Unit rationale, description and aim
Product marketing is a diverse discipline, blending management expertise, creative insight, and analytical precision to drive successful product strategies. This unit serves as the essential bridge between the foundational marketing principles introduced in BUSN114 and a deeper exploration of product marketing as an independent field. It is taught from the perspective of a Product Marketing Manager responsible for making product-specific decisions in the marketplace and applying practical tools to design and implement an effective marketing mix. As such, the unit focuses on key managerial aspects—such as going to the market, product development and prototyping, ideation, forecasting, branding, and promotion. The unit simultaneously also incorporates discussions on producing goods and services that add authentic value through universal design and promote responsible stewardship of resources for the common good, the environment, and society.
The aim of this unit is to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the key concepts, practical tools, and best practices specific to product marketing. In doing so, it lays a strong foundation for advanced studies in marketing and equips students with the capability to transition seamlessly into higher-level product marketing roles and professional practice.
Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
Explain the nature and contribution of product mar...
Learning Outcome 01
Analyse the role of product marketing mix elements...
Learning Outcome 02
Develop comprehensive go-to-market strategies, inc...
Learning Outcome 03
Evaluate forecasting and market modelling techniqu...
Learning Outcome 04
Apply universal product design principles to creat...
Learning Outcome 05
Content
Topics will include:
- Introducing Product Marketing
- Understanding the Product Marketing Mix
- Layers of a Product
- Universal Product Design
- Product Ideation and Development
- Agile Methodology and Stagegate
- Prototyping Product
- Product Branding
- Forecasting and Modelling Product Market Success
- Go to Market and Launch Plans
Assessment strategy and rationale
To pass this unit, students must demonstrate mastery of all learning outcomes and achieve an overall mark of at least 50%. Each assessment is marked using a rubric specifically designed to measure achievement against the unit outcomes, with the final grade reflecting overall performance.
In assessment one, students individually research unmet consumer needs, analyse market trends, and identify industry gaps to justify a new product concept. The submission is a market briefing document accompanied by an annotated pitch deck.
The second assessment requires students to develop a product along with a prototype. Students will work in groups, students build on their initial research to develop a product prototype using design-thinking, agile methodology, and universal design principles. The final submission includes the product prototype and a supporting documentation package.
In the final assessment, students create a comprehensive launch plan that covers branding, pricing, distribution, promotion, and market forecasting. The outcome is a written project plan outlining the go-to-market strategy.
Academic integrity will be assured by determining different contexts for the assessment each semester. For example, the position description may be for a not-for-profit, government, service sector or start-up organisation. Each of these requires different marketing skillsets within the broad definition of marketing functions.
Overview of assessments
Assessment Task 1: Market Need Analysis Stu...
Assessment Task 1: Market Need Analysis
Students will investigate unmet consumer needs, analyse market trends, and assess gaps in the industry to justify the development of a new product. This assessment encourages critical thinking and strategic insight, ensuring that product concepts are grounded in real-world demand and market viability.
Submission Type: Individual
Assessment Method: Market briefing document with supporting slides
Artefact: Briefing document with accompany annotated pitch deck
25%
Assessment Task 2: Product Development and Proto...
Assessment Task 2: Product Development and Prototyping
Building on their market research, students will develop and deliver a presentation of a product prototype using design-thinking principles, agile methodology, and universal design considerations. This task focuses on translating concepts into tangible solutions, taking accessibility, sustainability, and commercial feasibility into account.
Submission Type: Group
Assessment Method: Product prototype accompanied by a supporting documentation package.
Artefact: Product prototype package
35%
Assessment Task 3: Go-to-Market Strategy Student...
Assessment Task 3: Go-to-Market Strategy
Students will create a comprehensive launch plan, detailing branding, pricing, distribution, and promotional strategies. They will also apply forecasting models to predict market success, ensuring their strategy is both competitive and adaptable to industry trends.
Submission Type: Group
Assessment Method: Go To Market project plan
Artefact: Written project plan
40%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
Learning and teaching in this unit is designed to actively engage students through participation in workshops (or equivalent practical activities) that reinforce and deepen their understanding. These sessions encourage students to collaboratively and individually construct and synthesise knowledge. As a cornerstone of the product marketing major, this unit adopts an active learning approach to develop the expertise and processes employed by product marketing professionals who make strategic decisions about products in the marketplace.
Students explore the knowledge base underpinning fundamental product marketing theories, concepts, and practices during these hands-on activities. By engaging in these practical sessions, both individually and in small groups, learners will gain an understanding of the various product marketing approaches and the key functions performed by product marketers. Additionally, the unit utilises a collaborative learning framework delivered through a blend of pre-recorded and live/on-campus lectures, discussions, and real-world examples. This approach is intended to build students’ critical and reflective skills within both independent and group learning environments.
Mode of delivery: This unit is offered in different modes to cater to the learning needs and preferences of a range of participants and maximise effective participation for isolated and/or marginalised groups.
Representative texts and references
Elliott, G, Rundle-Thiele, S, Waller, D, Smith, S, Eades, E, and Bentrott, I 2023, Marketing, 6th Edition, John Wiley & Sons Australia.
Pride, WM, Ferrell, OC, Lukas, BA, Schembri, S, Niininen, O and Casidy, R 2021, Marketing Principles, 4th edition Asia-Pacific Edition, Cengage
Current Scholarly articles
Amajuoyi, P, Benjamin, LB, and Adeusi, KB 2024, Agile methodologies: Adapting product management to rapidly changing market conditions. GSC Advanced Research and Reviews, 19(2), 249-267.
Chummee, P 2022, The determinants of product innovation and marketing innovation effecting to the innovation performance. Turkish Journal of Computer and Mathematics Education, 13(2), 1-6.
Cooper, RG 2022, The 5-th generation stage-gate idea-to-launch process. IEEE Engineering Management Review, 50(4), 43-55.
Hydock, C, Chen, Z and Carlson, K, 2020, Why Unhappy Customers Are Unlikely to Share Their Opinions with Brands. Journal of Marketing, 84(6), 95-112.
Kessari, M, Joly, C, Jaouen, A, and Jaeck, M 2020, Alternative food networks: good practices for sustainable performance. Journal of Marketing Management, 36(15/16), 1417-1446
Lee, H, Lalwani, AK and Wang, JJ 2020, Price No Object!: The Impact of Power Distance Belief on Consumers' Price Sensitivity Journal of Marketing, 84(6), 113-129.
Morgeson III, FV, Hult, GTM, Mithas, S, Keiningham, T and Fornell, C 2020, Turning Complaining Customers into Loyal Customers: Moderators of the Complaint Handling–Customer Loyalty Relationship. Journal of Marketing, 84(5), 79-99.
Ng, S, Faraji-Rad, A and Batra, R 2021, Uncertainty Evokes Consumers' Preference for Brands Incongruent with their Global–Local Citizenship Identity. Journal of Marketing Research, 58(2), 400-415.
Ozdamar, EZ, Atik, D and Murray, J 2020, The logic of sustainability: institutional transformation towards a new culture of fashion. Journal of Marketing Management, 36(15/16), 1447-1480.
Patrick, VM and Hollenbeck, CR 2021, Designing for all: Consumer response to inclusive design. Journal of consumer psychology, 31(2), 360-381.
Simpson, B, Schreier, M, Bitterl, S and White, K 2021, Making the World a Better Place: How Crowdfunding Increases Consumer Demand for Social-Good Products. Journal of Marketing Research, 58(2), 363-376
Varadarajan, R, Welden, RB, Arunachalam, S, Haenlein, M and Gupta, S 2022, Digital product innovations for the greater good and digital marketing innovations in communications and channels: Evolution, emerging issues, and future research directions. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 39(2), 482-501.
Vomberg, A, Homburg, C and Gwinner, O 2020, Tolerating and Managing Failure: An Organizational Perspective on Customer Reacquisition Management. Journal of Marketing, 84(5), 117-136.
Wilson, JAJ 2020, Understanding branding is demanding. Journal of Marketing Management, 36(13/14), 1178-1189.
Zhou, C, Albuquerque, P and Grewal, R 2021, Competition and Firm Service Reliability Decisions: A Study of the Airline Industry. Journal of Marketing Research, 58(2), 377-399.