Product and promotion together

Promotion must be aimed at the target segment — the group of customers the product is designed for. If the words, images, advertising medium and tone do not appeal to that group, the product will not sell well, however good it is.

For example, imagine you sell bright, leak-proof water bottles to secondary school students. A short video on a social media app popular with teenagers, showing a bottle being dropped into a school bag and still not leaking, uses images and a medium that suit that segment. It highlights a feature (leak-proof lid) and a benefit (no soggy books) that those customers care about. The same bottle advertised in a gardening magazine with the headline keeps cuttings fresh would reach the wrong audience and waste money.

Why product and promotion depend on each other

A good product will not sell unless it is promoted effectively. A well-designed product that is promoted poorly may be overlooked because customers do not know it exists or cannot see why it is worth buying. Promotion should therefore highlight the product features and benefits that matter to the target segment, so customers can see the value.

The product also shapes the promotion: its design, colours and main benefit give the promotion something specific to say and show. Promotion results can also reveal which features customers respond to, which can influence later product decisions. Good promotion makes those strengths visible to the right people, while promotion aimed at the wrong audience fails to attract the customers the product was made for.