In today's marketing world, plans must change as fast as what people want. The old 4Ps—Product, Price, Place, Promotion—was the main structure. But now, a new plan puts people first: the 4C Model of Marketing. This change means business is now about how companies act and talk to people, not just making sales.

Students and workers should know about the 4C model, how it works, what it offers, and how to get it going. This helps them do well in modern business. Sharda University students, mainly those studying business, marketing, and startups, can use the 4C plan to get better grades and work experience.

How the 4Cs Came From the 4Ps

E. Jerome McCarthy started the 4P Model in the 1960s. It split marketing into Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. This model aimed at the business and its things. While it did well in the industrial times, it had limits when people wanted more say, tech changed things, and everyone wanted things made just for them.

Robert F. Lauterborn saw these changes and made the 4C Model in 1990. It changed marketing to fit what people expect. The 4C model looks at what people need, what they think is important, how they get items, and how companies talk to them, rather than just what companies make and sell.

What Are the 4 Cs of Marketing?

The 4Cs change old marketing to look at things from the buyer's side. They include:

1. Customer (instead of Product):

This part asks businesses to see what the customer wants. Instead of pushing items, they should make answers. It’s about what people want to buy, not what a company wants to sell. You need research, feedback, feeling, and knowing groups to find real wants. For example, a clothing brand shouldn't just sell new styles. They should check what people like, like clothes that save nature, include all sizes, and allow changes, to make things people want.

2. Cost (instead of Price):

This ‘C’ looks at what the entire cost is to the customer, not just setting a price from making things and wanting money. This has money, time, work, comfort, feelings, and keeping things up after buying. As an example, switching to a new phone company might have papers, things not working, and changing numbers. These affect choices more than just the price.

3. Convenience (instead of Place):

Now, we have online shops, apps, and fast shipping. ‘Convenience’ looks at how simple it is for a customer to get something. This has the shop look, website help, payment choices, and customer help. A company often does well if it fits into what people do every day without trouble. Brands that ship to your door, help all day, or use easy online steps win over lower prices that are hard to get.

4. Communication (instead of Promotion):

Promotion usually sends messages one way: from companies to people. But communication allows brands and people to talk. It’s more active, makes things personal, and builds bonds instead of just pushing sales. Communication has talking on social media, letters, opinions, live help, and telling a brand's story. It builds trust and makes the brand an active listener, not just a seller.

Benefits of the 4C Model

Using the 4C model has good things, mostly in today’s world led by people. It makes sure marketing plans come from how people act, what they like, and what they want, not just guesses.

  • Customer-First Thinking: Focusing on what people need lets businesses make deeper bonds and real worth. When people are the point, they are happier, stay with you, and tell others good things.
  • Better Talking and Keeping: Communication makes people stay longer. Brands that hear, act, and change from feedback keep customers and loyalty. This change from just selling to making feelings grow a brand’s worth over time.
  • Smarter Market Views: When brands listen to customers, they do market work, get numbers and feelings, and watch what happens. This makes smarter calls, lowers risks, and builds better items.
  • More Changes: The 4C model moves fast and watches how people act. It lets businesses change plans fast. This helps operations move, which is key when trends change a lot.
  • Better Brand Worth: A brand that fits what customers like, makes things easy, talks truly, and fixes problems looks strong, caring, and trusted. This makes the brand look better and adds worth beyond just the item.

How to Use the 4C Model in Marketing?

Using the 4C model asks for doing more than changing words. It wants a full change in how businesses plan and make marketing plans. Here's how to do it step by step:

  • Learn Your People Well: Start by learning about customers with surveys, talks, feedback, and social media. Understand their problems, likes, habits, and wishes. Make details about customers that show feelings, not just age or jobs. This helps businesses make what they offer and how they show and give it to people.
  • Check Full Customer Cost: Think past prices. What does the customer do to buy? Are there hidden costs like trouble shipping, few ways to pay, or hard returns? Removing blocks and adding worth with shipping help, easy payments, and help after sales makes buys more wanted.
  • Make Things Easy: Businesses must make sure people get things when, where, and how they want. This has a good online look, models for online and shops, adding payment help, and fast help systems. Even how a website or app looks can change comfort. Making things easy and fast helps how people feel.
  • Make Real Talking Links: Move from ads to personal talks. Use tools, help robots, AI, and social media to keep near customers. Share stories, show what goes on, run votes, and praise customer wins. Good communication means acting to bad talks, knowing errors, and getting better from feedback.

Real Example:

Take Nike. Nike’s marketing showed shoes and gear. Now, it pushes customers to become athletes, tells feeling stories, adds help via Nike By You, and gives ways on online steps and apps.

Nike shows the 4C model's power by knowing customer IDs (Customer), giving worth (Cost), keeping comfort (Convenience), and pushing with talks (Communication).

How the 4C Model Helps Business Study

At Sharda University, marketing study looks past books. The school mixes old learning with new ways like the 4C model. Students learn to use these plans in real ideas with jobs, work, case studies, and talks.

Business students learn to feel like customers, not just sellers. They should feel, have ideas, watch details, and think online. Knowing the 4C model gives students tools to make customer-led plans that grow business and last.

Conclusion

The 4C Model of Marketing changes how to act in today’s marketing. It uses feeling, ideas, and quick steps. As people change and tech makes new ways to talk, this model lets businesses stay right, build trust, and make worth.

For students, future marketers, and business starters, knowing and using the 4C plan is more than a class task. It gives a strong edge. The 4C model gives a way to make plans that touch people whether you plan a startup, run a brand, or want a marketing job.

Today, customers have power. The 4Cs are not just a choice. They are a must. At Sharda University, we grow this thinking and get students ready to lead marketing's future with dreams, goals, and feeling.