Topic 2: Marketing

6 dot points across 6 inquiry questions, in syllabus order. Each dot point has a focused answer, with exam-style questions and worked answers where available.

How are ethical and legal expectations managed in marketing?

Ethical and legal aspects - consumer laws (deceptive and misleading advertising, price discrimination, implied conditions, warranties); ethical aspects of marketing - truth, accuracy, good taste in advertising; sex, religion, gender; products that may damage health

The HSC Business Studies consumer laws and marketing ethics dot point: misleading advertising, price discrimination, consumer guarantees and warranties under the ACL, then truth, good taste, harmful products, fair competition and sugging, with verified cases to September 2026 (Coles Down Down, Woolworths Prices Dropped, Optus, Clorox, Mercer, Qantas).

16 min read →

How are product and price elements of the marketing mix used strategically?

Marketing strategies - market segmentation, product/service differentiation and positioning, products (branding and packaging), price (pricing methods - cost, market, competition-based; pricing strategies - skimming, penetration, loss leader, price points)

The HSC Business Studies product and price marketing strategies: segmentation, differentiation and positioning (with a positioning map), goods and services, branding and packaging, cost, market and competition-based pricing with worked calculations, skimming, penetration, loss leaders, price points and the price-quality interaction, using verified Australian examples.

15 min read →

How are promotion and place elements of the marketing mix used strategically?

Marketing strategies - promotion (elements of the promotional mix - advertising, personal selling and relationship marketing, sales promotions, publicity and public relations); place/distribution (channel choice including intermediaries, intensity, physical distribution); people, processes and physical evidence; e-marketing; global marketing

The HSC Business Studies promotion and place strategies: the promotion mix, the communication process (opinion leaders, word of mouth), distribution channels, intensity and physical distribution, the extended mix of people, processes and physical evidence, and e-marketing, with verified Australian examples including the ACCC influencer sweep, Optus, Qantas and Kmart.

16 min read →

What is the role of marketing in business and how is the marketing process structured?

The strategic role of marketing, production, selling and marketing approaches; the marketing process - situational analysis (SWOT, product life cycle), market research, establishing market objectives, identifying target markets, developing marketing strategies, implementation, monitoring and controlling

The HSC Business Studies dot points on the role of marketing and the marketing process: strategic role and interdependence, types of markets, production, selling and marketing approaches, then every step of the marketing process from SWOT and the product life cycle to financial forecasts and revising the strategy, with verified Australian examples.

15 min read →

How do businesses adapt marketing strategies for global markets?

Marketing strategies - global marketing - global branding, standardisation, customisation, global pricing, competitive positioning

The HSC Business Studies global marketing dot point: why businesses market globally, global branding, standardisation versus customisation across the marketing mix, global pricing (influences, methods, transfer pricing and grey markets) and competitive positioning, with verified cases including Cochlear, Aesop, Atlassian and Wesfarmers' Bunnings UK failure.

15 min read →

What influences marketing decisions and how do customers make choices?

Factors influencing customer choice (psychological, sociocultural, economic, government); consumer laws (deceptive and misleading advertising, price discrimination, implied conditions, warranties); ethical aspects of marketing

The HSC Business Studies influences on marketing dot point, centred on the four factors influencing customer choice (psychological, sociocultural, economic, government) and the buying decision process, with current economic data (the RBA cash rate and CPI as at September 2026), recent government rules and a summary of consumer law including the 2026 Coles Down Down judgment.

14 min read →