A Level Business: Marketing strategy (Cambridge 9609) – Revision Notes

These notes condense section 8.2 (Marketing strategy) of the Cambridge International AS & A Level Business 9609 syllabus for examination in 2026, 2027 and 2028. Full explanations and worked examples are in the study guide. Test yourself with the practice questions and the earlier A Level marketing practice set. Also use the course hub, the printable checklist and the free diagnostics.

8.2.1 Marketing plan

Definition (own wording): a marketing plan is a written document setting out what the marketing function will do, with what, and why, to meet the business’s objectives.

Content	Question it answers	Typical detail
Objectives	What do we want?	Market share, sales revenue, brand awareness, by a date
Resources	What can we spend and use?	Budget, staff, skills, equipment
Research	What do we know?	Customers, competitors, market size and trends
Marketing mix	How will we do it?	Product, price, promotion, place

Benefits of planning: shared direction; deliberate use of money; targets to measure against; research before spending. Limitations: time and cost; forecasts may be wrong; rigid plans react slowly; poor research gives a poor plan.

Judgement prompt: how stable is the market, how big is the spend, and how often is the plan reviewed?

Method: turning a share objective into a sales target

1. Current share = business sales ÷ market size.
2. Grow the market by the forecast rate.
3. Target sales = target share × new market size.
4. Increase = target sales − current sales; divide by current sales for the percentage.

Reminder: Cindermere Sports has sales of £2.4m in a £30m market (8%). It wants 10% share after one year with market growth of 4%. New market = 30 × 1.04 = £31.2m. Target sales = 10% × 31.2 = £3.12m. Increase = £0.72m, which is 30% on current sales.

8.2.2 Approaches to marketing strategy

Consistency: three tests

Test	Ask	Warning sign
Business	Does it fit the objectives, finance and image?	Plan needs more cash than the firm has
Product	Does it suit the product and its life-cycle stage?	Heavy discounting of a luxury item
Market	Does it fit the target segment and competitors?	Message aimed at the wrong age group

Coordination

• All four parts of the mix send one message to one target group.
• Other functions must support it: operations (supply), finance (budget), human resources (trained staff).
• Development path: objective, research, target and position, mix, implement, monitor, adjust.

Objectives and strategies

Objective	Fitting emphasis
Market share growth	Competitive pricing, wide distribution, strong promotion
Premium image	High price, selective outlets, quality messages
New segment	Segment research, product adaptation, targeted promotion
Customer retention	Loyalty schemes, service, relationship marketing
Mature product	Extension strategies, new uses

IT and AI

Area	Role of IT	Role of AI
Research	Collects data from sales, websites, social media	Finds patterns in large data sets, helps forecast demand
Targeting	Databases, email lists	Personal recommendations and offers
Price	Online price comparison	Automatic price changes as demand moves
Promotion	Online and social media advertising	Chatbots, help creating content
Place	E-commerce, online ordering	Stock and delivery planning

For: speed, precision, lower cost per customer reached. Against: set-up cost and skills, poor data gives poor results, privacy concerns, loss of personal contact. Judgement prompt: the larger and more online the business, the bigger the gain.

8.2.3 International marketing

Key ideas

Idea	Revise this
Globalisation	Growing links between national economies through trade, investment and communication
Economic collaboration	Countries agreeing to trade more freely or align rules
Opportunities	Bigger markets, risk spread, lower average costs
Threats	Foreign competition at home, price comparison, exchange-rate and legal risk
Why go abroad	Saturated home market, faster growth elsewhere, spread of risk

Identify, select, enter

1. Identify: secondary research on size, income, growth, competition, barriers.
2. Select: compare against weighted criteria.
3. Enter: choose a method.

Method: weighted scoring

Multiply each score by its weight and add. Example: weights 40, 35, 25 for size, growth and cultural fit. Market A scores 3, 4, 5, so A = 120 + 140 + 125 = 385. Market B scores 5, 3, 2, so B = 200 + 105 + 50 = 355. A wins, but B has the larger market, so a business that values size above all might choose B. State what would change the result.

Pan-global versus local differences

	Pan-global	Local differences
Mix	Same worldwide	Adapted per market
Pros	Scale economies, consistent brand, cheaper promotion	Better fit, fewer cultural errors
Cons	May ignore tastes and rules	Higher cost, weaker global brand
Suits	Products with universal appeal	Culture-linked products

A common middle path: one global brand, with some adaptation of the product or message.

Entry method factors

Cost and finance; control wanted; risk; speed; local knowledge; barriers and legal rules; market size and potential.

Method	Cost	Control	Risk
Exporting via an agent	Low	Low	Low
Licensing or franchising	Low to medium	Low to medium	Low to medium
Joint venture	Medium	Shared	Medium
Own subsidiary	High	High	High

These are general patterns, not rules. Check the case study for exceptions.

Method: comparing two options by cost per customer

Cost per new customer = campaign cost ÷ new customers. Option 1: £90 000 for 1 500 customers = £60 each. Option 2: £60 000 for 1 200 customers = £50 each. Option 2 is cheaper per customer, but option 1 reaches more people. Weigh price against reach.

Must-know distinctions

• Marketing plan versus marketing mix. The mix is one part of the plan. The plan also holds objectives, resources and research.
• Strategy versus coordination. A strategy is the chosen route. Coordination is making every mix element, and every department, pull the same way.
• IT versus AI. IT collects, stores and moves data. AI analyses it and acts on it, for example by recommending or pricing automatically.
• Identify versus select. Identifying gives a long list of markets. Selecting narrows it using criteria.
• Selection versus entry. Choosing where to sell is separate from choosing how to get there.

Command words and case-study skills

Use the syllabus meanings. Calculate means work out from the facts given. Analyse means examine in detail and show the links between elements. Evaluate means judge quality, importance or value. Justify means support a case with evidence and argument. The syllabus says the last part of the longer Paper 3 questions, and both Paper 4 essays, should show evaluation.

• Open with the context (the product, market, size, objective).
• Make a point, develop it with a reason, apply it to the case, then weigh it.
• Finish with a judgement tied to the objective and a stated condition (“this is best if…”).

Quick self-test

1. List the four contents of a marketing plan.
2. Give one limitation of marketing planning.
3. A firm has sales of £1.8m in a £24m market. What is its market share?
4. The market in question 3 grows 5%. What sales give a 9% share? Give your answer to 3 significant figures in £m.
5. Name the three things a marketing strategy must be consistent with.
6. Why might a coordinated strategy fail if operations is not involved?
7. State one way AI could help a marketing team.
8. State one risk of using AI in marketing.
9. Define pan-global marketing.
10. Give two factors that influence the method of entry into an overseas market.
11. A market scores 4, 5, 2 on criteria weighted 50, 30, 20. Calculate the weighted total.
12. Why might a food business keep local differences?

Answers

1. Objectives, resources, research, marketing mix.
2. Any one: costly and time-consuming; forecasts may be wrong; can be rigid; poor research weakens it.
3. 1.8 ÷ 24 = 7.5%.
4. Market = 24 × 1.05 = £25.2m. Target = 9% × 25.2 = £2.268m, which is £2.27m to 3 significant figures.
5. The business, the product and the market.
6. The marketing may promise products, volumes or delivery times that operations cannot supply, damaging customer trust.
7. For example, analysing customer data to recommend products to individuals, or forecasting demand.
8. For example, privacy concerns, errors from poor data, or high set-up cost.
9. Using the same product, brand and marketing message in every country.
10. Any two from: cost, control, risk, speed, local knowledge, barriers, market size.
11. (4 × 50) + (5 × 30) + (2 × 20) = 200 + 150 + 40 = 390.
12. Tastes, diets, religion and culture differ between countries, so a standard product may not sell.

Where marks are usually lost

• Listing the marketing mix and calling it the whole plan.
• Giving general benefits of planning with no link to the business in the case.
• Using the wrong base in a percentage: share is sales divided by the market, not by last year’s sales.
• Forgetting to grow the market before applying the target share.
• Praising IT and AI without a limitation, or the reverse.
• Describing pan-global and local approaches without choosing one for the case.
• Calling a weighted-scoring winner “best” with no comment on weights.
• Recommending an entry method without referring to cost, control or risk in the case.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a marketing plan and the marketing mix? The marketing mix is only one part of the plan. A marketing plan also sets out the objectives, the resources available and the research the decisions are based on.

What is the difference between IT and AI in marketing? IT collects, stores and moves data, for example through databases and e-commerce. AI analyses that data and acts on it, for example by making personal recommendations or changing prices automatically as demand moves.

What is pan-global marketing? Pan-global marketing uses the same product, brand and marketing message in every country. It gives economies of scale and a consistent brand but may ignore local tastes and rules.

What factors affect how a business enters an overseas market? Cost and the finance available, the control wanted, risk, speed, local knowledge needed, trade barriers and legal rules, and the size of the market.

Official syllabus

Cambridge International AS & A Level Business 9609 syllabus for examination in 2026, 2027 and 2028, published by Cambridge Assessment International Education: section 8.2 (Marketing strategy).