Syllabus: International Baccalaureate - Individuals and societies - Business management (Standard Level)
Module: Unit 4: Marketing
Lesson: 4.5 The Seven Ps of the Marketing Mix
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Introduction
The Seven Ps of the Marketing Mix is a cornerstone topic in Unit 4.5 of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Business Management (SL) syllabus. It builds on students’ understanding of core marketing principles by analysing how organisations strategically combine different marketing elements—product, price, place, promotion, people, process, and physical evidence—to deliver value to customers. As marketing becomes increasingly multi-dimensional in a digital economy, this unit helps students see beyond traditional definitions and apply commercial thinking in real-world contexts.
This content is directly aligned with the IB’s focus on applied understanding, strategic evaluation, and ethical considerations in business. It also supports wider educational aims such as interdisciplinary learning, problem-solving, and global citizenship.
Key Concepts
According to the IB Business Management (SL) syllabus for Unit 4.5, students are expected to:
Understand and define the Seven Ps:
Product – the features and quality of the good or service
Price – pricing strategies such as penetration or skimming
Place – distribution channels (direct, retailers, online)
Promotion – advertising, sales promotions, personal selling, PR
People – role of customer-facing staff in service delivery
Process – systems involved in delivering the product/service
Physical Evidence – tangible cues that support the brand (e.g. premises, packaging)
Apply these concepts to real or hypothetical businesses
Analyse how changes in one element can impact others
Evaluate the effectiveness of a firm’s marketing mix in achieving its objectives
Students should be able to identify which elements are most influential depending on the type of business (product-based vs service-based), market context, and competitive environment.
Real-World Relevance
The Seven Ps model is not an academic abstraction—it is used by major global brands and startups alike. For instance:
IKEA fine-tunes its physical evidence (store layout), people (in-store advisors), and process (self-assembly logistics) to deliver consistent value globally.
Starbucks leverages people (trained baristas), physical evidence (store ambience), and promotion (loyalty apps) to create a lifestyle brand, not just a coffee shop.
Gymshark, a UK-based fitness apparel brand, effectively used place (direct-to-consumer e-commerce) and promotion (influencer marketing) to scale rapidly without a single physical shop.
These examples allow teachers to present the Seven Ps not as a list to memorise, but as a dynamic framework for critical thinking.
How It’s Assessed
Assessment in the IB Business Management SL course includes both internal and external components:
Paper 1 (Case study-based): Students may be asked to evaluate how a business should adjust its marketing mix based on a specific problem or opportunity.
Paper 2 (Structured questions):
Short-answer questions to define and apply the Seven Ps
Extended response questions asking students to analyse or evaluate the effectiveness of a firm’s marketing strategy
Common command terms:
Define, explain, analyse, discuss, evaluate, recommend
To score well, students must connect the Seven Ps to business objectives, stakeholder needs, and external environments, rather than treating them in isolation.
Enterprise Skills Integration
This topic offers rich opportunities for embedding decision-making, problem-solving, and commercial awareness:
Decision-Making: Students assess trade-offs—for example, whether a premium pricing strategy (Price) aligns with a mass-market distribution channel (Place).
Problem-Solving: Using business simulations, learners can explore real scenarios where one element of the mix must change (e.g. supply chain disruptions affecting Place) and evaluate knock-on effects.
Commercial Awareness: Learners develop an intuitive grasp of how businesses respond to market demands using these seven levers—building critical employability skills.
Platforms like Skills Hub Futures and Skills Hub Business allow students to make simulated marketing decisions in live business scenarios, mapping directly to this topic while promoting measurable skills development.
Careers Links
Understanding the Seven Ps provides a foundational lens for multiple career paths:
Marketing Roles: Brand manager, digital marketer, marketing analyst
Sales and Customer Experience: Account executive, CRM specialist
Entrepreneurship and Retail: Store manager, e-commerce strategist
Professional Services: Consultancy, project management
The topic aligns with Gatsby Benchmark 4 (linking curriculum to careers) and supports Benchmarks 5 and 6 when embedded in simulations or employer-led projects. Students gain insights into real workplace decisions and can explore employer-set challenges through tools like Skills Hub Futures.
Teaching Notes
Tips for Delivery:
Use real company marketing plans or product launches to deconstruct the Seven Ps.
Assign students to “act as consultants” recommending changes to an existing firm’s mix.
Flip the classroom—ask students to find an example business and identify its Seven Ps in advance.
Common Pitfalls:
Treating the Seven Ps as standalone rather than interconnected.
Overemphasising Product and Price while neglecting People, Process, and Physical Evidence.
Using outdated examples—ensure digital marketing and e-commerce are covered.
Extension Ideas:
Integrate with IB’s Internal Assessment (IA) by encouraging students to research the marketing strategy of a local business.
Use Enterprise Skills business simulations to replicate decision-making in a fast-changing market.
Link with Design & Technology (e.g. packaging design) or Psychology (consumer behaviour) to support interdisciplinary learning.
