Stella Artois, an AB InBev brand, is the world's best-selling Belgian beer. In early 2017, Ricardo Tadeu, AB InBev Zone President for Africa, is planning the brand's entry into its next export market: South Africa. The case explores Stella's introduction strategies into three of its export markets---the UK (1976), the US (2000), and Mexico (2016)---examining the drivers of the brand's success as well as its failures. Students will analyze the brand's previous launches to determine what made it successful in some markets and not in others. They will apply these learnings to develop a strategy for the brand's introduction to the South African market. Beyond the central discussion of growth through international expansion, the case addresses issues of brand positioning for premium products, changing consumer perceptions, the use of cause marketing, category development and maturity, and competitive strategy.
Dr. Juan Caicedo was educated in general medicine and surgery at Universidad Nacional de Colombia and practiced transplant medicine in Bogota. He determined that he would need to go to the United States to advance his training, and ultimately was awarded a fellowship in transplant surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. During his three years as a fellow, Caicedo was struck by the number of Hispanic patients on the kidney transplant waiting list. Not only were Hispanics the highest growth group on the transplant waiting list, they also waited longer for transplants and died while waiting at higher rates than non-Hispanic whites or African-Americans. Caicedo also was alarmed by Hispanic patients' lower utilization of living donors for transplantation-they were underrepresented not only as live donor transplant patients, but also as donors. As he neared the end of his fellowship in 2006, Caicedo wondered if the Hispanic population encountered unique barriers to transplantation and living donor usage, and began to think about creating a program to address these barriers.
In 2008, Shaheen Mistri, founder of the nonprofit Teach For India (TFI), was grappling with applying and adapting the business and recruitment models of the successful U.S.-based Teach For America and UK-based Teach First to meet the challenges of the education sector in India. The case provides a review of the U.S.- and UK-based models, as well as an analysis of the factors that drove their growth in their respective markets. However, the adaptation of these models to create one that could succeed in the Indian context was not straightforward. The case describes a number of ways the challenges in India differ from those in the United States and United Kingdom-namely, the size and magnitude of educational inequity, the motivations of undergraduate students as potential teacher-volunteers, the part that parents play in making career decisions for their children, and the attitudes of school officials. Students reading the case will discuss the roles of various constituencies involved in these models. After identifying how crucial constituencies are served by the U.S. and UK models, the students will then brainstorm concrete ways that these models could be adjusted for India so Mistri could successfully recruit her program's first cohort of TFI fellows.
The case tells the story of Synthroid from its development in 1958 as the first synthetic thyroxine molecule to its competition against generic equivalents in 2004. The case introduces students to the pharmaceutical industry, its practices, and some of the complexities of pricing and drug choice, with drug manufacturers, insurance companies, physicians, pharmacists, and patients all playing a role. It also provides a primer on hypothyroidism, its symptoms, and its treatment. Because Synthroid was developed and introduced before FDA regulations and drug standards of identity were fully established, it was difficult for competitors to get their drugs certified as identical to Synthroid. Through a series of efforts with physicians, especially endocrinologists, Synthroid's owners were able to maintain the perception for forty-six years that Synthroid was uniquely effective. In 2004, however, the FDA declared several competitive products to be bioequivalent to Synthroid, which posed a significant challenge to its owner, Abbott Laboratories. Students are challenged to consider options to maintain the drug's unit volume, revenue, and/or profit in these difficult circumstances. The case is written in two parts. The (A) case provides background on the history of the drug, the pharmaceutical industry and its marketing practices, and hypothyroidism and its treatment, and it concludes in 2004 as Abbott's marketers face the impending challenge of defending the Synthroid business against generic competition. The (B) case describes what Abbott actually did to maintain its share in the United States and outlines its strategy in India, a market without patent protection for pharmaceuticals.
The case tells the story of Synthroid from its development in 1958 as the first synthetic thyroxine molecule to its competition against generic equivalents in 2004. The case introduces students to the pharmaceutical industry, its practices, and some of the complexities of pricing and drug choice, with drug manufacturers, insurance companies, physicians, pharmacists, and patients all playing a role. It also provides a primer on hypothyroidism, its symptoms, and its treatment. Because Synthroid was developed and introduced before FDA regulations and drug standards of identity were fully established, it was difficult for competitors to get their drugs certified as identical to Synthroid. Through a series of efforts with physicians, especially endocrinologists, Synthroid's owners were able to maintain the perception for forty-six years that Synthroid was uniquely effective. In 2004, however, the FDA declared several competitive products to be bioequivalent to Synthroid, which posed a significant challenge to its owner, Abbott Laboratories. Students are challenged to consider options to maintain the drug's unit volume, revenue, and/or profit in these difficult circumstances. The case is written in two parts. The (A) case provides background on the history of the drug, the pharmaceutical industry and its marketing practices, and hypothyroidism and its treatment, and it concludes in 2004 as Abbott's marketers face the impending challenge of defending the Synthroid business against generic competition. The (B) case describes what Abbott actually did to maintain its share in the United States and outlines its strategy in India, a market without patent protection for pharmaceuticals.
This technical note discusses learnings from organizations facing the challenges of managing brands across global geography. It talks about best practices for balancing the competing needs for local relevance and global consistency and scales.
This technical note provides an update on the use of customer data in marketing organizations and discusses how calculations of customer acquisition costs are made. It introduces the concept of customer lifetime value and provides examples of how it is calculated and how it is used. If desired, this reading is good preparation for students completing the Kellogg exercise "Maru Batting Center: Customer Lifetime Value," Case #3-112-003.
This exercise is one in a series intended to help students learn how to perform financial calculations in marketing contexts. Carolina Araujo had recently taken control of her family's business, Pepita Disco PPM, Uruguay's second-largest producer of beef-based dog food, treats, and toys. While she respected the company's nearly eighty-year history, Carolina felt that Pepita Disco had grown complacent with its market share and was basically preserving the status quo. Her plan was to re-energize the employee base and grow Pepita Disco's business faster than the overall market. This exercise poses a fictional problem about a company's efforts to predict the impacts of price, product cost, and spending moves on profitability.
This exercise is one in a series intended to help students learn how to perform financial calculations in marketing contexts. Helmut Schmidt, product manager for Hohner Musikinstrumente GmbH & Co. KG, the world's foremost manufacturer of harmonicas, accordions, melodicas, and ukuleles, was sitting at his desk reviewing his first assignment from the company's senior executive team. Schmidt had been asked to calculate the break-even point for the company's flagship product, the Marine Band harmonica, under a number of different scenarios.
This exercise is one in a series intended to help students learn how to perform financial calculations in marketing contexts. Maru Keitou, a decorated former collegiate softball player with a PhD from Oxford University, ran Maru Batting Center in the Roppongi district of Tokyo's Minato ward. She had a deep knowledge of the game and of her customers, but she lacked a marketing background. She had recently signed up for a hosted customer relationship management service that would allow her to track the cost of acquiring and serving each of her four main customer segments. Using this data, she could determine which segments to target in the upcoming year. The exercise describes the use of calculations of customer acquisition cost, retention rates, and customer lifetime value in picking between market segments and various options for activities to acquire customers.
This exercise is one in a series intended to help students learn how to perform financial calculations in marketing contexts. Kookaburra, a maker of cricket equipment popular in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, South Africa, and India, was considering two strategies for positioning a new cricket bat in India. Both strategies would cannibalize current sales, and Lulu Popplewell, category manager responsible for the Indian market, needed to calculate the financial impact of both to determine which one she would recommend. This exercise poses a fictional problem about branding strategy on a new product, and asks students to consider the financial impact of different branding strategies and cannibalization rates.
The case examines a competitive situation in the market for Scotch whisky in Thailand. Two multinationals fight for market share with a complex portfolio of products under the Chivas Regal, Johnnie Walker, and Ballantine brand names. Students must understand a broad array of branding, consumer behavior, pricing, and regulatory issues in order to arrive at recommendations for Chivas Regal to defend against recent gains of Johnnie Walker. The case can be taught with a focus on the Chivas Regal 12 Year product and recommendations for its growth, but also can be taught as a broader portfolio case, with students aligning a portfolio of Chivas and Ballantine products at different quality levels to maximize sales and profit.
The Biaxin case deals with competition in the mature market for antibiotics designed for use in the treatment of bacterial respiratory infections. The case tells the story of how Pfizer's Zithromax stole the share dominance of an established brand, Abbott's Biaxin. The case deals with the importance in pharma markets of consumer (patient) and channel (physician and insurance payer) insight as well as pharmacological efficacy data.
The Biaxin case deals with competition in the mature market for antibiotics designed for use in the treatment of bacterial respiratory infections. The case tells the story of how Pfizer's Zithromax stole the share dominance of an established brand, Abbott's Biaxin. The case deals with the importance in pharma markets of consumer (patient) and channel (physician and insurance payer) insight as well as pharmacological efficacy data.
Addresses a new product launch into the emerging interactive television industry and the role of market research in shaping the strategic marketing plan. Illustrates the challenges of measuring and understanding probable consumer response and adoption behaviors given a technically innovative product offering. The competitive environment is dynamic, with competitors also poised to launch. But this company hopes to retain its first-mover advantage, which also gives it the burden of educating the right consumers quickly and driving rapid adoption.
Maybelline is the world's leading mass cosmetic company. It enjoys tremendous success and a commanding market share, particularly in the eye makeup category. But Maybelline also acknowledges a weakness in the strategic face segment, most notably in the profitable foundations product lines. Approaches the challenge of successfully growing this important category by looking at every aspect necessary to make this move, including: consumer marketing strategy, consumer behavior and purchasing patterns, demographic analysis, segmentation and targeting, product management, distribution channels, pricing, advertising, and understanding the competitive environment.
Focuses on Apple Computer's launch of iTunes and iPod as a way to give Wintel users a relationship with Apple. Deals with issues of brand equity, corporate and brand goal setting, target selection, and matching product and service characteristics with goals and targets. Also allows for a discussion of channel partners, their interests, and their impact on the likely success or failure of a strategy.
Align Inc. is a start-up company with a revolutionary, patent-protected new technology for straightening teeth called Invisalign. Invisalign is a set of invisible plastic aligners made to each patient's specific needs that substitute for metal or ceramic braces in adults (it is not sold for children's orthodontic needs). The company has created tremendous consumer awareness and affect for its product, yet sales results are dismal. Requires the reader to analyze the reasons for such poor sales and what to do to remedy the problem.