7P Marketing Mix Priorities in Agricultural Inputs: A Comparative AHP Study of MNC and National/Local Firms
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58344/locus.v5i6.5968Keywords:
7p marketing mix, analytical hierarchy process, agricultural input industryAbstract
The agricultural input industry faces increasingly complex competition between multinational corporations (MNCs) and national/local firms. Differences in resources, technological capability, distribution networks, and market proximity imply that marketing strategies cannot be standardized across firm types. This study aims to analyze the priorities of the 7P marketing mix in the agricultural input industry and compare the priority patterns between MNC and national/local firms. The study employed the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) involving 12 expert panelists from industry practitioners, academics, and agribusiness experts. The results show that MNC firms prioritize Product (0.234), People (0.165), and Promotion (0.163), whereas national/local firms prioritize Product (0.193), People (0.177), Price (0.167), and Promotion (0.149). The main sub-criteria for MNC firms are dominated by product innovation, brand reputation, core product quality, professionalism, and price-value alignment. In contrast, national/local firms emphasize field staff competence, direct communication through demonstration plots, core product quality, competitive pricing, and the quality of demonstration plots. These findings indicate that MNC firms rely more on product differentiation and reputation, whereas national/local firms depend more on field proximity, pricing, distribution, and tangible evidence of product performance. Artificial Intelligence serves as an enabler of marketing strategy implementation rather than as a primary priority.
References
Bahorka, M., Kvasova, L., & Yurchenko, N. (2023). Development of ways to adapt agricultural enterprises to changes in the marketing competitive environment. Economics and Education, 8(2), 6–11.
David-Benz, H., Andriandralambo, N., Soanjara, H., Chimirri, C., Rahelizatovo, N., & Rivolala, B. (2016). Improving access to market information: A driver of change in marketing strategies for small producers? European Association of Agricultural Economists (EAAE).
Grover, V., Chiang, R. H. L., Liang, T.-P., & Zhang, D. (2018). Creating strategic business value from big data analytics: A research framework. Journal of Management Information Systems, 35(2), 388–423.
Hansen, M. W. (2017). Toward a strategic management perspective on local content in African extractives.
Huang, M. H., & Rust, R. T. (2021). A strategic framework for artificial intelligence in marketing. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 49, 30–50. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-020-00749-9
Ibeh, C. V., Asuzu, O. F., Olorunsogo, T., Elufioye, O. A., Nduubuisi, N. L., & Daraojimba, A. I. (2024). Business analytics and decision science: A review of techniques in strategic business decision making. World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 21(2), 1761–1769.
Jansson, J., Nilsson, J., Modig, F., & Hed Vall, G. (2017). Commitment to sustainability in small and medium-sized enterprises: The influence of strategic orientations and management values. Business Strategy and the Environment, 26(1), 69–83.
Kikwiye, I. R. (2023). Multinational and local companies’ corporate social responsibility practices in a developing country: Multi-stakeholders perspectives in Tanzania. Anglia Ruskin Research Online (ARRO).
Kumar, A., & Pant, S. (2023). Analytical hierarchy process for sustainable agriculture: An overview. MethodsX, 10, Article 101954. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mex.2022.101954
Linder, M., & Williander, M. (2017). Circular business model innovation: Inherent uncertainties. Business Strategy and the Environment, 26(2), 182–196.
Longoni, A., & Cagliano, R. (2015). Environmental and social sustainability priorities: Their integration in operations strategies. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 35(2), 216–245.
Ningsih, G. M., Rasyid, H., Ningsih, N., Pujotomo, D., & Suseno, G. P. (2024). Agricultural marketing strategies in the digital era: Improving the competitiveness of local products. JOSS: Journal of Social Science, 3(9), 1756–1764. https://doi.org/10.57185/joss.v3i9.366
Relawati, R., Ariadi, B. Y., & Trushkina, N. (2025). Digital marketing strategies for agriculture: Indonesia and Ukraine. BIO Web of Conferences, 201, 03003. https://doi.org/10.1051/bioconf/202520103003
Rustam, S., Darma, R., Jamil, M. H., Tenriawaru, A. N., Fudjaja, L., Akzar, R., Nawi, N. M., & Bakheet Ali, H. N. (2025). Analyzing marketing mix strategies and personal factors influencing BISI hybrid maize seed purchases: Insights from agricultural development in Soppeng District, Indonesia. Sustainability, 17(7), 2800. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17072800
Salomon, V. A. P., & Gomes, L. F. A. M. (2024). Consistency improvement in the analytic hierarchy process. Mathematics, 12(6), 828. https://doi.org/10.3390/math12060828
Saura, J. R., Ribeiro-Soriano, D., & Palacios-Marqués, D. (2021). Setting B2B digital marketing in artificial intelligence-based CRMs: A review and directions for future research. Industrial Marketing Management, 98, 161–178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2021.08.006
Tang, C. S., Wang, Y., & Zhao, M. (2015). The implications of utilizing market information and adopting agricultural advice for farmers in developing economies. Production and Operations Management, 24(8), 1197–1215.
Tien, N. H. (2019). Customization and standardization of the business strategy of foreign enterprises in Vietnam: The McDonald’s case and the fast-food sector. International Journal of Research in Marketing Management and Sales, 1(2), 44–50.
Tomashuk, I. (2023). Competitiveness of agricultural enterprises in market conditions and ways of its increase. Green, Blue and Digital Economy Journal, 4(1), 64–81.
Utami, R. A., Aji, J. M. M., & Ibanah, I. (2025). The value chain mapping of porang agribusiness in East Java using AHP approach. Agrisocionomics: Jurnal Sosial Ekonomi Pertanian, 9(2), 428–441. https://doi.org/10.14710/agrisocionomics.v9i2.24251
Vla?i?, B., Corbo, L., e Silva, S. C., & Dabi?, M. (2021). The evolving role of artificial intelligence in marketing: A review and research agenda. Journal of Business Research, 128, 187–203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.01.055
Zeithaml, V. A., Bitner, M. J., & Gremler, D. D. (2013). Services marketing: Integrating customer focus across the firm (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Muh. Nur Alif Rapi, Ujang Sumarwan, Joko Purwono
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC-BY-SA). that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
