Archetype library

Every student is dealt one of these 20 businesses. Each carries fixed DNA — supply chain pattern, asset structure, natural customer affinities, and exposure to five kinds of macro shocks — that shapes the marketing decisions they make over 19 chapters.

Traditional

(5)

Family Hardware Store

A two-location independent hardware chain serving a regional market for 40 years.

Tariff

0.4

Recession

1.5

Cultural

0.3

Regulation

0.5

Disruption

1.2

Teaches: Ch 9 — competing with a category killer (big-box)

Regional Craft Brewery

A 12-year-old brewery with strong local distribution and a taproom.

Tariff

0.3

Recession

1.1

Cultural

1.0

Regulation

1.7

Disruption

1.0

Teaches: Ch 14 — pricing against value vs. premium peers

Premium Pet Food Brand

A 25-year-old brand sold through specialty pet retailers and grocery.

Tariff

0.6

Recession

0.5

Cultural

0.9

Regulation

1.0

Disruption

0.8

Teaches: Ch 12 — defending brand equity against private label

Regional Department Store Chain

A 60-year-old mid-market department store with 18 mall-anchor locations.

Tariff

1.1

Recession

1.7

Cultural

1.6

Regulation

0.7

Disruption

1.1

Teaches: Ch 11 — product life cycle decline, modify-or-harvest

Independent Restaurant Group

Three full-service casual-dining locations in one metro area.

Tariff

0.7

Recession

1.6

Cultural

0.9

Regulation

1.1

Disruption

1.5

Teaches: Ch 13 — services marketing, service quality, recovery

Mid-era

(9)

Cold-Brew Coffee Startup

A 4-year-old DTC + retail cold-brew brand with a sustainability story.

Tariff

0.6

Recession

1.1

Cultural

0.6

Regulation

0.7

Disruption

0.8

Teaches: Ch 10 — STP positioning against incumbents

DTC Mattress Brand

A "bed-in-a-box" brand selling direct online with a 100-night trial.

Tariff

1.0

Recession

1.2

Cultural

0.5

Regulation

0.8

Disruption

0.9

Teaches: Ch 15 — channel choice (own-DTC vs. retail expansion)

Subscription Meal Kit

Weekly meal-kit subscription with perishable supply chain and 22% monthly churn.

Tariff

0.8

Recession

1.6

Cultural

0.9

Regulation

0.7

Disruption

1.6

Teaches: Ch 18 — CX, retention, lifetime value

Plant-Based Meat Company

Retail-shelf plant-based protein, fighting for grocery facings.

Tariff

0.9

Recession

1.3

Cultural

0.4

Regulation

1.0

Disruption

1.2

Teaches: Ch 12 — brand building in a category with skepticism

Athletic Apparel Brand

Performance + lifestyle apparel brand, primarily sold through wholesale.

Tariff

1.8

Recession

1.2

Cultural

0.8

Regulation

0.6

Disruption

1.1

Teaches: Ch 16 — IMC across performance + lifestyle messaging

Outdoor Gear Brand

Tents, packs, and outerwear sold via specialty retail + DTC.

Tariff

1.7

Recession

1.1

Cultural

0.5

Regulation

0.8

Disruption

1.0

Teaches: Ch 12 — brand authenticity and storytelling

Clean Skincare Brand

A 3-year-old "clean beauty" brand with influencer-led marketing.

Tariff

0.8

Recession

1.0

Cultural

0.5

Regulation

1.0

Disruption

0.9

Teaches: Ch 17 — influencer + content marketing

Children's Educational Toy Company

STEM-focused toys for ages 5-12, sold through Amazon, Target, and specialty.

Tariff

1.7

Recession

1.2

Cultural

0.9

Regulation

1.7

Disruption

1.2

Teaches: Ch 5 — consumer behavior (parents buying for kids)

Vintage Clothing Marketplace

Two-sided marketplace connecting individual sellers with Gen Z buyers.

Tariff

0.3

Recession

0.7

Cultural

0.3

Regulation

1.0

Disruption

0.6

Teaches: Ch 15 — platform business / two-sided market dynamics

Modern

(4)

Online Tutoring Platform

On-demand 1-on-1 tutoring for K-12 and college students, subscription model.

Tariff

0.2

Recession

0.6

Cultural

0.7

Regulation

1.0

Disruption

0.4

Teaches: Ch 13 — services marketing in digital delivery

B2B HR SaaS

Mid-market HRIS + payroll SaaS, 200 customers, $40k average ACV.

Tariff

0.2

Recession

1.6

Cultural

0.8

Regulation

1.1

Disruption

0.4

Teaches: Ch 6 — B2B marketing, longer cycles, account-based

Smart Home Device Maker

Connected security camera + sensors with a subscription cloud service.

Tariff

1.7

Recession

1.1

Cultural

1.4

Regulation

1.2

Disruption

1.4

Teaches: Ch 17 — digital trust, privacy as positioning

Telehealth Platform

On-demand virtual doctor visits, partnered with major insurers.

Tariff

0.2

Recession

0.7

Cultural

1.0

Regulation

1.8

Disruption

0.5

Teaches: Ch 2 — ethics & compliance in marketing

Disruptor

(2)

Personalized DNA-Based Nutrition

Mail-in DNA test that produces a custom monthly supplement subscription.

Tariff

0.7

Recession

1.3

Cultural

1.2

Regulation

1.9

Disruption

1.1

Teaches: Ch 19 — AI/future of marketing, data ethics

AI Personal Stylist Service

Subscription AI agent that picks outfits, places orders, and handles returns.

Tariff

0.4

Recession

1.2

Cultural

0.6

Regulation

1.3

Disruption

1.0

Teaches: Ch 19 — AI tooling as both product and channel

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