Syllabus: Pearson Edexcel GCSE Business
Module: Making the Business Effective
Lesson: 1.4.3 The Marketing Mix

Introduction

The marketing mix is one of the most practical and immediately recognisable parts of the GCSE Business course. In the Pearson Edexcel GCSE Business specification, topic 1.4.3 “The marketing mix” sits within Theme 1: Investigating Small Business, specifically in the unit “Making the Business Effective”. This part of the curriculum helps students understand how businesses make key marketing decisions that impact their performance and success. The focus is on how small businesses use product, price, place and promotion (the 4Ps) to meet customer needs, build competitiveness and grow in often crowded markets.

Key Concepts

According to the Pearson Edexcel GCSE Business specification, students must be able to:

• Understand the elements of the marketing mix: product, price, place, and promotion.

• Explain how each element of the marketing mix influences and is influenced by other elements.

• Apply knowledge of the 4Ps to a given business context.

• Analyse how different types of businesses might vary their marketing mix depending on product type, market, and customer base.

• Understand that the marketing mix must be consistent with the business’s aims and objectives.

In practice, this means students should be familiar with examples such as:

• Choosing a price strategy (e.g. skimming vs penetration pricing).

• Tailoring promotional methods for a target market (e.g. social media campaigns vs local leaflets).

• Deciding where to sell products (e.g. online-only vs retail outlets).

• Designing products to meet specific needs or stand out from competitors.

Real-World Relevance

Whether it’s Gymshark using influencer marketing to skyrocket growth or Greggs adjusting product ranges seasonally while sticking to a value-driven pricing strategy, the marketing mix is at the heart of every successful business decision. A timely case example for students might be the rise of budget airline strategies: Ryanair, for instance, strips back the product to offer ultra-low prices, compensating through savvy place (online-only sales), minimal promotion and ruthless price tactics.

Small businesses also exemplify this well. A local bakery might use:

• Product: Vegan cakes to appeal to a niche.

• Price: Premium pricing to reflect handmade quality.

• Place: Direct-to-customer via Instagram DMs and local markets.

• Promotion: Free samples and word-of-mouth.

These choices demonstrate trade-offs and reinforce the idea that no part of the marketing mix exists in isolation.

How It’s Assessed

Assessment for this topic in the Edexcel GCSE typically appears in both Paper 1 (Theme 1: Investigating Small Business) and Paper 2 (Theme 2 content crossover, where appropriate). Students can expect:

• Multiple-choice questions testing knowledge of the 4Ps.

• Short-answer questions asking for examples or explanations of one part of the mix.

• Data response questions that require students to analyse how a business might change its marketing mix based on given circumstances.

• Extended writing (6- to 9-mark) questions often framed around evaluation: e.g. “Evaluate whether a business should change its pricing strategy to attract more customers.”

Command words to emphasise include:

• Explain – requires students to make a point and support it with a reason.

• Analyse – requires the breakdown of impacts and connections between elements.

• Evaluate – involves making a supported judgement after weighing pros and cons.

Enterprise Skills Integration

The 4Ps lend themselves naturally to enterprise thinking. In classroom or enterprise activity settings, this topic builds:

• Decision-making: Choosing between different pricing strategies.

• Problem-solving: Adjusting promotion to deal with falling sales.

• Creative thinking: Designing promotional campaigns or product adaptations.

• Financial awareness: Understanding how price affects revenue, break-even and profit.

Enterprise Skills’ MarketScope AI tool can be used here to simulate market conditions and test how changes to one ‘P’ affect the others. It allows students to engage in iterative decision-making and understand trade-offs in real time.

Careers Links

This topic directly supports Gatsby Benchmark 4 (Linking curriculum learning to careers) and Benchmark 5 (Encounters with employers and employees). Careers linked to this topic include:

• Marketing assistant

• Brand manager

• Digital marketer

• Product designer

• Retail manager

• Advertising executive

Bringing in guest speakers from local SMEs or alumni working in marketing roles makes the learning tangible and aspirational.

Teaching Notes

Teaching Tips:

• Use real-life case studies students relate to – brands they engage with daily.

• Frame lessons with questions like: “Why do you buy this?” to explore the 4Ps naturally.

• Encourage critical thinking by showing contrasting marketing mix approaches (e.g. Apple vs Aldi).

Common Pitfalls:

• Students often isolate the 4Ps instead of exploring how they interact.

• Tendency to define rather than apply – prompt students to go beyond “what” and into “why”.

Extension Ideas:

• Run a “Marketing Mix Makeover” task: students redesign the marketing mix for a failing or outdated brand.

• Link with ICT or Art departments for cross-curricular projects (e.g. creating logos or adverts).

• Use Enterprise Skills’ Pitch Deck Analyser to assess student-created marketing strategies, giving real-time feedback on clarity, logic, and appeal.