The Marketing Mix

Lesson Details

Subject: Business
Year Group: Year 13
Topic: The Marketing Mix (7Ps)
Class Size: 20 students
Lesson Duration: 50 minutes
Curriculum Reference: AQA A-Level Business – Section 3.3.4 (Marketing Decisions: The Marketing Mix)

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

1. Define the elements of the marketing mix (7Ps).
2. Analyse the role of each element in business decision-making.
3. Apply their understanding of the 7Ps to a real-world case study.
4. Evaluate how the marketing mix is used and how it must adapt to a modern, competitive market, with a focus on UK businesses.

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Resources Needed

1. Whiteboard/markers or interactive whiteboard.
2. Printed handouts outlining the 7Ps (Product, Price, Place, Promotion, People, Process, Physical Evidence).
3. Scenario cards – business scenarios for group work.
4. Exit tickets (for plenary).
5. Stopwatch for timed activities.

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Lesson Structure

1. Starter Activity (10 minutes)

Objective: Engage students and activate prior knowledge about marketing.

• Activity: "Guess the P!"
  1. Prepare 7 whiteboard cards, each with one "P" (Product, Price, Place, etc.) written on the back. Show one at a time to the class.
  2. Provide a definition or clue, and students have to guess which "P" you are describing by holding up one finger for "Product", two fingers for "Price," etc.
  3. For example: "This aspect focuses on where a customer can access goods or services." (Answer: Place).

Variation: Reward correct answers with small tokens (e.g. smiley stickers) to encourage participation.

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2. Explanation & Theory: The Marketing Mix (15 minutes)

Objective: Ensure students have a clear understanding of all aspects of the 7Ps and their application.

• Use an A3 visual representation of the 7Ps framework and discuss it step-by-step:
  a. Product: What a company sells.
  b. Price: How much customers pay, including strategies like penetration pricing, skimming.
  c. Place: Distribution channels (online/offline).
  d. Promotion: Communication strategies, including print, digital, social media.
  e. People: Personnel interacting with customers (salespeople, service staff).
  f. Process: How the customer receives the product/service (delivery, payment systems).
  g. Physical Evidence: Tangible proof reflecting the brand (packaging, storefront, website).

• Include real-world UK examples in each category: e.g., John Lewis (People & Customer Experience), Greggs pricing strategy, ASOS’s strong use of physical evidence (website design).

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3. Group Work: Applying the 7Ps (15 minutes)

Objective: Encourage collaborative learning through practical application.

• Divide the Class (4 groups, 5 students each):
  Hand each group a business scenario card. Scenarios could include:

  1. Launching a new product (e.g., eco-friendly trainers).
  2. Introducing a lower pricing strategy in retail.
  3. Expanding a delivery service (e.g., adding same-day delivery).
  4. Promoting an online-only competition for a new start-up.

• Task: Each group spends 10 minutes applying the 7Ps to the scenario. They must prepare a 1-minute elevator pitch explaining their marketing strategy using the framework.

Differentiation: Layout success criteria clearly. Include scaffolds like sentence starters for less confident students:

• “To maximise the success of the product, we would... (Promotion)”

• “We suggest pricing the product at £__ because... (Price)”

• Presentation Round (5 minutes): Have each group present. Encourage peer feedback by introducing roles such as "Questioner" and "Recorder" in the audience.

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4. Plenary: Wrap-Up with Reflection (8 minutes)

Objective: Solidify learning and check for understanding.

• Activity: "Ask Me A Question!"
  1. Hand each student a coloured sticky note or an exit ticket.
  2. Ask students to write one constructive question based on today’s lesson.
  3. On the way out, collect their notes and quickly skim a few for responses. Address these in the next lesson.

Alternatively, perform a quick-fire true/false quiz to end on a high-energy note:
E.g. "Promotion always involves advertising on TV. True or False?"

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Homework Task

"Exploring 7Ps in a Real Business": Ask students to research a UK-based company of their choice (e.g., Tesco, BrewDog, Monzo) and identify how they use the 7Ps of marketing in their strategy. Prepare a 100-word summary to share in the next lesson.

Challenge Extension (Optional): Suggest ways the company could adapt each element of their marketing mix to improve competitiveness.

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Teacher Notes

• Stretch & Challenge: Encourage high-performing students to consider the interrelationship between the Ps—e.g., how Price impacts Promotion or how People affect Process.
• Support for Students: Provide templates for note-taking during the theoretical section and sentence starters for group-work discussions.
• Timing: Allow flexibility for discussions but ensure timed segments through verbal cues like “Two minutes remaining!” during the group scenario task.
• Assessment: Use quality of discussions, peer questions during the group-work feedback session, and plenary questions to gain informal assessment data.

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This lesson plan integrates active engagement, real-world business relevance, and higher-order thinking to develop applied knowledge of the marketing mix among Year 13 students.