Strategic Marketing

EDUCATIONAL GAMES FOR MARKETING

Strategic Marketing

Expand your students’ marketing toolkit as they build marketing strategies and apply the 4Ps.

Strategic Marketing exposes participants to all aspects of modern marketing. It allows students to develop and execute a complete marketing strategy, adjusting in response to a competitive market. 

Students act as executive teams for new marketing divisions making realistic decisions in the context of a whole enterprise. Each decision round played builds upon knowledge retained from the previous round. Learning content is presented at the exact moments when it is needed for decisions in order to increase retention and get students playing sooner. 

Students learn to interpret market feedback, analyze competitors’ moves, and make quick adjustments to their strategy. Marketplace Microsimulations available at critical points during the exercise cover select business concepts in more depth to ensure that students master the course material. Strategic Marketing is available in two product storylines, 3D-printed bikes or our classic personal computers scenario. *Language available in Bike edition. 

Typical courses

Intermediate to advanced marketing strategy

Educational level / Class size

Small to large classes of third and fourth year undergraduate marketing majors

Decision rounds

8 decision rounds of 1-2 hours

Languages

English*, Spanish, Polish, Lithuanian, Korean*

Experiment with the 4Ps

Market Opportunity Analysis

Run MOA and create a strategy to profitably serve up to 5 segments in the evolving, dynamic market.

Product Design

Analyze broad market data, then create bicycles for the targeted segments from a wide set of components. Invest in R&D to gain a competitive edge.

Pricing

Set prices based on pricing survey data and production costs. Learn to adjust prices to stay competitive.

Advertising

Craft targeted messages from among a broad set of ad claims. Then devise an ad placement strategy across media types and geographic markets.

Internet Marketing

Extend the advertising strategy online. Budget for regional SEO and bid for clicks through paid ad campaigns. Experiment with different social media strategies.

Sales & Distribution

Open stores in up to 12 markets based on market potential and available resources. Hire and train sales staff to develop demand. Utilize brand promotions and sales force incentives.

Profitability

Manage resources based upon ROI, projected sales, and profitability reports.

Marketing Strategy

Master strategic marketing by continuously refining the firm’s strategy in a dynamic and evolving market.

Explore this simulation with a quick demo.

Realistic Experience

Student teams start up new businesses and compete in a simulated market. They are challenged to develop a niche market based on newly available technology.

Your students study industry data and formulate a business strategy. They produce and sell products, gaining experience by testing ideas and learning from the results.

Learning content is gradually and purposefully added as the market evolves. Based on customer feedback, competitor analysis, and financial reports, students manage their strategy in a dynamic, competitive environment.

Balanced Scorecard Metrics

To ensure that students learn to manage all aspects of marketing, a Balanced Scorecard is used to evaluate team performance.

  • Market performance
  • Marketing effectiveness
  • Financial performance
  • Investments in the firm’s future
  • Creation of wealth

Class Size Options

Play Against Classmates

Because students compete against their classmates, all teams advance through the game in sync. The friendly rivalry creates a stimulating and engaging experience.

Smaller classes of third and fourth year undergraduate marketing majors.

Teams of 4-5 students work well. Playing in teams cultivates soft skills such as leadership and communication.

Play Against the Computer

Teams compete against the computer and progress at their own pace, which is great for classes needing low overhead.

Small to large classes of third and fourth year undergraduate marketing majors.

Students can play individually, or teams of 2-4 work well. Playing individually eliminates the need to arrange teams which may be impractical in large classes.

Engaging Storyline

Challenge your students to develop a new, niche market using an advanced 3D printing technology to build carbon fiber bike frames. The new bikes are strong, lightweight, and can be custom tailored for each rider. Bikes can be built to demand, eliminating most of the inventory that would otherwise be held, and reducing distribution costs. The new bikes promise to create a brand new market opportunity. Will your students reshape the bike industry?

Why Choose Marketplace?

Turnkey Solution

Comprehensive tools to setup, monitor, and grade. Student work is self-guided with built-in instruction based upon a sound teaching methodology refined over 30 years.

Easy to Access

Cloud-based, works on any common Internet browser and operating system. Meets the WCAG 2.0 AA accessibility requirements.

Support 7 Days a Week

Our responsive staff provide comprehensive support by phone, email, or web-conferencing to ensure that you and your students get the most out of Marketplace.