Differentiate with the 5th P: People

Abstract This article examines traditional marketing views of employees to develop a differentiated marketing strategy to gain a competitive advantage. Based on a suggested topology of employees, it is proposed that employees be recognized as a distinctive element of the marketing mix—people-power—and consequently as an integral part of marketing strategy. By managing its employees in terms of newly defined, customer-related roles, an organization can gain a competitive advantage by being perceived as distinctly different from its competitors.