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Tracks changes in the luxury auto market during the 1980s and early 1990s. Shifts in target consumer behavior--particularly the yuppie lifestyle--serve as the basis for manufacturer modifications of product line, positioning, and advertising. The climax of the case is the 1991 overt effort by BMW to "de-yuppify" itself in the minds of the target market.

On Thursday, November 7, 1991, Los Angeles Lakers star Earvin "Magic" Johnson announced his retirement from basketball in the wake of having tested positive for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Magic Johnson was one of the most popular figures in sports, both nationally and internationally. Among the many affected by Johnson's sudden retirement were his commercial sponsors, a group of companies comprising both sporting goods and other consumer products. The case looks at the situation through the lens of the sponsors. Should they retain their association with Johnson? If so, for how long and in what ways? Provides students with the opportunity to put themselves in the shoes of a marketing director, faced with the sudden reversal of fortune of one of the company's key endorsers. Allows for role playing from various perspectives: that of the MD of a sporting goods company compared to the MD of some other consumer product for example.

Supplements the (A) case.

Supplements the (A) case. Designed as an in-class handout.

Provides details on the results of the campaign for British Airways (BA) in terms of expenditure by BA, press coverage, effect on bookings, and effect on overall market share.

In June 1991, Heileman announced plans to introduce a high-alcohol malt liquor under the name PowerMaster (PM). Although the company claimed PM would be positioned as an upscale product and marketed on the basis of its superior taste, minority advocates and alcohol foes quickly assailed the company for targeting lower-income, inner-city black consumers. In the wake of protests, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BATF), which had previously approved the PM product, initiated a review of PM and several other high-alcohol malt liquor products that BATF considered to be in violation of federal law prohibiting brewers from stating or even implying the alcohol content of their products. Shortly after, BATF requested that Heileman remove the word "power" from PM's label. Heileman cancelled plans to launch the product. The case encompasses both target marketing and ethical issues. Illustrates a problem faced by many American brewers: How can these companies increase beer sales in a slow-growing, increasingly saturated market, which is completely dominated by the Anheuser-Busch companies?