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A methodology for selecting a new corporate brand name is explored, highlighting different types of names, criteria and hurdles in securing new names, and legal implications. Brand identity consultancy Lippincott & Margulies guided a real estate investment trust company through the process of selecting a new corporate brand name.

A real estate operations and investment trust is considering whether it should pursue branding as a strategic investment. Through interpretation of case data and video from focus groups, students deduce the consumer (cognitive, psychological, and economic), environmental, and company factors that are conducive to branding, thereby illuminating their understanding of when it makes sense to brand. Analysis of extensive survey data allows students to consider the secondary question about how to brand as they formulate brand-positioning recommendations. Includes color exhibits.

On April 23, 1985, the Coca-Cola Co. announced a decision that would rock the world. The old Coke formula would be taken off the market and replaced with a smoother, sweeter taste. The reaction of the American people was immediate and violent, causing three months of unrelenting protest against the loss of Coke. Was the marketing research at fault? The launch strategy? Or did Coke "just not get it"? This case explores marketing's most famous public disaster to reveal deep lessons about managing the brand. Includes color exhibits.

Brand loyalty is one of the core concepts of the marketing discipline that has enjoyed practical and academic attention for over 75 years. The era of relationship marketing, with its focus on retaining customers for life, has instilled yet greater interest in the concept, precipitating unprecedented growth in frequency programs designed to lock in customer loyalties over time. Despite this rich history, many questions remain about the definition, measurement, and significance of brand loyalty. Some state that brand loyalties are declining and that in today's consumer world, multibrand usage--not brand loyalty--appears the norm. Others feel that the concept of loyalty itself is not outmoded or outdated, but rather that new theoretical and methodological perspectives are required that can revitalize what has become a theoretically uninspired, overly simplistic, and conceptually limiting idea. This case seeks to inform this latter point of view by encouraging students to "see" brand loyalty from the perspective of the consumers that live it. Includes color exhibits.

As companies develop more and better ways to understand and respond to their customers' needs, relationship marketing has become the talk of the marketing community. Executives, academics, and consultants alike have the same goal in mind--creating meaningful relationships with consumers that will yield both the cost-saving benefits of customer retention economics and the revenue-generating rewards of customer loyalty. Unfortunately, a close look at consumers suggests that these relationships are troubled ones at best. The things that marketers are doing to build relationships with customers, are, in fact, subverting them. Relationship marketing--what is supposed to be the acme of customer orientation--is falling far short of its mark. Susan Fournier, assistant professor at the Harvard Business School, Susan Dobscha of Bentley College in Waltham, MA, and David Glen Mick, a professor at the University of Wisconsin offer a way to get this concept back on track.

The idea that "relationships" exist between consumers and products has implicitly occupied a central place in brand marketing thought and practice. Now as relational (one-on-one) marketing is said to be replacing transactional (mass) marketing as the dominant paradigm of the field, explicit theoretical development of these ideas becomes critical. This case presents detailed qualitative data on three women and their relationships with brands.

Spreadsheet supplement for case 597-002.

James McDowell, vice president of marketing at BMW North America, Inc., must design Phase II communication strategies for the launch of the new BMW Z3 Roadster. The program follows an "out-of-the-box" prelaunch campaign centered on the placement of the product in the November 1996 James Bond hit movie, "GoldenEye", and including other "nontraditional" elements such as a product appearance on Jay Leno's Tonight Show, an offering of a Bond Edition Roadster in the Neiman Marcus Christmas Catalog, and large-scale public relations activities. McDowell must assess the effectiveness of the prelaunch activities and design marketing tactics that can sustain product excitement until product availability in March. Includes color exhibits.

The idea that "relationships" exist between consumers and products has implicitly occupied a central place in brand marketing thought and practice. Now as relational (one-on-one) marketing is said to be replacing transactional (mass) marketing as the dominant paradigm of the field, explicit theoretical development of these ideas becomes critical. This case presents detailed qualitative data on three women and their relationships with brands. Intended to reveal the deep connections consumers may form with brands across product categories, providing new insights into phenomena such as brand loyalty and brand equity that will inform brand management practice.

Spreadsheet supplement for case 596-036.

Charles Hughes, president and CEO of Land Rover North America, Inc., is debating product positioning options for the new Land Rover Discovery. The positioning decision must consider the role of the Discovery vis-`a-vis other vehicles in the LRNA line, the brand's strengths and weaknesses versus competition, and the positioning of the Land Rover umbrella brand in the U.K. An allocation of marketing funds across brands and mix elements must also be determined and decisions on the company's innovative retailing strategy and experience marketing initiatives made. The case contains rich consumer behavior data. Includes color exhibits.

Students are instructed to interview a recent purchaser of a high-involvement/ego-expressive product or service in depth about his/her ownership and usage experiences. The exercise provides students with first-hand understanding of important concepts in consumption domain (e.g., customer satisfaction, product meaning, brand loyalty).

Students are instructed to interview a recent purchaser of a high-involvement product or service in depth about his/her ownership and usage experiences. The exercise provides students with first-hand understanding of important concepts in consumption domain (e.g., customer satisfaction, product meaning, brand loyalty).

Students are instructed to interview a recent purchaser of a low-involvement product or service in depth about his/her ownership and usage experiences. The exercise provides students with first-hand understanding of important concepts in consumption domain (e.g., customer satisfaction, product meaning, brand loyalty).

Students are instructed to interview a recent purchaser of a high-involvement/ego-expressive product or service in depth about his/her buying decision. The exercise provides students with first-hand understanding of important concepts in consumer choice domain (e.g., stages in the buying process, decision-making roles, habit versus deliberation).

Students are instructed to interview a recent purchaser of a high-involvement/utilitarian product or service in depth about his/her buying decision. The exercise provides students with first-hand understanding of important concepts in consumer choice domain (e.g., stages in the buying process, decision-making roles, habit versus deliberation).

Students are instructed to interview a recent purchaser of a low-involvement product or service in depth about his/her buying decision. The exercise provides students with first-hand understanding of important concepts in consumer choice domain (e.g., stages in the buying process, decision-making roles, habit versus deliberation).