Marketing
Market Planning
Worth 4 of 100 questions at area level, 4 at state and 5 at ICDC.
From the knowledge base
Source passages for this area.
MARKETING CLUSTER
Cluster Exam §26 · pages 27–29
26. MARKETING CLUSTER This will probably be your site's biggest audience. Marketing should be understood as: The process of identifying, anticipating, creating, communicating, delivering and exchanging value for customers. It is far broader than advertising . DECA's Marketing pathways include: Marketing Communications, Marketing Management, Marketing Research, Merchandising and Professional Selling. 27. 2026–27 MARKETING EXAM BLUEPRINT Area District Associatio n ICDC Business Law 2 2 1 Channel Management 5 6 7 Communications 5 4 3 Customer Relations 2 2 1 Economics 6 5 4 Emotional Intelligence 9 8 6 Entrepreneurship 1 0 0 Financial Analysis 6 5 4 HR Management 1 0 0 Information Management 5 4 3 Marketing 1 1 1 Marketing-Information Management 11 14 16 Market Planning 4 4 5 Operations 6 5 4 Pricing 3 4 4 Product/Service Management 11 13 15 Professional Development 6 5 5 Promotion 9 11 13 Selling 6 7 8 Strategic Management 1 0 0 This demonstrates another major product opportunity. A typical student thinks a Marketing test mostly asks: advertising, branding and the 4 Ps. But advanced DECA Marketing heavily emphasizes: Marketing-Information Management Product/Service Management Promotion Selling Channel Management So a PrepSAT-style system should show students that distribution clearly.
MARKETING EVENTS DECA's current
Cluster Exam §35 · pages 36–37
35. MARKETING EVENTS DECA's current Marketing event set includes the following. Event Code Focus Principles of Marketing PMK Entry-level marketing concepts; BAC exam Apparel & Accessories Marketing Series AAM Clothing/fashion retail, wholesale and manufacturing marketing Automotive Services Marketing Series ASM Marketing products/services related to automotive service Business Services Marketing Series BSM Marketing business and consumer services Food Marketing Series FMS Food retail/wholesale/manufacturing marketing Marketing Communications Series MCS Advertising, promotion and messages designed to inform/persuade/remind Retail Merchandising Series RMS Marketing and management in retail establishments Sports & Entertainment Marketing Series SEM Sports, entertainment, recreation and leisure marketing Buying & Merchandising TDM BTDM Forecasting, buying, displaying, selling and merchandising Marketing Management TDM MTDM Broad marketing-management cases outside specialized retail areas Sports & Entertainment Marketing TDM STDM Team sports/entertainment marketing cases Professional Selling PSE Individual professional sales presentation Integrated Marketing Campaign—Event IMCE Campaign for an event Integrated Marketing Campaign—Product IMCP Campaign for a product Integrated Marketing Campaign—Service IMCS Campaign for a service Buying & Merchandising Operations Research BMOR Research + strategic plan for merchandising business Sports & Entertainment Marketing Operations Research SEOR Research + strategic plan for sports/entertainment business VBC Fashion VBCFA Fashion business simulation VBC Retail VBCRT Retail business simulation VBC Sports VBCSP Sports business simulation AAM specifically involves clothing and accessories merchandising/marketing. FMS applies marketing and management concepts to businesses resulting in the sale of food. MCS centers on communications that inform, persuade or remind target markets. RMS covers general retail marketing/management. SEM covers sports, entertainment, leisure and recreational products/services. BTDM focuses on forecasting, planning, buying, displaying, selling and customer service involved in moving merchandise to customers.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP CLUSTER
Cluster Exam §17 · pages 16–17
17. ENTREPRENEURSHIP CLUSTER Entrepreneurship should be modeled differently from management. Management asks: "How do we operate an organization effectively?" Entrepreneurship asks: "How do we recognize an opportunity, create value, build a viable organization and grow it under uncertainty?" DECA describes Entrepreneurship Series competitors as recognizing opportunities, determining needs, identifying markets, using marketing research, identifying capital sources and applying management skills. 2026–27 Entrepreneurship blueprint Area District Associatio n ICDC Business Law 4 4 3 Channel Management 3 3 3 Communications 1 0 1 Customer Relations 1 1 1 Economics 3 3 2 Emotional Intelligence 6 6 4 Entrepreneurship 14 13 14 Financial Analysis 10 9 11 HR Management 5 4 4 Information Management 4 3 2 Marketing 1 1 1 Marketing-Information Management 2 3 2 Market Planning 5 6 6 Operations 13 13 14 Pricing 2 3 2 Product/Service Management 4 4 4 Professional Development 5 5 4 Promotion 6 7 8 Quality Management 1 1 1 Risk Management 2 3 4 Selling 1 1 1 Strategic Management 7 7 8 Entrepreneurship is unusually broad. Students need meaningful knowledge of: entrepreneurship + finance + operations + strategy + marketing.
HOSPITALITY & TOURISM
Cluster Exam §23 · pages 23–25
23. HOSPITALITY & TOURISM Hospitality should not simply be treated as "marketing for hotels." It has an extremely strong: customer experience + operations + service + information + selling orientation. DECA's career pathways are: Event Management, Lodging, Restaurant Management and Travel & Tourism. 2026–27 Hospitality blueprint Area District Associatio n ICDC Business Law 3 3 2 Communications 5 4 3 Customer Relations 8 9 9 Economics 6 6 5 Emotional Intelligence 9 9 7 Entrepreneurship 1 0 0 Financial Analysis 8 7 7 HR Management 2 1 1 Information Management 14 15 16 Knowledge Management 0 1 1 Marketing 1 1 2 Market Planning 1 1 2 Operations 13 13 13 Pricing 1 1 1 Product/Service Management 6 7 9 Professional Development 8 7 6 Promotion 2 3 3 Quality Management 1 1 1 Risk Management 1 1 2 Selling 7 8 9 Strategic Management 3 2 2 Notice how different this is from Marketing. The largest advanced Hospitality domains are: Information Management Operations Customer Relations Product/Service Management Selling That should shape the entire learning experience.
Competition-readiness dashboard
Integrated Marketing Campaign §121 · pages 245–246
121. Competition-readiness dashboard For IMC, I would build something like: IMCP Competition Readiness Marketing Exam: 78% Campaign Strategy: 91% Pitch Deck: 86% Presentation: 81% Q&A: 69% Compliance: 100% Highest priority: Q&A defense Next: Marketing-Information Management exam content Then: Budget justification Current project risk: Campaign has excellent creative execution but only moderate evidence linking the target market to channel selection. Now study planning becomes obvious.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP-SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE
Cluster Exam §18 · pages 17–18
18. ENTREPRENEURSHIP-SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE Teach the AI: Opportunity recognition, problem identification, customer pain points, value propositions, feasibility, market validation, business models, lean startup principles, minimum viable products, customer discovery, target markets and competitive positioning. Ownership structures Sole proprietorship. Partnership. Corporation. S corporation. Limited liability company. Franchise. Each should be understood in terms of: liability, ownership, taxation, control, continuity and access to capital. Startup financing Bootstrapping, personal savings, friends/family, bank loans, SBA lending, angel investment, venture capital, crowdfunding, grants, retained earnings, trade credit. Students should understand: Debt = repayment obligation but normally no ownership dilution. Equity = ownership dilution but generally no required repayment. Business planning Market problem → solution → target market → competitive advantage → revenue model → marketing → operations → management → financial projections → risk. Growth Market penetration, market development, product development, diversification, franchising, licensing, geographic expansion, partnerships, acquisitions and digital expansion. Entrepreneurial finance Startup costs, working capital, cash burn, runway, contribution margin, break-even, forecasts, profitability and financing requirements.