In the 1990s, community colleges will be faced with a real challenge and an opportunity: to become marketing-oriented institutions. Marketing is crucial to reinventing the colleges as institutions that are capable of contributing to the education of an underskilled workforce and a significant underclass--an endeavor vital to the nation's competition in a global economy. By applying the four "P's" of marketing, community colleges can begin to meet the changing needs of a high-technology society. First, colleges must realize that ultimately they are judged by the measurable benefits they produce in their learning "Product," the student. Second, the "Place," that is, the time, location, and circumstances under which learning is provided, should be designed to be convenient for the student consumers. Third, community colleges should emphasize their "Price," that is, both the real and perceived cost to a student, because the colleges deliver high value at a low cost. The fourth strategy, "Promotion," can only be utilized when the Price, Place, and Product are of high quality. Promotion will require an extensive amount of market research. Among the critical questions this research should address are: (1) Do the internal publics (i.e., faculty, staff, administration, governing boards, and students) understand, and are they committed to, the unique mission of community colleges? (2) Does the college know why students develop interest in, attend, and leave the college? and (3) Are demographic and psychographic profiles developed for major segments of both the internal and external marketplace? (MAB)