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The National Hockey League’s (NHL’s) Carolina Hurricanes (i.e., the Canes) were struggling on the ice in 2017–18. The team had not made the playoffs since 2008–09, attendance was at the bottom of the league, and rumours regarding the team relocating were circulating. At the time, the team was not very relevant across the hockey universe, and elements of the Hurricanes brand had been harshly critiqued. A change in ownership that became finalized early in 2018 opened up the possibility of using the long dormant logo and jersey of the Hartford Whalers, who had relocated to become the Hurricanes in 1997. While trends around alternate jerseys and the popularity of all things retro seemed to support embracing the Whalers identity, would any effort placed here be diverted from fixing the underlying issues with the Hurricanes brand? This teaching note guides leadership of a case discussion including themes of branding and secondary brand elements, organizational focus, customer experience and the importance of fun to an organization and its customers. An online assignment challenges students to use artificial intelligence to develop brand elements. Several multimedia resources are suggested to support instructors delivering this case.

Schiit Audio was a manufacturer of audio equipment in the Los Angeles, California area. The company, which mainly sold its products directly to consumers, experienced consistent growth in the years leading up to 2015. However, in the summer of 2015, the company’s founder had three major issues to resolve. First, he was devoting half of his time to a marketing agency he had founded earlier and was increasingly feeling that the arrangement was inadequate to provide the leadership his audio company needed. Second, some suppliers were causing inventory and out-of-stock issues that made it difficult to deliver products to customers on time. Finally, selling products on Amazon Marketplace expanded the company’s reach to new customers, but came with drawbacks, including lower margins, high fees, and inventory management difficulties. The founder had to make some decisions for the business venture’s path forward.

Schiit Audio was a manufacturer of audio equipment in the Los Angeles, California area. The company, which mainly sold its products directly to consumers, experienced consistent growth in the years leading up to 2015. However, in the summer of 2015, the company's founder had three major issues to resolve. First, he was devoting half of his time to a marketing agency he had founded earlier and was increasingly feeling that the arrangement was inadequate to provide the leadership his audio company needed. Second, some suppliers were causing inventory and out-of-stock issues that made it difficult to deliver products to customers on time. Finally, selling products on Amazon Marketplace expanded the company's reach to new customers, but came with drawbacks, including lower margins, high fees, and inventory management difficulties. The founder had to make some decisions for the business venture's path forward.

A national brewing and distilling company grapples with its most profitable brand's racist history. This fictional case study by Joseph C. Miller, Michael A. Stanko, and Mariam D. Diallo features expert commentary by Geoff Edwards and Jim Birch.

A national brewing and distilling company grapples with its most profitable brand's racist history. This fictional case study by Joseph C. Miller, Michael A. Stanko, and Mariam D. Diallo features expert commentary by Geoff Edwards and Jim Birch.

A national brewing and distilling company grapples with its most profitable brand's racist history. This fictional case study by Joseph C. Miller, Michael A. Stanko, and Mariam D. Diallo features expert commentary by Geoff Edwards and Jim Birch.

Maryland-based Nexercise App Inc.’s fitness application (app) Sworkit provided app-based workout routines that required no equipment. In October 2017, the app was available in a free version with advertising, or via subscriptions that included additional features and no advertising—a classic example of freemium pricing. While 1.5 million people made use of Sworkit each month, the large majority of these were free users, and only a small portion converted to paid subscriptions. The Sworkit leadership team faced several challenges related to their reliance on advertising revenue, including unpredictability and low value per customer; this led them to re-evaluate their pricing model. Would eliminating or reducing Sworkit’s free access better enable management to capture value from the popular app?

Maryland-based Nexercise App Inc.'s fitness application (app) Sworkit provided app-based workout routines that required no equipment. In October 2017, the app was available in a free version with advertising, or via subscriptions that included additional features and no advertising-a classic example of freemium pricing. While 1.5 million people made use of Sworkit each month, the large majority of these were free users, and only a small portion converted to paid subscriptions. The Sworkit leadership team faced several challenges related to their reliance on advertising revenue, including unpredictability and low value per customer; this led them to re-evaluate their pricing model. Would eliminating or reducing Sworkit's free access better enable management to capture value from the popular app?

Audio Advice was a brick-and-mortar audio specialty retailer with two stores in North Carolina. Traditionally, audiophile components were only sold through specialty stores. However, this practice was shifting, with a growing portion of sales occurring online. Audio Advice wanted to capture a portion of this growing channel, so started online as an Amazon Marketplace seller. Though this channel resulted in quick revenue growth without a great deal of initial investment, it was not suitable long term. Audio Advice’s management had a bigger vision. In planning their transition to their own e-commerce site, Audio Advice needed to consider branding: should they extend their existing brand, use a sub-brand, or develop a new one? How would each option affect in-store sales, Audio Advice’s reputation, and the willingness of audiophile brands to allow online sales of their products?

Audio Advice was a brick-and-mortar audio specialty retailer with two stores in North Carolina. Traditionally, audiophile components were only sold through specialty stores. However, this practice was shifting, with a growing portion of sales occurring online. Audio Advice wanted to capture a portion of this growing channel, so started online as an Amazon Marketplace seller. Though this channel resulted in quick revenue growth without a great deal of initial investment, it was not suitable long term. Audio Advice's management had a bigger vision. In planning their transition to their own e-commerce site, Audio Advice needed to consider branding: should they extend their existing brand, use a sub-brand, or develop a new one? How would each option affect in-store sales, Audio Advice's reputation, and the willingness of audiophile brands to allow online sales of their products?

This non-technical note for marketing professionals (and those in training) explores the value of setting performance goals when developing marketing plans. Practical metrics to evaluate the overall success of marketing initiatives are discussed, followed by supporting metrics that can be used to evaluate each area of the marketing mix. A critical view is taken of many metrics; some metrics have shortcomings in certain situations that managers should be aware of. Many industry examples are used, making for an engaging student experience and providing benchmarks for students to set goals when writing case studies. Formulas are included for all metrics discussed.

This non-technical note for marketing professionals (and those in training) explores the value of setting performance goals when developing marketing plans. Practical metrics to evaluate the overall success of marketing initiatives are discussed, followed by supporting metrics that can be used to evaluate each area of the marketing mix. A critical view is taken of many metrics; some metrics have shortcomings in certain situations that managers should be aware of. Many industry examples are used, making for an engaging student experience and providing benchmarks for students to set goals when writing case studies. Formulas are included for all metrics discussed.

This brief, non-technical note is aimed at marketing professionals and/or those in training. The note explores the value of search engine optimization (SEO), as well as its key concepts and some of the tactics that can help optimize online search performance. The value of search marketing in targeting key customer segments is discussed. If a brand applies these tactics, customers (and potential customers) using search engines such as Google, Bing, and Baidu will be more likely to find effective information about that brand and its products. Several practical examples are used to highlight these strategies in use, and to illustrate what happens when they are ignored. In this updated (2017) version, greater emphasis is placed on mobile search.

This brief, non-technical note is aimed at marketing professionals and/or those in training. The note explores the value of search engine optimization (SEO), as well as its key concepts and some of the tactics that can help optimize online search performance. If a brand applies these tactics, customers (and potential customers) using search engines such as Google, Bing, Yahoo and Ask.com will be more likely to find effective information about that brand and its products. Several practical examples are used to highlight these strategies in use, and to illustrate what happens when they are ignored.