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In early 2010, Paul Conforti of Finale, the Boston-area premium dessert restaurant, decided to replace its more traditional mystery shoppers with Survey on the Spot to collect market research data. Survey on the Spot uses a smart phone-based 'app' to collect data from actual customers in real time. Based on early results, Conforti was concerned that the results might be 'too good' and his decision to end mystery shopping might be precipitous. Students can evaluate both the new market research technique and the conclusions drawn from the information. Note: Finale and Survey on the Spot is one of two companion cases. The companion case, Finale - Just Desserts, deals primarily with data analysis and data interpretation and has an SPSS data set available. Finale and Survey on the Spot allows students to deal with the managerial implications of the data.

In early 2010, Paul Conforti of Finale, the Boston-area premium dessert restaurant, decided to replace the more traditional research methods with Survey on the Spot mobile surveys to collect market research data. The company used a smart phone-based 'app' to collect data from actual customers in real time. With early results in, Conforti found that while Finale was getting positive results, he questioned whether his summary provided a complete picture and has asked market researcher Felicity Klass to do a more thorough analysis. Students have access to the mobile survey data and can perform their own analysis, drawing conclusions and making recommendations to the restaurant co-founder, based on stated goals for the survey. Note that Finale-Just Desserts is one of two companion cases. This case, Finale - Just Desserts, deals primarily with data analysis and data interpretation and has an SPSS data set available.

In the summer of 2008, Nipissing University announced their intent to launch a men's varsity hockey team. Since that time, excitement had been mounting throughout the halls of Nipissing University and within the local community of North Bay, Ontario. It had been a long and at times, challenging journey to bring this team to fruition but with the help of a private group of investors, the Nipissing University Lakers men's varsity hockey team would finally hit the ice in September 2009 and kick-off a much anticipated inaugural season. In January 2009 the Lakers Hockey marketing committee gathered to discuss how best to promote this new team. The Lakers would be playing in North Bay's largest recreational facility - Memorial Gardens, which had a total building capacity of 4,048. Their objectives were clear - the coveted Lakers varsity hockey team would have to garner widespread support and maximize fan attendance. With approximately nine months until the opening game, the marketing team focused on developing the most effective marketing plan to realize these objectives. On March 2nd, they would present their recommendations to the Lakers ownership group for final approval and implementation.

The marketing manager for Canadian Blood Services (CBS) is concerned about a growing demand for blood - 2 per cent per year - driven by a number of factors, including the decrease of wait times in local hospitals, new operating procedures and increased use or requirements of an aging population. Peak demand seasons coincide with low supply seasons, such as summer and winter holidays. Two issues require attention: the first involves increasing the absolute number of donors, currently in the 400,000 range. Indications are that the percentage of Canadians (four per cent) who donate blood is lower than other countries such as Sweden (five per cent). The second need is to retain more donors and increase the number of donations per donor, per year. The CBS still faces issues stemming from the tainted blood scandal of the 1980s and the subsequent Krever inquiry. They are working to rebuild the trust of the public. The crux of the issue is understanding consumer behaviour toward blood donation. The manager needs to understand the consumer decision process, examine segments, determine a target segment and develop communications to increase both the absolute number of donors and the repeat donations of identified donors.

The marketing manager for Canadian Blood Services (CBS) is concerned about a growing demand for blood — two per cent per year — driven by a number of factors, including the decrease of wait times in local hospitals, new operating procedures, and increased use or requirements of an aging population. Peak demand seasons coincide with low supply seasons, such as summer and winter holidays. Two issues require attention: the first involves increasing the absolute number of donors, currently in the 400,000 range. Indications are that the percentage of Canadians who donate blood (four per cent) is lower than other countries such as Sweden (five per cent). The second need is to retain more donors and increase the number of donations per donor each year. The CBS still faces issues stemming from the tainted blood scandal of the 1980s and the subsequent Krever inquiry. It is working to rebuild the trust of the public. The crux of the issue is understanding consumer behaviour toward blood donation. The manager needs to understand the consumer decision process, examine segments, determine a target segment, and develop communications to increase both the absolute number of donors and the repeat donations of identified donors.

In 2010, an entrepreneur is trying to enter the fuel additives market in Canada by marketing a product called Force For Earth (FFE) Fuel and Engine Conditioner. FFE is made in the United States and the entrepreneur has the Canadian license for the product. Unlike the products of many competitors in North America, FFE has been proven to deliver the stated benefits, but the entrepreneur’s dilemma is that every other product in the market claims to offer “proven” results as well, even though most of these claims are unsubstantiated, false, or exaggerated. The entrepreneur’s challenge is to understand, from a marketing perspective, the key selling features of the FFE product that would resonate with his target groups.

Termination of WorldSpace India’s satellite radio operations in 2009 was part of the restructuring efforts of the Maryland, U.S.-based parent company that had filed for bankruptcy in October 2008. As of June 30, 2008, WorldSpace Inc. (later 1 WorldSpace) had listed debt of US$2.1 billion and assets of US$307.4 million and had sought bankruptcy protection to help repay its debts. The parent’s two regional satellites, AfriStar and AsiaStar, and related ground assets had been acquired by U.S.-based Liberty Media, which also owned 40 per cent of satellite radio service provider Sirius XM Radio. The termination of WorldSpace raised a series of questions regarding early-mover disadvantages, business ideas, and pricing strategy. Analysts further extended the arguments to draw parallels with the satellite telephone service provider Iridium to question strategic decisions relating to the service-hardware mix, service provision and pricing, power of complementary products, power of substitutes, and consumers’ willingness to pay for incremental choice.

This note presents a framework and tool for leading fundamental systemic change in organizations and beyond. It identifies the 10 key elements of systemic change and arrays them along the spokes of a wheel, which suggests momentum and an interconnected rather than linear process for changing systems. All spokes must be engaged and then re-engaged to keep change moving. The practical model shows how spokes are related and reinforce one another and also presents a logical order for connecting them.

The new vice president and general manager of Best Optical Ltd. is trying to formulate a strategy in response to his competitors’ actions. Best Optical is a distributor of vision hardware and other distributors are buying up retail outlets and threatening to shut Best Optical out of the market. The vice president has to decide how to respond to the threat and what implications his response will have on Best Optical’s business.

The new vice-president and general manager of Best Optical Ltd. is trying to formulate a strategy in response to his competitors actions. Best Optical is a distributor of vision hardware and competitors are buying up retail outlets, threatening to shut Best Optical out of the market. The vice-president has to decide how to respond to the threat and what implications his response will have on Best Optical's business.

CCM Hockey (CCM) had been losing market share to competitors in the hockey skate business. In order to counteract this trend, in March 2008, the most innovative pair of hockey skates ever developed by CCM was made available to customers. Soon after the launch, however, some quality issues developed. CCM decided to replace the skates with an identical pair while trying to remedy the problem. In 2009, new improved skates were put on the market but they looked identical to the previous model. Buyers were skeptical and, as a result, sales were poor. Both the trade and individual consumers had lost confidence in the brand. CCM returned to the drawing board and redesigned the skates but also decided to launch the skates close to four months after the normal industry cycle. The decision was complicated by a stagnant market and indistinct consumer segments. The brand manager and his assistant were faced with developing a strong launch strategy because the future of the CCM Skate brand depended on a successful launch.

CCM Hockey had been losing market share to competitors in the hockey skate business. In order to counter this trend, in March 2008 the most innovative pair of hockey skates ever developed by CCM was made available to customers. Soon after the launch, however, some quality issues developed. In 2009, new and improved skates were put on the market but they looked identical to the previous model. Buyers were skeptical and, as a result, sales were poor. Both the trade and individual consumers had lost confidence in the brand. CCM returned to the drawing board and redesigned the skates but also decided to launch them in fall 2010, instead of the normal industry cycle time of spring 2010. The decision was complicated by a stagnant market and indistinct consumer segments. The brand manager and his assistant were faced with developing a strong launch strategy because the future of the CCM skate brand depended on it.

After successfully establishing more than 33 retail stores in large cities across China, Decathlon, a large French sporting goods manufacturer and retailer, planned to open its official online shopping website in China. The marketing department head of Decathlon China had experimented with several new social media platforms in China in order to increase the brand awareness among online shoppers. At the upcoming executive meeting, the marketing department head wanted to persuade the chief executive officer to dedicate more resources to social media to both increase online sales in the short term and market share in the long term.

After successfully establishing more than 33 retail stores in large cities across China, Decathlon, a large sporting goods manufacturer and retailer, planned to open its official online shopping website in China. The marketing department head of Decathlon China, has experimented with several new social media in China in order to increase the brand awareness among online shoppers. In the upcoming executive meeting, marketing department head would like to persuade the chief executive officer to dedicate more resources to social media to increase both online sales in the short term and market share in the long term.

An updated "Four Products" case. This 2011 version includes; sliced peanut butter, artificial dirt for thoroughbred race tracks, interactive tombstones, and stride-changing running shoes. These four products form the basis to assess the drivers of new product adoption. In particular, one of the critical tasks in marketing new innovations is predicting demand and rates of diffusion for those products. And while one can speculate on the scope and rate of diffusion for any given product, it's helpful to compare and contrast diffusion across products. Doing so allows one to focus on the drivers or product characteristics that influence product diffusion, making one product a star and another a dog. Specifically, looking across products allows one to pick up on things that get lost in discussing a single product. Note that this case often gets used with HBS No. 505-075, "Note on Innovation Diffusion; Rogers' Five Factors," which can be distributed along with the case or after the case has been taught.

Godrej, a fast-moving commercial goods (FMCG) company in India that was historically known for its refrigerators in the Indian market, contemplated launching a new product for rural markets. Chotukool was an unconventional cooling solution targeted at the bottom of the pyramid (BOP) segment in India. More than 80 per cent of the Indian population did not own a refrigerator and 50 per cent earned less than US$2 per day. The study tracks Godrej’s journey of disruptive innovations from the conception of the idea to the marketing challenges faced by the company. It also focuses at length on how the organization planned to execute two parallel business models, with one aimed at the consumers of traditional refrigerators and the other simultaneously targeting current non-consumers. The case focuses on the management challenge of innovating across the value chain in order to succeed at social innovations.

Major problems associated with product proliferation include higher production, inventory, and record-keeping costs; increased expenses associated with trade promotions and slotting fees; added consumer confusion and stress; and increased susceptibility to stockouts. This article describes how a firm can limit product proliferation without incurring reduced sales or lowering consumer loyalty. An effective product proliferation reduction program needs to be based on several principles: resisting the temptation of asking consumers if a greater assortment is required; classifying goods into consumer-behavior-based tiers; using interfunctional product pruning teams; practicing mass customization, where appropriate; placing absolute limits on product choice; and implementing effective strategies for product pruning.

Pricing is a key element of the marketing strategy. It does not require significant investments or resources, and is perhaps the most accessible lever to manage profitability. Even minor fluctuations in pricing can have a significant impact on both revenues and profitability. As such, lack of careful planning in pricing is a wasted opportunity. With this as a backdrop, we make a case for precision in pricing to enhance profitability. Since consumers vary in their preferences, motivations, and propensity to spend, they assign varying degrees of emphasis regarding price upon their purchase decisions. We argue that pricing is a creative exercise in math and behavioral economics, and companies should stay focused on profits. We also provide a series of guidelines for creating effective base prices, and then modifying them to enhance profitability. Finally, monitoring prices at the transaction level will reduce leakage in profits and further add to the bottom line.

A large business generally knows its customers through quantitative analyses and summary reports, which are staples of market research and corporate reporting. Too often, the voices of individual customers are muffled by a torrent of numbers, and the stories they would tell are garbled. Few managers and even fewer executives hear customers speak, in their own words and ways, about the company's products and services. Yet, as we discuss, these stories may suggest enhanced customer service, better products, and organizational innovation; indeed, a number of companies have shown that the value of attentiveness to customer stories can be great. Herein, we describe a controlled, exploratory approach a company might take to develop its own engagement with customer storytelling-one that encompasses not only its interactions with customers along the front line, but also conversations ongoing in social media. Our proposal demands sustained commitment from senior management. We counsel senior executives to lead by example, to listen to customer stories, to learn from them, and to share them with others in the executive suite. By truly caring about storytelling, business leaders can better serve their customers and their companies.

This case features Old Spice's efforts to reposition Glacial Falls after sales stagnated in the United States. The challenges in this case are twofold. First, it sets the stage for deciding whether and how to reposition a brand after a period of significant stagnation. This entails a targeting dilemma about whether to keep existing customers or take the risk of losing them to go after a new target. Second, this case examines whether the company should make a sensory change in the product (i.e., the scent) or whether it should undertake a cognitive change in the positioning of the product instead.