Syllabus: AQA - AS and A Level Business
Module: 3.3 Marketing Management
Lesson: 3.3.4 Making Marketing Decisions: Using the Marketing Mix

Introduction

This article supports teachers delivering AQA AS and A Level Business, specifically section 3.3.4: Making Marketing Decisions: Using the Marketing Mix. This unit helps students explore how organisations apply the 7Ps to make informed, real-world marketing decisions that influence their success.

Mapped directly to AQA’s specification, this guide supports classroom delivery with exam insights, industry examples, and guidance on embedding career readiness and workplace confidence. It also aligns with Gatsby Benchmarks 4 and 5, ensuring value for both curriculum and careers provision.

Key Concepts

According to the AQA syllabus, students must understand the following within 3.3.4:

• The 7Ps of the marketing mix: product, price, place, promotion, people, process and physical environment.

• The influences on and effects of changes in the marketing mix elements.

• Contextual application of the mix in both industrial and consumer markets.

• Tools such as the Boston Matrix, product life cycle models, and approaches to new product development.

• Pricing strategies including penetration pricing and price skimming.

• Promotional methods such as branding, social media, and viral marketing.

• Distribution decisions, especially multi-channel distribution.

• Understanding how all 7Ps form an integrated marketing mix, shaped by business objectives, market conditions, and product positioning.

• The impact and value of digital marketing and e-commerce.

Students should also be able to evaluate how businesses make strategic marketing decisions and apply theory to real-world business examples.

Real-World Relevance

A strong grasp of the marketing mix is essential for students to understand how businesses thrive in competitive environments.

Mini Case Study: Greggs
Greggs’ shift to healthier options and increased store openings at transport hubs showcases how place and product decisions must evolve with changing consumer behaviour. Meanwhile, its investment in digital ordering and delivery reflects innovation in process and physical evidence.

Digital Integration Example: Gymshark
As a digitally native brand, Gymshark thrives through a tightly integrated marketing mix: influencer-led promotion, direct-to-consumer e-commerce, and constant product innovation. This provides an excellent example for students when discussing the role of people, process, and promotion in digital-native businesses.

These examples bring the syllabus to life and offer excellent stimuli for classroom discussion or extended writing.

How It’s Assessed

In AQA Business exams, 3.3.4 is assessed through:

• Data response questions based on a real or fictional business scenario.

• Short-answer questions testing understanding of individual elements (e.g., pricing strategies).

• Extended writing (20 markers) that require evaluation of integrated marketing strategies.

• Command words include: analyse, evaluate, justify, recommend, calculate, discuss.

Students should be prepared to apply theoretical frameworks to unfamiliar contexts, using evidence to support conclusions. For example, they may be asked to evaluate whether a product should be repositioned based on Boston Matrix analysis.

Enterprise Skills Integration

This topic is rich in commercial awareness and decision-making opportunities, aligning with our core themes:

• Decision-Making & Problem Solving: Students weigh up pricing strategies, promotional approaches, and product lifecycle decisions using frameworks like the Boston Matrix.

• Commercial Awareness: Understanding customer needs, value propositions, and stakeholder impact mirrors how real businesses operate.

• Workplace Readiness: Marketing mix scenarios mirror job roles in product management, digital marketing, and customer service.

Students participating in Enterprise Skills simulations reported a greater ability to “think like a business owner” when answering 20-mark evaluation questions—evidence that embedding commercial reasoning builds real-world exam confidence.

Careers Links

This section strongly supports Gatsby Benchmarks:

• Benchmark 4: Linking curriculum learning to careers
  Students explore real business functions in marketing, with examples from brands they know.

• Benchmark 5: Employer Encounters
  Simulations and case study interviews help students understand actual roles in marketing and product strategy.

Careers Connected to this Topic:

• Marketing Executive

• Product Manager

• Digital Marketing Analyst

• Brand Strategist

• Retail Manager

• E-commerce Specialist

Tools within Skills Hub Futures support this connection by mapping each lesson to career paths and including employer-validated case studies.

Teaching Notes

Common Pitfalls to Watch For:

• Students often treat the 7Ps in isolation. Reinforce that marketing decisions must be integrated.

• Misapplication of models like the Boston Matrix (e.g., confusing market growth with product sales growth).

• Over-reliance on theoretical answers in 20 markers—students need to show judgement and justification.

Suggested Activities:

• Marketing Mix Redesign: Ask students to rework a failing product’s marketing mix using the 7Ps.

• Simulation Scenario: Use a business simulation (Skills Hub tool or similar) where students must launch a product and adjust the marketing mix based on customer feedback.

• Live Case Study Debate: Present a current marketing failure (e.g., product recall or rebranding flop) and task students with identifying which elements of the marketing mix went wrong.

Assessment Tip: Use mock 20-mark questions with peer assessment to build students’ evaluative writing skills—especially important for AO3 and AO4 weightings.