10.15 Product attributes
The product is central to the marketing mix, but what the customer buys is the total product which includes the physical product, brand name, after-sales service, warranty, instructions for use, packaging, and the company image.
It is relatively easy to create a new 'total product' without changing the physical product - an important reason why there is more product standardisation internationally than one might expect. For example, Coca-Cola is a global 'total product', but the physical product is multi-domestic; its sweetness varies according to local tastes. (This should remind you of your discoveries in Activity 10.4.)
We can divide products into two broad categories: industrial products which generally lend themselves to global demands with little or no modification and consumer products or services which generally require greater adaptation to meet the demands of the world's markets. Let's consider the adaptation requirements of each of these categories.
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