In 2015, AXE, one of Unilever's largest and most well-known personal care brands, was experiencing challenges in growing sales across its full product portfolio. Historically, AXE's unique activations and campaigns had been successful in generating high brand awareness and, ultimately, driving sales in Canada. However, sales growth had slowed over the past three years, and the AXE team wondered whether the brand's current messaging still resonated with consumers. The previous year, Unilever's global consumer insights team had conducted significant research to better understand the AXE consumer. The company now needed to prepare and present a client brief to AXE's advertising agency in preparation for a major 2016 campaign.

In 2015, AXE, one of Unilever’s largest and most well-known personal care brands, was experiencing challenges in growing sales across its full product portfolio. Historically, AXE’s unique activations and campaigns had been successful in generating high brand awareness and, ultimately, driving sales in Canada. However, sales growth had slowed over the past three years, and the AXE team wondered whether the brand’s current messaging still resonated with consumers. The previous year, Unilever’s global consumer insights team had conducted significant research to better understand the AXE consumer. The company now needed to prepare and present a client brief to AXE’s advertising agency in preparation for a major 2016 campaign.

In April 2016, Canopy Growth Corporation, one of Canada’s top producers of medical cannabis, was planning a strategy for its future. The government of Canada had just announced its plans to introduce a bill to legalize recreational cannabis use in 2017, followed by a rollout of the policy in early 2018. The company’s chief executive officer needed to plan a strategy that addressed three main issues: product messaging for recreational cannabis, establishing a retail footprint in recreational cannabis, and building an international business.

In April 2016, Canopy Growth Corporation, one of Canada's top producers of medical cannabis, was planning a strategy for its future. The government of Canada had just announced its plans to introduce a bill to legalize recreational cannabis use in 2017, followed by a rollout of the policy in early 2018. The company's chief executive officer needed to plan a strategy that addressed three main issues: product messaging for recreational cannabis, establishing a retail footprint in recreational cannabis, and building an international business.

In 2014, Kraft Foods Canada was working on an action plan for Kraft Singles, the company’s brand of processed cheese slices. Although the product had been targeted at Canadian families for decades, Kraft Singles needed to be repositioned toward Canadian millennial moms (those born between 1980 and 2000). The company faced three dilemmas. How should Kraft Canada make the brand messaging of Kraft Singles compelling to Canadian millennial moms? What product innovations should coincide with the new messaging? How should Kraft Canada ensure that it would not alienate its traditional customer group?

In 2014, Kraft Foods Canada was working on an action plan for Kraft Singles, the company's brand of processed cheese slices. Although the product had been targeted at Canadian families for decades, Kraft Singles needed to be repositioned toward Canadian millennial moms (those born between 1980 and 2000). The company faced three dilemmas. How should Kraft Canada make the brand messaging of Kraft Singles compelling to Canadian millennial moms? What product innovations should coincide with the new messaging? How should Kraft Canada ensure that it would not alienate its traditional customer group?

More than a decade after its launch, DonorsChoose.org is a successful, well-known and well-regarded charitable organization that supports U.S. public schools. Yet in the years since the organization’s inception, the charity environment has changed, leading the organization’s chief marketing officer to investigate how to further clarify the brand in a shifting space. The case centres on findings delivered by a branding agency regarding a possible change to the organization’s tagline. Faced with a lengthy report on the branding agency’s findings, the chief marketing officer needs to decide on the organization’s next steps.

More than a decade after its launch, DonorsChoose.org is a successful, well-known and well-regarded charitable organization that supports U.S. public schools. Yet in the years since the organization's inception, the charity environment has changed, leading the organization's chief marketing officer to investigate how to further clarify the brand in a shifting space. The case centres on findings delivered by a branding agency regarding a possible change to the organization's tagline. Faced with a lengthy report on the branding agency's findings, the chief marketing officer needs to decide on the organization's next steps.

NJOY, Inc., an electronic-cigarettes enterprise based in Phoenix, Arizona, conducted some Experiential Concept Tests (ETCs) on a sample size of 215 panelists. The sample included a mix of gender, age, education and income. It also included a mix of users and non-users of electronic cigarettes. In light of the consumer insights gained from the ETCs, NJOY Inc. wants to leverage the results to resolve three particular issues and pave the company’s way forward: How should NJOY sharpen its differentiation from big tobacco? What further innovations would be necessary in the core product? How should NJOY position its flagship product for long-term success?

NJOY, Inc., an electronic-cigarettes enterprise based in Phoenix, Arizona, conducted some Experiential Concept Tests (ETCs) on a sample size of 215 panelists. The sample included a mix of gender, age, education and income. It also included a mix of users and non-users of electronic cigarettes. In light of the consumer insights gained from the ETCs, NJOY Inc. wants to leverage the results to resolve three particular issues and pave the company's way forward: How should NJOY sharpen its differentiation from "big tobacco?" What further innovations would be necessary in the core product? How should NJOY position its flagship product for long-term success?

The Holy Grail of modern online marketing is video content that "goes viral,"meaning that it captures an enormous number of views and leads audiences to share, comment or click that they "like"a video. Various experts have ventured theories about what kind of content makes for a hit. The advice varies widely and is even contradictory. Depending on the expert, success is thought more likely if a video is humorous, shocking, dramatic, topical, warm, arousing, angry, scary, socially beneficial, cute, violent, sexy, uplifting, intriguing, quirky, interesting, authoritative, tear-jerking, educational, controversial or baby- and animal-filled. One of the reasons for the various views is that researchers have often looked at only popular videos and did not compare the popular clips with the content almost no one saw. To see if they could clarify some of the contradictions, the authors examined a mix of popular and unpopular videos, then systematically coded and empirically tested the effect of each element on some relatively objective and observational measures of viewer engagement. The authors assigned a team of research assistants to watch 750 videos and to independently score each on a range of attributes. Did the video feature babies, attempt to be funny or use sexually suggestive content? How would watching the video make the typical viewer feel? They collected information on dozens of different video elements and correlated these with three measures of engagement: the number of times people left comments on the video, the overall "liking"index for each video (calculated by subtracting the number of "dislikes"from "likes") and the number of views. The authors' key finding? Emotionally surprising videos generated liking and views more than any kind of specific content element they studied. The authors also looked at novel and incongruous content and found that both were associated with feelings of surprise, which increased views and liking.

3M Canada has been a corporate sponsor of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (CBCF) since 2005. In support of the CBCF, 3M Canada has produced and sold pink products (i.e. products that bear the pink ribbon, such as Post-it notes, flag pens, Nexcare bandages and Scotch-Brite sponges), with a contribution of each sale benefiting the CBCF. This case examines this corporate sponsorship relationship, and specifically how 3M Canada’s brand manager for Post-it brand office products can further engage the relationship with the CBCF. The brand manager’s marketing campaign for 2009 was successful; however, she now needs to determine the best approach for her 2010 campaign.

The case explores the use and importance of corporate sponsorships — in this case, how these relationships are formed with the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. The associate director of National Corporate Programs at the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation needs to determine the Foundation’s direction regarding its corporate sponsorship program. Due to the slowdown in the economic environment, a major sponsor of the Foundation, who has contributed more than $1 million to the charity over the past five years, has decided to pull two products from the shelf. The associate director needs to find a way to replace that support. Fortunately, the Foundation has been approached by three corporations who are interested in becoming corporate sponsors. The associate director and her team now need to evaluate the three corporate sponsorship proposals to determine whether they fit with the Foundation’s values and goals.

The case explores the use and importance of corporate sponsorships, specifically how these relationships are formed with the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. The associate director of National Corporate Programs at the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (the Foundation) needs to determine the Foundation's direction regarding its corporate sponsorship program. Due to the slowdown in the economic environment, a major sponsor of the Foundation, who has contributed more than $1 million to the charity over the past five years, decided to pull two products from the shelf. The associate director needs to find a way to replace that support. Fortunately, the Foundation was approached by three corporations who were interested in becoming corporate sponsors. The associate director and her team now need to evaluate the three corporate sponsorship proposals to determine whether they fit with the Foundation's values and goals.

3M Canada (3M) has been a corporate sponsor of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (CBCF, or the Foundation) since 2005. In support of the CBCF, 3M has produced and sold "pink products" (products that bear the pink ribbon, such as Post-it-Notes and flag pens, Nexcare bandages, and Scotch-Brite sponges), with a contribution of each sale benefiting the CBCF. This case examines the corporate sponsorship relationship, specifically how 3M's brand manager for Post-it brand office products can further activate the relationship with CBCF. The brand manager's marketing campaign for 2009 was successful; however, she now needs to determine the best approach for her 2010 campaign.

The Canadian Pillsbury ready-baked goods cookie line is experiencing disappointing performance, and the marketing manager at General Mills Canada Corporation is under pressure to make strategic decisions that will help turn around the segment. The marketing manager has engaged the help of the consumer insight team to conduct market research studies that will shed light on consumers and their attitudes, behaviours, and preferences towards the product. The results from the market research studies have arrived, and the students, assuming the role of the marketing manager, must filter through them to determine how this information can be used to improve the performance of the cookie segment. More specifically, students will need to determine where the greatest opportunities lie, who the team should target, what brand messaging is the most relevant, and what type of communication plan would be most effective.

The Canadian Pillsbury ready baked goods cookie line is experiencing less than stellar performance, and the marketing manager is under pressure to make strategic decisions that will help turn around the segment. The marketing manager engages the help of the consumer insight team to conduct market research studies that will shed light on consumers and their attitudes, behaviours and preferences towards the product. The results from the market research studies are in, and the students, assuming the role of the marketing manager, must filter through them to determine how this information can be used to improve the performance of the cookie segment. More specifically, students will need to determine where the greatest opportunities lie, who the team should target, what brand messaging is the most relevant and what type of communication plan would be most effective.

This is a supplement to Matchstick Inc. (A), product 9B10A019. The cases introduces students to how brands are starting to put in place non-traditional advertising, such as word-of-mouth campaigns. The founder of Toronto-based Matchstick Inc. is working on a campaign for the Ketel One vodka brand. Ketel One, managed by Diageo, a global beverage firm, is trying to increase its awareness and sales in the Canadian market. Ketel One's brand manager has turned to Matchstick to generate awareness among its elusive target audience.

Matchstick Inc. (A) case introduces students to how brands are starting to put in place non-traditional advertising, such as word-of-mouth campaigns. The founder of Toronto-based Matchstick Inc. is working on a campaign for the Ketel One vodka brand. Ketel One, managed by Diageo, a global beverage firm, is trying to increase its awareness and sales in the Canadian market. Ketel One's brand manager has turned to Matchstick to generate awareness among its elusive target audience.

This is a supplement to Matchstick Inc. (A), product 910A19. The cases introduces students to how brands are starting to put in place non-traditional advertising, such as word-of-mouth campaigns. The founder of Toronto-based Matchstick Inc. is working on a campaign for the Ketel One vodka brand. Ketel One, managed by Diageo, a global beverage firm, is trying to increase its awareness and sales in the Canadian market. Ketel One's brand manager has turned to Matchstick to generate awareness among its elusive target audience.