Managed word-of-mouth and viral marketing have emerged as one of the biggest trends of the decade. Every brand, big or small, wants its content to go viral. The backbone of successful campaigns is not limited to content or influencers who can make the message go viral. Marketers need to think of value creation at every stage. Jiten Gajaria, the convener of the social media cell of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Maharashtra, implemented a marketing transformation program for his political party while campaigning for the 13th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Election. He gained consumer insights, calibrated market segments, devised communication strategy, recruited and managed human resources, designed campaign implementation process and developed capabilities to execute it. The case details how Gajaria rolled out a successful influencer marketing program to create WOM communication on WhatsApp. It can serve as a classic example of devising a cost-effective customer outreach program where total marketing expense was reduced by about 199%.

Ami Shah who works with social media promotions associated with Bollywood movies was interested in obtaining behavioral insights with a comparison between '`Gulaab Gang" and '`Queen'' (both these movies are based on themes associated with women). '`Gulaab Gang'' was a box office failure while '`Queen'' was a major hit. An attitudinal survey among the viewers of each of these films forms the behavioral input to the case study. Amidst the high visibility campaigns of films in Bollywood, Shah believed that behavioral aspects of movies is something that has not been explored much with respect to branding of films. How can these behavioral inputs on movies enable lessons to be learnt on branding? Can a framework for branding be suggested from the analysis based on the behavioral analysis?

This case traces the inception to rise of Telma, the flagship brand of Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, over its decade of existence. Telma based on the molecular formulation Telmisartan was introduced by Glenmark in 2003 at a time when the most preferred and market-leading molecule for treating hypertension was Ramipril. This case, not only showcases the brand-building programs undertaken by Glenmark through the life of Telma, but also traces the marketing efforts that go into creating a new category that would then go on to become the market leader. The case also introduces students to the evolving regulatory framework that has shaped pharmaceutical marketing practices of generics manufacturers in India since independence.

Ankur Arora Murder Case (AAMC) was billed as the first medical negligence drama coming out of the Hindi movie industry in Mumbai (popularly referred to as Bollywood). Inspired by true events, the film received good critical response even though it was not the routine song-and-dance fare produced by most production houses. The project was beset by certain constraints, both external and intrinsic to the team. The producer of the movie was convinced that he would have a very good product once the hurdles created by legalities and other marketing-related issues were sorted out. His team had created a comprehensive marketing communications plan for the release of the movie to exploit the emotions evoked by such a sensitive subject. The box-office failure of the movie made the producer consider whether his strategy of arranging the finances of a project would work well or whether he should attempt to manage all future projects in their entirety, including production and marketing.

Ankur Arora Murder Case (AAMC) was billed as the first medical negligence drama coming out of the Hindi movie industry in Mumbai (popularly referred to as Bollywood). Inspired by true events, the film received good critical response even though it was not the routine song-and-dance fare produced by most production houses. The project was beset by certain constraints, both external and intrinsic to the team. The producer of the movie was convinced that he would have a very good product once the hurdles created by legalities and other marketing-related issues were sorted out. His team had created a comprehensive marketing communications plan for the release of the movie to exploit the emotions evoked by such a sensitive subject. The box-office failure of the movie made the producer consider whether his strategy of arranging the finances of a project would work well or whether he should attempt to manage all future projects in their entirety, including production and marketing.