4C

4C is an acronym used in several domains, and its meaning varies with context. The most widely cited uses appear in marketing theory and in modern education, where the term denotes structured frameworks for decision making or skill development.

In marketing, the 4 Cs of marketing refer to consumer wants and needs, cost, convenience, and communication. Proposed as a customer-centric alternative to the traditional four Ps (product, price, place, promotion) by Robert F. Lauterborn in the 1990s, the framework emphasizes understanding value from the buyer’s perspective and fosters two-way communication between business and customer. The 4 Cs are often used to guide strategy, messaging, and channel selection, particularly in consumer markets and service industries.

In education and workforce development, the 4 Cs commonly denote critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. This set of competencies is used to guide curriculum design, teaching practices, and assessment in many 21st-century skills frameworks and is promoted by educational organizations and policymakers as essential for success in a changing economy.

In other contexts, 4C can function as a model name, code, or designation in physics, chemistry, technology, or industry standards. Because the meaning is highly domain-specific, it is typically clarified by accompanying definitions or acronyms in the relevant text. Overall, 4C serves as a flexible shorthand whose precise interpretation depends on the field and discussion at hand.