Growing up, my family always owned American-made vehicles, so naturally, that is the brand I purchased as an adult. It was not until two years ago that I did a 180 and purchased a German-made vehicle. I was in the market for a new (to me) car, and I came across a Volkswagen ad, and I was blown away by all the "standard" features the company offered for the price. Marketing can be defined as the means to communicate value to customers or, more formally, as the science of satisfying consumers' needsprofitably.

I was persuaded to purchase this vehicle because the price was fantastic for it being brand new. Also, this was in the middle of the pandemic, and I was able to conduct the whole buying process by sitting at my desk. VW offered loads of upgrades and features at no extra cost. For example, I received XM satellite radio for an entire year. They also offered WI-FI and Car-net (a service that locates your vehicle and keeps tabs on maintenance and other things about the car.) The dealership even tinted my windows at no cost to me.

The P that played a significant factor in purchasing this vehicle was product and price. "Product encompasses the variety, design, packaging, quality, features, and positioning of a product or service" (Kareh 2018). VW has excellent safety features and offers a quality vehicle at a low price."Simply put, price refers to how much a customer is willing to pay for a product or service" (Kareh 2018). I had a specific price range I wanted to stay in, and VW exceeded all my expectations. I will continue to purchase this brand in the future.

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