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The protagonists are Lara Jackle and Lynn Graham, CEO and VP Marketing for LifghtFull Foods respectively. LightFull is a beverage start-up based in Northern California that is struggling with a major strategic decision which centers around its use and possible replacement of an ingredient called Stevia (an all natural, zero calorie plant derivative which is often used as a sweetener by consumers and companies) with an artificial sweetener. Jackle and Graham like Stevia for its inherent qualities that play to the company's and product's strengths: all-natural ingredients, low calorie, nutritious and tasty snack-replacement satisfaction. Some board members argue, however, that replacing Stevia with an artificial sweetener will not negatively impact the brand, and may in fact appeal to a larger audience in more mainstream channels (e.g., WalMart vs. Whole Foods, the latter of which does not allow artificially sweetened food items on its shelves). While approved by the FDA for use as a dietary supplement, Stevia has not yet been approved as a sugar substitute, food additive or sweetener. In fact, companies are overtly barred from using Stevia as anything but a dietary supplement and inclusion of the ingredient necessitates that the company classify the entire product (in this case a beverage) as a nutritional supplement, not a food.

PacifiCare's African American Health Solutions (AAHS) focused on improving the health outcomes of African Americans by providing culturally sensitive health education, health improvement opportunities, and access to high-quality health care services. By early 2006, approximately two years after the program's inception, the initiative had made significant headway in its two primary markets of Dallas and Los Angeles. In the new year, however, AAHS would face new challenges. Limited information was captured and tracked regarding the program's potential effect on the level of risk in the company's portfolio, and little was known about the profitability of the target community. Also, was AAHS making a positive contribution to the company? Finally, competition for African Americans' business was intensifying among health insurance providers. In 2006, AAHS had to define its purpose more clearly in the face of growing competition. The initiative also needed to decide on a customer acquisition approach. Was it really a goodwill program designed primarily to educate and inform African Americans? Or, was AAHS a powerful acquisition tool that should be integrated more directly into PacifiCare's mainstream customer acquisition strategy?