4 P's of Marketing with respect to Indian Oil corporation limited.

1. Product - A product is seen as an item that satisfies what a consumer demands. It is a tangible good or an intangible service. Tangible products are those that have an independent physical existence. Typical examples of mass-produced, tangible objects are themotor carand the disposablerazor. A less obvious but ubiquitous mass-produced service is acomputer operating system.Every product is subject to alife-cycleincluding a growth phase followed by a maturity phase and finally an eventual period of decline as sales fall. Marketers must do careful research on how long the life cycle of the product they are marketing is likely to be and focus their attention on different challenges that arise as the product moves.The marketer must also consider theproduct mix. Marketers can expand the current product mix by increasing a certain product line's depth or by increasing the number of product lines. Marketers should consider how to position the product, how to exploit the brand, how to exploit the company's resources and how to configure the product mix so that each product complements the other. The marketer must also consider product development strategies

IndianOil is not only the largest commercial enterprise in the country it is the flagship corporate of the Indian Nation. Besides having a dominant market share, IndianOil is widely recognized as India's dominant energy brand and customers perceive IndianOil as a reliable symbol for high quality products and services.

Benchmarking Quality, Quantity and Service to world-class standards is a philosophy that IndianOil adheres to so as to ensure that customers get a truly global experience in India. Our continued emphasis is on providing fuel management solutions to customers who can then benefit from our expertise in efficient sourcing and least cost supplies keeping in mind their usage patterns and inventory management.

IndianOil is a heritage and iconic brand at one level and a contemporary, global brand at another level. While quality, reliability and service remains the core benefits to our customers, our stringent checks are built into operating systems, at every level ensuring the trust of over a billion Indians over the last four decades.

Our Retail Brand template of XtraCare(Urban), Swagat(Highway) and Kisan Seva Kendras(Rural) are widely recognized as pioneering brands in the petroleum retail segment. IndianOil's leadership extends to its energy brands - Indane LPG,SERVOLubricants, Autogas LPG, XtraPremium Branded Petrol, XtraMile Branded Diesel, XtraPower Fleet Card, IndianOil Aviation and XtraRewards cash customer loyalty programme.

2. Place - Refers to providing the product at a place which is convenient for consumers to access. Variousstrategiessuch as intensive distribution, selective distribution, exclusive distribution andfranchisingcan be used by the marketer to complement the other aspects of the marketing mix.

"Indian Oil, which has automated more than 6,200 retail outlets till August, 2014, also planned to automate 7,500 outlets by 2014-15 fiscal and more than 10,000 retail outlets by 2015-16," This makes the product accessible from almost all the places whether is rural or urban.

3. Promotion-IndianOil has one of the largest petroleum marketing and distribution networks in Asia, with over 35,000 marketing touch points. Its ubiquitous petrol/diesel stations are located across different terrains and regions of the Indian sub-continent. From the icy heights of the Himalayas to the sun-soaked shores of Kerala, from Kutch on India's western tip to Kohima in the verdant North East, IndianOil is truly 'in every heart, in every part'. IndianOil's vast marketing infrastructure of petrol/diesel stations, Indane (LPG) distributorships,SERVOlubricants & greases outlets and large volume consumer pumps are backed by bulk storage terminals and installations, inland depots, aviation fuel stations, LPG bottling plants and lube blending plants amongst others. The countrywide marketing operations are coordinated by 16 State Offices and over 100 decentralised administrative offices.

Several landmark surveys continue to rate IndianOil as the dominant energy brand in the country and an enduring symbol for high quality petroleum products and services. The heritage and iconic association that the brand invokes has been built over four decades of commitment to uninterrupted supply line of petroleum products to every part of the country, and unique products that cater not only to the functional requirements but also the aspirational needs of millions of customers.

IndianOil has been adjudged India's No. 1 brand by UK-based Brand Finance, an independent consultancy that deals with valuation of brands. It was also listed as India's 'Most Trusted Brand' in the 'Gasoline' category in a Readers' Digest - AC Nielsen survey. In addition, IndianOil topped The Hindu Businessline's "India's Most Valuable Brands" list. However, the value of the IndianOil brand is not just limited to its commercial role as an energy provider but straddles the entire value chain of gamut of exploration & production, refining, transportation & marketing, petrochemicals & natural gas and downstream marketing operations abroad. IndianOil is a national brand owned by over a billion Indians and that is a priceless value.

4. Price - The amount a customer pays for the product. The price is very important as it determines the company's profit and hence, survival. Adjusting the price has a profound impact on the marketing strategy and, depending on theprice elasticityof the product, often it will affect thedemandand sales as well. The marketer should set a price that complements the other elements of the marketing mix.[4]When setting a price, the marketer must be aware of thecustomer perceived valuefor the product. Three basic pricing strategies are:market skimmingpricing, marketpenetration pricingand neutral pricing. The 'reference value' (where the consumer refers to the prices of competing products) and the 'differential value' (the consumer's view of this product's attributes versus the attributes of other products) must be taken into account.