Marketing and Promotion Strategies

Year Level

Years 5 and 6 (Australia)

Duration

60 minutes

Class Size

110 students

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

Understand the purpose and importance of marketing and promotion in business.
Identify various marketing strategies used by businesses.
Define and describe target audience and tailor messages accordingly.
Develop a simple marketing plan including target audience, message, and promotional channels.
Communicate their marketing ideas clearly to an audience.

Australian Curriculum Alignment (Version 9)

Learning Area: Humanities and Social Sciences – Economics and Business
Year Level: Years 5 and 6
Content Descriptions:

ACHASSK111 – Explain how entrepreneurs respond to opportunities to create successful business ventures.
ACHASSI118 – Develop questions to investigate people, events, places and issues.
ACHASSI121 – Present findings and conclusions in a range of communication forms, selecting conventions according to audience and purpose.

Cross-curricular priorities:

Critical and creative thinking – Students analyse and create ideas using problem solving and reflective thinking.
Personal and Social Capability – Students develop skills to work cooperatively.

General Capabilities:

Literacy: understanding and using specific business and marketing vocabulary.
ICT capability: using digital tools for presenting marketing plans.

Lesson Outline

1. Introduction (10 minutes)

Engage students with a question: "Have you ever seen a cool ad or promotion that made you want to buy something? What made it catch your attention?"
Brief explanation: What is marketing? Why do businesses use it?
Show visual examples of marketing strategies such as TV ads, posters, social media posts (use age-appropriate, local examples).

Curriculum links: Introduces economic/business terms connected to ACHASSI121 and develops literacy with business vocabulary.

2. Exploring Marketing Strategies (15 minutes)

Divide the 110 students into manageable groups (e.g. 10 groups of 11 students).
Activity: Each group receives cards describing different marketing strategies (e.g., advertising, discounts/promotions, personal selling, online promotion, sponsorships).
Groups discuss and decide which strategies they think would best promote a simple business idea (for example: a lemonade stand or school fundraiser).
Groups share back briefly (1 min each) their chosen marketing strategy and why.

Curriculum links: Cooperative learning and discussion practices linked to ACHASSI118.

3. Defining Target Audience and Messaging (10 minutes)

Explain what a target audience is in simple terms (the specific group of people most interested in the product/service).
Provide examples of tailored messages for different audiences (e.g., for kids vs adults).
Activity: Each group chooses one target audience for their business idea (e.g., children, parents, teachers) and writes a simple promotional message to appeal to that audience.
Use sentence starters such as:
- "Our product is perfect for ____, because ____."
- "You will love it because ____."

Curriculum links: Creating informative and persuasive texts aligned with literacy and communication elements.

4. Developing a Marketing Plan (15 minutes)

Introduce the basic components of a marketing plan:
1. Business Idea (brief reminder)
2. Target Audience
3. Promotional Message
4. Promotional Channels (e.g., posters, social media, word of mouth)
Each group drafts a simple marketing plan on a provided template or worksheet.
Teachers circulate to support groups, prompting thinking about how to reach their audience effectively.

Curriculum links: Planning and organisation skills developing ACHASSI121, and aligning with personal and social capabilities.

5. Group Presentations and Feedback (10 minutes)

Select 3–4 groups to present their marketing plan briefly (2 minutes each).
During presentations, other students note one thing they liked or a question they have, encouraging audience engagement.
Teacher provides positive feedback highlighting good use of marketing concepts.

6. Conclusion and Reflection (5 minutes)

Recap key points: What are marketing strategies? Why does knowing your audience matter? What is a marketing plan?
Quick class discussion: How could you use these skills if you want to start a business one day?
Exit prompt: Write on a sticky note one cool thing they learned about marketing today.

Resources Required

Marketing strategy cards (printed)
Marketing plan worksheets
Whiteboard or projector for visuals/examples
Sticky notes for exit prompt
Space for group work

Differentiation and Classroom Management

For larger groups, assign different roles (recorder, presenter, timekeeper) to engage all students.
Provide sentence starters and examples for EAL/D or lower literacy students.
Use timers to keep activities on track given the class size.
Consider using online collaborative tools for groups with digital access to create parts of their plan if technology available.

Assessment

Informal: Teacher observation during group work and presentations to assess understanding of marketing concepts and group collaboration.
Formal: Review of completed marketing plan worksheets to assess application of marketing strategy, target audience, message, and channels.
Use questioning and exit notes to gauge individual reflection and understanding.

This lesson plan suits a large class effectively through collaborative learning and clear scaffolded steps, aligned with the Australian Curriculum (v9) in Economics and Business for Years 5 and 6. It builds the foundational business skill of marketing in a practical, interactive way appropriate for their age and supports cross-curriculum capabilities and general capabilities in literacy, ICT, and critical thinking.

Please let me know if you need further details or supporting materials tailored for this lesson.