Benefits & Solutions
The four levels of a product include: core, tangible, augmented, and promised . Core, tangible, augmented and promised products feature characteristics (i.e., the total product concept or offer), which includes everything a consumer evaluates before making a purchase. These factors can include:
Levels of the product
The four levels of a product include: core, tangible, augmented, and promised.
- Price
- Store environment and/or surroundings
- Brand promise/value
- Advertising and marketing activities
- Buyer's past experience
- Accessibility or convenience
- Brand reputation
- Packaging
We begin with the notion of the core product, which identifies what the consumers feel they are getting when they purchase the product. The core benefits derived when an overweight 45-year-old male purchases a $250 ten-speed bicycle is not transportation--it is the hope for better health and conditioning. In a similar vein, that same individual may install a $16,000 swimming pool in his backyard, not to obtain exercise, but to reflect the status he so desperately desires. Both are legitimate product cores. Because the core product is so individualized, and oftentimes vague, a full-time task of the marketer is to accurately identify the core product for a particular target market.
Once the core product has been indicated, the tangible product becomes important. This tangibility is reflected primarily in its quality level, features, brand name, styling, and packaging. Literally every product contains these components to a greater or lesser degree. Unless the product is one-of-a-kind (e.g. oil painting), the consumer will use at least some of these tangible characteristics to evaluate alternatives and make choices. In addition, the importance of each will vary across products, situations, and individuals. For example, for a 25-year old man, the selection of a particular brand of new automobile (core product = transportation) was based on tangible elements such as styling and brand name (choice = Corvette). In contrast, at age 45, the core product remains the same, but tangible components such as quality level and features become more important (choice = Mercedes).
The next level is the augmented product. Every product is backed up by a host of supporting services. The buyer often expects such services, so they will reject the core-tangible product if these are not available. Examples include restrooms, escalators, and elevators in the case of a department store, and warranties and return policies in the case of a lawn mower. For example, Dow Chemical has earned a reputation as a company that will go the distance to service an account. It means that a Dow sales representative will visit a troubled farmer after-hours in order to solve a serious problem. This extra service is an integral part of the augmented product and a key to their success. In a world with many strong competitors and few unique products, the role of the augmented product is clearly increasing.
The outer ring of the product is referred to as the promised product. Every product has an implied promise. An implied promise is a characteristic that is attached to the product over time. The car industry rates brands by their trade-in value. There is no definite promise that a Mercedes-Benz holds its value better than a BMW. There will always be exceptions. How many parents have installed a swimming pool based on the implied promise that their two teenagers will stay home more or that they will entertain friends more often?