MARK2012 Marketing Fundamentals
The Complete Study & Assessment Guide · T2 2026MARK2012 Overview
- UNSW Sydney
- T2 2026
- 12 chapters
- Marketing
MARK2012 Marketing Fundamentals is a UNSW Sydney (UNSW Business School, School of Marketing) foundational core marketing course, worth 6 units of credit and running in Term 2 with weekly lectures and tutorials (Week 6 is the flexibility week).
- Assessed by Learning Reflection (individual) 35% · Leadership Presentation (individual) 35% · Business Report (group) 30% + 1 more
- Key terms Marketing concept, Marketing mix (4Ps / 7Ps), STP, Value (benefits ÷ costs)
- Assessment move Treat MARK2012 as a toolkit to apply, not a set of readings to memorise.
- Most asked Can AI help me with MARK2012?
How MARK2012 is assessed
| Component | Weight | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Learning Reflection (individual) | 35% | In-class reflection – 3 mins (10%); written submission – 500 words, due the following Monday (15%); AI Service Marketing Simulation Learning (10%); across Weeks 2, 3 and Week 7 |
| Leadership Presentation (individual) | 35% | Presentation for the Executives (20%); Executive Challenge (5%); PodQuiz (10%); across Weeks 4–5 and Week 8 |
| Business Report (group) | 30% | 1,500-word business report on sustainability & the UN SDGs due 12pm Monday Week 9 (15%); Report Showcase 7-min presentation + Q&A in Week 9 tutorial (10%); TikTok video in Week 9 tutorial (5%) |
| Final exam | None | No final examination — MARK2012 (T2/2026) is assessed entirely by coursework |
What MARK2012 covers
MARK2012 builds the marketing toolkit one week at a time in UNSW Term 2, moving from analysing the marketing environment and consumer behaviour to STP, the 4Ps, services, and digital and sustainable marketing.
There is no final exam — your WAM contribution comes entirely from a Learning Reflection, a Leadership Presentation and a group Business Report on the UN SDGs — so this guide focuses on applying each framework to those tasks.
What Is Marketing? Creating and Delivering Value
Marketing concept, exchange, value, the marketing mix (4Ps), the marketing plan · (Week 1)Week 1 opens MARK2012 by defining marketing as the process of creating, communicating, delivering and exchanging value, introducing the 4Ps marketing mix and the structure of a marketing plan.
- Marketing defined: creating, communicating, delivering and exchanging offerings of value for customers, partners and society
- Needs vs wants vs demands (a want backed by buying power)
- Value = perceived benefits ÷ perceived costs — raise value by adding benefits or lowering costs
- Marketing orientations: production → sales → marketing (customer) → value-based / societal
- The 4Ps marketing mix (Product, Price, Place, Promotion) — extended to 7Ps for services
- The marketing plan: mission → situation analysis → STP → marketing mix → implementation & control
Analysing the Marketing Environment
Immediate (micro) environment, macro forces (CDSTEP/PESTEL), SWOT · (Week 1)Week 1's second half teaches you to scan the two layers of the marketing environment — the immediate (micro) environment of company, competitors, corporate partners and customers, and the macro environment through a CDSTEP/PESTEL lens — and to fold the findings into a SWOT.
- The firm at the centre: the value proposition to the customer
- Immediate (micro) environment: company, competitors, corporate partners (the partnership factor), customers
- Macro environment — CDSTEP: Culture, Demographics, Social, Technological, Economic, Political/legal
- Controllable/influenceable micro factors vs uncontrollable macro forces you must adapt to
- Generational cohorts (Boomers → Gen X → Y → Z → Alpha) as a demographic sub-lens
- Turning a scan into a SWOT: environmental factors → opportunities and threats
Consumer Behaviour and the Decision Process
5-stage decision process, psychological/social/situational factors, involvement · (Week 2)Week 2 walks through the five-stage consumer decision-making process and the psychological, social and situational factors that shape it, including involvement and post-purchase dissonance.
- The five-stage decision process: need recognition → information search → evaluation of alternatives → purchase → post-purchase
- Functional vs psychological needs; the consideration (evoked) set and evaluative criteria
- Internal vs external information search; search effort rises with risk and involvement
- Psychological factors: motivation (Maslow's hierarchy), perception, learning, attitudes
- Social factors: family, reference groups, culture/sub-culture; opinion leaders and word of mouth
- Situational factors: purchase/shopping situation, time pressure, mood
Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning (STP)
Segmentation bases, targeting strategies, positioning & perceptual maps · (Week 3)Week 3 teaches the STP process — segmenting a market on a chosen base, evaluating and selecting target segments, and positioning via a value proposition and perceptual map.
- The STP process: segment → target → position
- Segmentation bases: geographic, demographic, psychographic, behavioural
- Criteria for an effective segment: identifiable, substantial, reachable, responsive/differentiable, profitable
- Targeting strategies: undifferentiated (mass), differentiated, concentrated/niche, micromarketing
- Positioning: distinctive valued place vs competitors; positioning bases (attribute, price/quality, use, user, competitor)
- Perceptual (positioning) maps: 2-axis plots revealing positions and gaps
Product and Branding Decisions
Three product levels, product mix, branding, brand equity, packaging · (Week 4)Week 4 covers the three levels of a product (core, actual, augmented), product-line and product-mix decisions, and branding — brand equity, brand elements, packaging and labelling.
- Three product levels: core benefit → actual product → augmented product
- Product classifications: convenience, shopping, specialty, unsought (and business goods/services)
- Product-mix width, length, depth and consistency; line extension, filling and stretching
- Brand definition and functions; manufacturer vs private-label brands
- Brand equity components: awareness, perceived quality, associations/image, loyalty
- Branding strategies: individual/multibrand vs family/umbrella; brand vs line extension; co-branding; licensing
Developing New Products and the Product Life Cycle
NPD process, diffusion of innovation, product life cycle · (Week 4)Week 4 also covers the new-product development (NPD) process, the diffusion-of-innovation adopter curve, and the product life cycle (PLC) with its marketing-mix implications.
- The NPD process: idea generation → screening → concept development & testing → business analysis → development → test marketing → commercialisation
- Idea screening and concept testing to kill weak ideas early
- Diffusion of innovation: innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, laggards
- The product life cycle: introduction → growth → maturity → decline
- Marketing-mix shifts across PLC stages (especially price and promotion)
- Managing risk in innovation; test markets before full launch
Pricing Strategies and Value
Pricing objectives, cost/competition/value-based methods, elasticity · (Week 5 — confirm on Moodle)Pricing covers the objectives behind a price, the main methods — cost-based, competition-based and value-based — plus price elasticity of demand and common psychological and promotional tactics.
- Price as the only 4P that generates revenue; pricing objectives (profit, sales, competitive, customer-oriented)
- The 5 Cs of pricing: Company, Customers, Costs, Competition, Channel
- Pricing methods: cost-based (markup), competition-based (going-rate), value-based/customer-based
- Break-even quantity = Fixed costs ÷ (Price − Variable cost per unit); contribution margin
- Price elasticity of demand E = %ΔQ ÷ %ΔP; elastic (|E|>1) vs inelastic (|E|<1)
- New-product pricing: price skimming vs market-penetration pricing
Services Marketing and Service Quality
Four service characteristics, the 7Ps, the Gaps Model, service quality · (Week 7)Week 7 covers what makes services different — intangibility, inseparability, variability and perishability — the extended 7Ps, the Gaps Model and service quality through SERVQUAL (RATER).
- The four service characteristics: intangibility, inseparability, variability/heterogeneity, perishability
- Marketing responses to each (tangibilise cues, manage capacity/demand, standardise quality)
- The extended services marketing mix (7Ps): People, Process, Physical evidence added to the 4Ps
- SERVQUAL / RATER dimensions: Reliability, Assurance, Tangibles, Empathy, Responsiveness
- Service quality as the gap between customer expectations and perceptions
- The Gaps Model: knowledge, standards, delivery, communication and the overall service gap
Integrated Marketing Communications and Promotion
Communication process, promotion mix, AIDA · (Week 8 — confirm on Moodle)This chapter explains the communication process (sender → encoding → message/media → decoding → receiver → feedback, with noise) and the promotion mix — advertising, PR, sales promotion, personal selling and digital/social — coordinated through Integrated Marketing Communications, using the AIDA hierarchy to plan campaigns.
- The communication process: sender → encoding → message/media → decoding → receiver → response → feedback, with noise
- Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC): one clear, consistent message across all contacts
- The promotion mix: advertising, public relations, sales promotion, personal selling, direct/digital & social
- AIDA: Attention → Interest → Desire → Action; the hierarchy of effects
- Setting objectives, designing the message and choosing media (reach vs frequency)
- Budget methods: objective-and-task, percentage-of-sales, competitive parity, affordable
Distribution, Channels and Retailing
Marketing channels, channel structures, omnichannel & supply chain · (Week 9/10 — confirm on Moodle)This chapter covers the “Place” element: marketing-channel structures (direct vs indirect and distribution intensity), the role of intermediaries and supply-chain logistics, and modern retailing including omnichannel and experiential retail.
- Marketing channels: the set of organisations making a product available for use or consumption
- Channel levels: direct (producer → consumer) vs indirect (via wholesalers/retailers)
- Intermediaries create time, place and possession utility
- Distribution intensity: intensive, selective, exclusive
- Channel conflict (horizontal/vertical) and Vertical Marketing Systems (corporate, contractual/franchise, administered)
- Supply-chain management and logistics: order processing, inventory, warehousing, transport
Digital, Social Media and AI in Marketing
Digital channels, social media, content, the 4E framework, AI in marketing · (Week 9 — confirm on Moodle)This chapter explores digital and social-media marketing — owned, earned and paid channels, content and community, and the 4E framework (excite, educate, experience, engage) — and how AI is reshaping marketing practice.
- Digital channels and the owned / earned / paid media split
- The 4E framework: Excite, Educate, Experience, Engage
- Content marketing, community and social platforms; influencer/creator marketing
- Digital metrics: impressions, click-through rate, engagement, conversion
- AI in marketing: personalisation, recommendation, service automation, generative content
- Short-form video and how to communicate a marketing idea to a lay audience (A3 TikTok)
Marketing, Society, Sustainability and Your Assessment Toolkit
Ethics, sustainability, the UN SDGs, and applying frameworks to A1/A2/A3 · (Weeks 1-10)This closing chapter ties the course together — marketing ethics, sustainability, the triple bottom line and the UN Sustainable Development Goals as a lens on business decisions — and then converts every framework into marks.
- Marketing ethics and avoiding deceptive practices and greenwashing
- Corporate Social Responsibility and the triple bottom line: people, planet, profit
- Sustainable marketing and the UN SDGs — SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption & Production) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities) as the course anchors
- Secondary SDGs referenced (3, 5, 7, 9, 13) and the circular economy
- Mapping a business initiative to specific numbered SDGs and the value logic behind it
- Structuring the Learning Reflection, the Leadership Presentation and the group Business Report
It is a concept- and application-driven course: the syllabus works from the marketing concept and the marketing mix (the 4Ps, extended to the 7Ps for services) through the marketing environment, consumer behaviour, segmentation-targeting-positioning, product and branding, new-product development, pricing, services and service quality, integrated marketing communications, distribution and retailing, and digital, social and sustainable marketing — the toolkit you use to create and deliver customer value.
There is no final exam: MARK2012 is assessed 100% by coursework across three tasks — an individual Learning Reflection (35%: an in-class reflection, a 500-word written submission and an AI Service Marketing Simulation), an individual Leadership Presentation (35%: a case presentation for the executives, an Executive Challenge peer-critique and two PodQuizzes drawn from the weekly “Learn Marketing in Minutes” podcasts), and a group Business Report (30%) applying marketing frameworks to a sustainability case and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, with a report showcase and a short TikTok-styled video.
The marks live in applying the right framework to a real brand or consumer scenario, referencing your claims (Harvard) and reflecting on your own learning, so the course rewards steady weekly engagement over a last-minute push, and the result feeds your Weighted Average Mark (WAM) on the UNSW HD / DN / CR / PS / FL scale.
All weights and timings here mirror the published UNSW course outline; confirm the exact components and due dates for your term on Moodle, as the assessment design is periodically updated.
Worked example · free
Applied: an STP walk for a new recycled-fabric outdoor jacket (Leadership Presentation shape)
- +2(a) Segment. Choose the base deliberately. Age alone is weak here, so segment psychographically — by shared values and lifestyle: buyers whose self-identity centres on sustainability, ethical consumption and the outdoors. Name it (e.g. “values-driven eco-adventurers”) rather than “young people”.
- +2(b) Target. Justify the choice against effective-segment criteria — the segment is identifiable, reachable through outdoor and social channels, substantial enough to be profitable, and responsive (willing to pay a modest premium for a credibly sustainable product). Undifferentiated mass marketing would dilute the sustainability message, so a concentrated/differentiated approach fits.
- +2(c) Position. Use the positioning-statement template — For [target] who [need], [brand] is a [frame of reference] that [point of difference], because [reason to believe]: “For eco-conscious adventurers who want performance without waste, the jacket is high-performance outerwear that is made from recycled ocean plastic, because every jacket diverts a stated quantity of plastic and is independently certified.” State a clear point of difference versus rivals.
- +2(d) Enhancement. Add what the exemplars reward: layer in behavioural segmentation (target repeat/high-involvement outdoor buyers), back the premium-willingness claim with evidence, and add explicit competitive differentiation versus other brands also claiming sustainability — avoiding any hint of greenwashing.
Key terms
- Marketing concept
- The idea that a firm succeeds by creating, communicating, delivering and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, partners and society — a marketing (customer) orientation rather than a production- or sales-led one. The foundation of every MARK2012 task.
- Marketing mix (4Ps / 7Ps)
- The controllable decisions a firm makes to create value: Product, Price, Place and Promotion (the 4Ps), extended for services to add People, Process and Physical evidence (the 7Ps). The organising spine of the course.
- STP
- Segmentation → Targeting → Positioning: divide the market on a chosen base, evaluate and select target segment(s), then design a distinctive, valued position versus competitors. The core skill assessed in the Leadership Presentation.
- Value (benefits ÷ costs)
- The ratio a customer weighs — perceived benefits relative to perceived costs (price, effort, risk). A firm raises value by adding benefits or lowering costs; value-based marketing means delivering more value than rivals.
- Brand equity
- The added value a brand endows on a product, built from brand awareness, perceived quality, brand associations/image and brand loyalty (Keller/Aaker). A key lens for product and branding analysis.
- UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- The 17 United Nations goals for people and planet; MARK2012 foregrounds SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption & Production) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities & Communities). The group Business Report must map a business case to specific numbered SDGs.
MARK2012 FAQ
Is MARK2012 hard?
It is challenging in a different way from a numbers course: there is almost no calculation, but a wide set of frameworks (the marketing mix, CDSTEP, the consumer decision process, STP, brand equity, the PLC, SERVQUAL, AIDA, the UN SDGs) that you must apply, not just recall.
The difficulty is breadth plus the expectation to analyse and reflect rather than describe, and the fact that a large share of the mark is reflection, a presentation and group work assessed against rubrics with Harvard referencing. Students who watch the weekly “Learn Marketing in Minutes” podcasts, keep a reflective log from Week 1 and practise applying each framework to real brands tend to find it very manageable.
Can AI help me with MARK2012?
Yes, as a study aid. Sia is an AI tutor trained on how MARK2012 is actually taught and assessed at UNSW Sydney: it can explain a framework like STP, the CDSTEP macro scan or SERVQUAL step by step, help you structure your Learning Reflection or the sustainability Business Report, and check whether your reasoning applies the right model to a scenario.
It explains the method and checks your thinking; it does not do graded assessment for you, and the UNSW academic-integrity/plagiarism policy applies (generative AI is only permitted where the course coordinator explicitly allows it for a task, and any use must be acknowledged).
How is MARK2012 assessed?
By 100% coursework — there is no final exam.
Three tasks make up the mark: an individual Learning Reflection (35%: an in-class reflection worth 10%, a 500-word written submission worth 15% and an AI Service Marketing Simulation worth 10%, across Weeks 2, 3 and 7), an individual Leadership Presentation (35%: a presentation for the executives worth 20%, an Executive Challenge worth 5% and PodQuizzes worth 10%, across Weeks 4–5 and Week 8), and a group Business Report on sustainability and the UN SDGs (30%: a 1,500-word report worth 15%, a report showcase worth 10% and a TikTok video worth 5%, in Week 9).
Confirm the exact components and due dates for your term on Moodle.
Does MARK2012 have a hurdle or a final exam?
There is no final examination and no whole-of-course hurdle is stated in the assessment briefs — every component simply counts toward the 100% coursework total and feeds your Weighted Average Mark (WAM) on the UNSW HD / DN / CR / PS / FL scale.
Two participation gates matter in practice: you must attend the Week 7 tutorial to complete the AI Service Marketing Simulation, and the Report Showcase and TikTok video are delivered in the Week 9 tutorial. Always confirm the current assessment rules on Moodle and the UNSW course outline.
How does the group Business Report and PodQuiz work?
The 30% Business Report is group work: a group contract is set early in the term, a sustainability case brief is released around Week 4, and the 1,500-word report is due about Week 9, followed by a report showcase and a short TikTok-styled SDG video in the Week 9 tutorial.
The PodQuizzes (part of the 35% Leadership Presentation) are short Moodle quizzes drawn from the weekly “Learn Marketing in Minutes” podcasts — a few questions each, one attempt, pro-rata to a small mark — so keeping up with the podcasts week to week is the easiest marks in the course. Confirm the exact dates and group rules on Moodle.
Questions students ask in each MARK2012 chapter
- What is the difference between the marketing concept and a sales orientation?
- A sales orientation pushes what the firm already makes and focuses on closing volume; the marketing concept starts from customer needs and designs the whole offer (and the mix) to satisfy them profitably, building a relationship rather than a one-off transaction. MARK2012 expects you to frame examples through the customer-value lens, not the sales-push one. Chapter 01 · What Is Marketing? Creating and Delivering Value
- What is the difference between the micro and macro environment?
- The immediate (micro) environment is the actors close to the firm — company, competitors, corporate partners and customers — which the firm can influence to a degree. The macro environment is the wider set of forces (CDSTEP: culture, demographics, social, technological, economic, political/legal) that the firm generally cannot control and must adapt to. Marketing decisions scan both layers, then respond. Chapter 02 · Analysing the Marketing Environment
- What is the difference between a functional and a psychological need?
- A functional need is about performance or utility — a laptop that runs your software. A psychological need is emotional, social or self-expressive — the pride, belonging or identity a purchase signals. Good reflections show a purchase satisfying both, which is why the decision-process exemplars split needs this way. Chapter 03 · Consumer Behaviour and the Decision Process
- What makes a segment worth targeting?
- It should be identifiable/measurable, substantial (profitably large), reachable/accessible, responsive/differentiable (it reacts distinctly to your mix) and profitable/actionable. If you cannot identify or reach the segment, or it is too small to serve profitably, the segmentation fails no matter how neat it looks. Chapter 04 · Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning (STP)
- What is the difference between the core, actual and augmented product?
- The core product is the fundamental benefit the customer is really buying (clean clothes, safe travel). The actual product is the tangible thing that delivers it — features, quality, design, brand, packaging. The augmented product is the extra services and support around it — warranty, delivery, after-sales care. Marketers compete increasingly on the augmented layer. Chapter 05 · Product and Branding Decisions
- Why screen ideas so early in NPD?
- Screening kills weak ideas before the firm spends heavily on development and launch, where costs balloon. Concept testing with real target customers early is far cheaper than a failed test market or launch, so the process front-loads the go/no-go decisions. Chapter 06 · Developing New Products and the Product Life Cycle
- Which price goes into the break-even formula?
- Break-even quantity = Fixed costs ÷ (Price − Variable cost per unit). The denominator is the contribution margin per unit (what each sale contributes after its own variable cost), not the full selling price. Using the full price understates the units you must sell. Chapter 07 · Pricing Strategies and Value
- Why do services need extra Ps?
- Because services are intangible, inseparable (produced and consumed together), variable and perishable, the customer experiences how the service is delivered, not just what is delivered. People (staff), Process (the delivery steps) and Physical evidence (tangible cues) become marketing decisions in their own right, giving the 7Ps. Chapter 08 · Services Marketing and Service Quality
- What does “integrated” mean in IMC?
- It means every point of contact — advertising, PR, social, sales promotion, packaging, the website — tells the same clear, consistent story with one brand voice. Integration prevents mixed messages that confuse customers and waste budget; the coordination is the marketing skill, not any single ad. Chapter 09 · Integrated Marketing Communications and Promotion
- What is the difference between intensive, selective and exclusive distribution?
- Intensive distribution places the product in as many outlets as possible (convenience goods like snacks). Selective uses a limited set of quality outlets (shopping goods, mid-premium brands). Exclusive grants a few outlets sole rights (luxury/specialty goods). The choice should match the product's positioning and how customers shop for it. Chapter 10 · Distribution, Channels and Retailing
- What is the difference between owned, earned and paid media?
- Owned media are channels the brand controls (its website, app, social account and content). Earned media are the unpaid coverage, shares and user content others create about the brand. Paid media are the placements you buy (ads, boosted posts, paid partnerships). A healthy digital plan uses all three, with earned media the hardest to buy and often the most trusted. Chapter 11 · Digital, Social Media and AI in Marketing
- What does the group Business Report actually require?
- A 1,500-word (±10%) professional report that applies marketing frameworks to an assigned sustainability case and maps it to specific numbered UN SDGs, with a recommendation, a report showcase presentation and a short TikTok-styled SDG video. It is group work worth 30%, with a group contract and a case brief set around Week 4 and the report due about Week 9 — confirm the exact dates on Moodle. Chapter 12 · Marketing, Society, Sustainability and Your Assessment Toolkit
How to prepare for the assessments
Treat MARK2012 as a toolkit to apply, not a set of readings to memorise. Each week watch the “Learn Marketing in Minutes” podcast before class (it also feeds the PodQuizzes), then take one framework and apply it to a brand you actually use — write two lines on its 4Ps, or which CDSTEP forces are reshaping its market.
Keep a running reflective log from Week 1: it feeds directly into the Learning Reflection and trains you to reflect (make meaning from a personal experience) rather than describe a product. For the Leadership Presentation, practise the STP walk (segment → target → position) with explicit competitive differentiation and evidence.
For the 1,500-word group Business Report, map your case to specific numbered UN SDGs (SDG 12 and SDG 11 are the course's anchors) and put sustainability at the core of the recommendation, not bolted on. Reference every claim in Harvard style — poor in-text referencing is explicitly marked down. Because a big share of the mark is group work, set a group contract and shared record early.
Aim to engage every week rather than cramming, and confirm every weight, word count and due date for your term on Moodle and the UNSW course outline. When a framework won't click, ask Sia to re-explain that single model a different way and quiz you on applying it — it teaches the method and checks your reasoning, and never substitutes for your own graded work.
Your AI Marketing tutor for MARK2012
Stuck on a hard MARK2012 question? Sia is AskSia’s AI Marketing tutor — ask any MARK2012 Marketing Fundamentals question and get a clear, step-by-step explanation grounded in how the course is actually taught and assessed. Read this whole study guide free, then take your hardest questions to Sia.
