Effects of 4Ps Marketing Mix Strategies on Profitability Enhancement of Petroleum Companies in Afghanistan – A Case Study

Abstract

In the current era of intense rivalry, organizations must develop effective marketing strategies to differentiate themselves and raise awareness about their products or services. The effective execution of optimal marketing mix strategies possesses the capability to augment brand equity as well as establish a formidable competitive position. Unfortunately, the implications of 4Ps marketing mix strategies on the profitability of petroleum businesses (especially automotive fuels and autogas, or LPG) in Afghanistan have received little attention and have not been adequately investigated. The current study sought to determine the effectiveness of 4Ps marketing mix strategies and their relationship to increasing the petroleum company’s profitability in Afghanistan. A case study approach was used to evaluate the marketing mix strategies applied by Zhakfar Petroleum, operated by the company Zhakfar Logistics and Services Ltd. Primary and secondary data was collected via personal interviews with the CEO, branch managers, finance managers, and the website of the company. Content analysis was used to evaluate the data obtained from both the survey and the sales data of the company. The research suggested that the company employed various marketing strategies related to “Product”, “Price”, “Place”, and “Promotion”, which demonstrated a significant growth rate of 34.51% during three months of marketing campaigns. JEL Classification : M1

Keywords

• Marketing mix strategies
• fuel industry
• competitive advantage
• sales performance
• Afghanistan

References

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