PRACTICE Marketing, the McGraw-Hill game on launching a product
PRACTICE Marketing is a 3D, turn-based strategy game in which students launch a backpack into a competitive market. McGraw-Hill's page offers it in November 2026 through Connect at participating institutions, with a demo.
Updated
What PRACTICE Marketing is
PRACTICE Marketing is a 3D, turn-based business strategy game made for college marketing courses. It began as Marketing 101: The Principles of Marketing, developed by Muzzy Lane, which won the business category of the 2010 Serious Games Showcase & Challenge. McGraw-Hill then rebranded the game as PRACTICE Marketing, and it was developed for McGraw-Hill Higher Education UK.
The player manages a company's entry into the backpack market. Market research narrows the field to five potential segments, and the player picks the most promising as a target. A backpack builder then designs a pack for that segment's needs. Next come a competitive price, distribution agreements with retail channels, and choices about how the bag is marketed and advertised.
At the end of each turn the player reviews and submits the marketing decisions, then sees quarterly or yearly profit and loss data, market trends and positioning, competitor data and customer feedback. When the game was rebranded, its description listed seven principles that players experience: image, differentiation, repeat business, ease of doing business, networking, likability and emotion.
What is true today
The game is still offered, though not at its old address. mhpractice.com no longer loads in November 2026, and the McGraw-Hill UK address now forwards to the mheducation.co.uk site. McGraw-Hill Canada has a Practice Marketing page that calls the game a 3D, multiplayer business strategy game designed for McGraw-Hill's digital learning products.
That page frames the game around the "4 Ps" of marketing and says students use it to launch a backpack product of their own design. It states that the game is available to students taking marketing courses at participating institutions, accessed through McGraw-Hill Connect. A "Play the Demo" button is there, along with a link for contacting a representative about access. The page lists no price.
Where the game fits
The decisions the game asks for follow the order of a marketing plan: choose a segment, design the product, set a price, arrange distribution and decide on promotion. Each turn closes with a report that lets a student compare results with competitors and with customer feedback, so a weak choice in one step shows up in the numbers of the next quarter.
The contest that honored Marketing 101 still runs, and its 2010 results are listed in the awards section of this site.
PRACTICE Marketing at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | 3D, turn-based, multiplayer business strategy game |
| Subject | Marketing strategy, with a backpack product |
| Earlier title | Marketing 101: The Principles of Marketing |
| Developer of the earlier title | Muzzy Lane |
| Access | Through McGraw-Hill Connect at participating institutions; demo on the product page |
Source: McGraw-Hill Canada's Practice Marketing page, read in November 2026.
Questions about PRACTICE Marketing
Is PRACTICE Marketing still available?
Yes, through McGraw-Hill. Its Canadian product page offers a demo and says students at participating institutions reach the game through McGraw-Hill Connect.
What was PRACTICE Marketing called before?
Marketing 101: The Principles of Marketing. Muzzy Lane developed it, and it won the business category of the 2010 Serious Games Showcase & Challenge.
What does a player do in PRACTICE Marketing?
The player picks a target segment in the backpack market, designs and prices a backpack, arranges distribution and advertising, and reviews profit and loss figures after each turn.