must be a single benefit that is important, distinctive, and communicable.

Brand positioning statement form: for [target], [brand] is the [frame] that [point of difference] because [reason to believe].

Paid, owned, and earned media classify channel control; owned media is cheapest to scale but slowest to build reach.

CPC = spend ÷ clicks; CPM = (spend ÷ impressions) × 1,000; CPA = spend ÷ conversions.

CTR = clicks ÷ impressions; conversion rate = conversions ÷ clicks; funnel conversion = conversions ÷ impressions.

ROAS = revenue ÷ ad spend; ROI = (revenue − spend) ÷ spend. ROAS of 4 equals ROI of 3 (300%).

Search intent types: informational, navigational, commercial investigation, transactional; transactional queries convert best.

Long-tail keywords have lower volume and lower competition; they typically convert at higher rates than head terms.

Attribution models: last-click, first-click, linear, time-decay, position-based; last-click over-credits closing channels.

Email list growth is permission-based; unsolicited bulk email violates consent regimes such as CAN-SPAM and GDPR.

AIDA sequence: Attention → Interest → Desire → Action; it maps message content to the buyer's stage.

The communication process: sender → encoding → message → channel → decoding → receiver, with noise and feedback throughout.

Push strategy targets channel intermediaries; pull strategy targets end consumers to create demand that pulls product through.

Message framing: gain frames favor prevention-avoidance behavior; loss frames are stronger when risk is high.

Content marketing follows a hub-and-spoke model: one anchor asset plus derivative pieces distributed across channels.

Editorial calendars govern cadence and ownership; consistent publishing frequency beats sporadic volume for audience retention.

Storytelling structure (situation–complication–resolution) improves recall versus feature lists.

Integrated marketing communications require one consistent message across channels; channel-specific tone may vary, claims may not.

Correlation does not establish causation; causal claims need experiments, natural experiments, or strong identification.

A/B test significance: a result is statistically significant when the p-value is below the chosen alpha (commonly 0.05).

Statistical power rises with larger samples and larger true effects; underpowered tests produce false negatives.

KPI versus metric: a KPI is a metric tied directly to a strategic objective; not every metric is a KPI.

Vanity metrics (page views, followers) rise without proving business value; prefer conversion, retention, and lifetime value.

Customer lifetime value ≈ (average purchase value × purchase frequency × retention years) − acquisition cost.

Ethical duties in research: informed consent, data minimization, confidentiality, and honest reporting of limitations.

Dark patterns (forced continuity, confirmshaming, disguised ads) can breach consumer-protection law; disclose material connections.