HSC Business Studies topic guide

Marketing — Year 12 (HSC)

Marketing — Year 12 (HSC) is a core part of HSC Business Studies. This guide connects the syllabus ideas behind Marketing, shows how they appear in worked problems, and points you to the formulas and full lessons needed for exam revision.

What you will learn

Marketing — Year 12 (HSC) syllabus outline

The units below follow the structure used in the full Study to Learn course. Use the outline to identify exactly which idea needs attention, then work through the public example before continuing to the complete lesson path.

Year 12 · HSC

Marketing

The Role of Marketing & Types of Markets · Influences on Marketing · The Marketing Process · Market Segmentation, Target Market & Positioning · Product & Price Strategies · Promotion & Place Strategies · Implementing, Monitoring & Controlling the Marketing Plan · Services Marketing & Ethical/Legal Marketing · Global Marketing & E-marketing

Free worked preview

The Role of Marketing & Types of Markets

This complete preview comes from the Marketing unit. It introduces the core language, shows the method in context, and gives you a real example of the lesson quality before you create an account.

What Marketing Is

Marketing is the process of identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer needs profitably — not selling, but the whole customer-centred process. The modern marketing concept starts with what customers need and then designs a response, in contrast to an older "selling concept" that starts with a product and tries to persuade customers to buy it.

Types of markets

Resource markets — buying and selling raw materials and resources
Industrial (B2B) markets — businesses selling to other businesses
Intermediate (reseller) markets — wholesalers and retailers who resell goods
Consumer markets — mass market (broad appeal, one offer) vs niche market (a small, specific segment)
Global markets — customers and competitors beyond the domestic economy

Common ErrorDo not confuse "selling" with "marketing". Selling (persuading someone to buy) is just one small element of promotion; marketing is the whole strategic process, from research through to after-sales service.

Scenario A B2B software company markets to procurement managers at other businesses (industrial market) very differently from how a consumer snack brand markets to shoppers in a supermarket (consumer mass market) — different research, messaging and channels for each.

Practice QuestionExplain the difference between the marketing concept and the selling concept.

Reviewed by the Study to Learn editorial team · Updated 2026-07-24