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Tom Rose was about to listen to his marketing head, Cassie Martin, make a major presentation on the biggest strategic initiative in Rose Partyware's history: the launch of a branded line of party ware. Rose had manufactured paper goods for parties and other social events for many years. But Tom had recently spotted an opportunity to break out of the pack: a new printing technology that would improve quality and reduce costs. When Rose test-marketed the new line, consumers loved it, and retailers pledged their support. Tom felt that the new technology would give Rose the edge it needed to establish its own brand, which would, in turn, allow the company to stay ahead of its rivals. In her presentation, Cassie reported that customers loved the brand concept. However, it was going to be more expensive than she had originally thought. And Hank Lewis, Rose's national accounts manager, further complicated matters when he told Tom that one of Rose's biggest customers, Party!, had just decided to offer customers a complete line of party goods under its own name and wanted Rose to manufacture it. The management team is split on whether Rose should launch its own line. Tom needs to decide: What's the best marketing strategy for Rose Partyware? In R0303A and R0303Z, commentators Frank Weise III, Cott CEO; Micky Pant, Reebok chief marketing officer; Stephen J. Hoch, a marketing professor at Wharton; Judith Corstjens, head of Cubiculum Consultancy; and Marcel Corstjens, a marketing professor at Insead, offer advice in this fictional case study.

Some brands become icons. Think of Nike, Apple, Harley-Davidson. But they are not built according to the principles of conventional marketing, says Harvard Business School marketing professor Douglas Holt. Iconic brands beat the competition not just by delivering innovative benefits, services, or technologies, but by forging a deep connection with the culture. A brand becomes an icon when it offers a compelling myth. In America, the most potent myths are depictions of rebels. Mountain Dew has long offered a rebel myth in ads showing exciting, vital men who are far from the ideological model of success. Loyal customers drink the beverage to consume the myth. But Mountain Dew's greatest achievement is that it has retained its iconic power by creating fresh rebel myths to suit the tensions of each era. Holt says marketers can learn from Mountain Dew and other iconic brands if they are willing to move beyond conventional brand management. They must learn to target national contradictions instead of just consumer segments, create myths that make sense of confusing societal changes, and speak with a rebel's voice.

Marketing experts tell companies to analyze their customer portfolios and weed out buyer segments that don't generate attractive returns. Loyalty experts stress the need to aim retention programs at "good" customers--profitable ones--and encourage the "bad" ones to buy from competitors. And customer relationship management software provides evermore sophisticated ways to identify and eliminate poorly performing customers. On the surface, the movement to banish unprofitable customers seems reasonable. But writing off a customer relationship simply because it is currently unprofitable is at best rash and at worst counterproductive. Executives need to ask, "How can we make money off the customers that everyone else is shunning?" Consider Paychex, a payroll-processing company that built a nearly billion-dollar business by serving small companies. Established players had ignored these customers on the assumption that small companies couldn't afford the service. When founder Tom Golisano couldn't convince his bosses at Electronic Accounting Systems that they were missing a major opportunity, he started a company that now serves 390,000 U.S. customers, each employing around 14 people. In this article, the authors look closely at bottom-feeders--companies that assessed the needs of supposedly unattractive customers and redesigned their business models to turn a profit by fulfilling those needs. And they offer lessons that other executives can use to do the same.

Tom Rose was about to listen to his marketing head, Cassie Martin, make a major presentation on the biggest strategic initiative in Rose Partyware's history: the launch of a branded line of party ware. Rose had manufactured paper goods for parties and other social events for many years. But Tom had recently spotted an opportunity to break out of the pack: a new printing technology that would improve quality and reduce costs. When Rose test-marketed the new line, consumers loved it, and retailers pledged their support. Tom felt that the new technology would give Rose the edge it needed to establish its own brand, which would, in turn, allow the company to stay ahead of its rivals. In her presentation, Cassie reported that customers loved the brand concept. However, it was going to be more expensive than she had originally thought. And Hank Lewis, Rose's national accounts manager, further complicated matters when he told Tom that one of Rose's biggest customers, Party!, had just decided to offer customers a complete line of party goods under its own name and wanted Rose to manufacture it. The management team is split on whether Rose should launch its own line. Tom needs to decide: What's the best marketing strategy for Rose Partyware? In R0303A and R0303Z, commentators Frank Weise III, Cott CEO; Micky Pant, Reebok chief marketing officer; Stephen J. Hoch, a marketing professor at Wharton; Judith Corstjens, head of Cubiculum Consultancy; and Marcel Corstjens, a marketing professor at Insead, offer advice on this fictional case study.

Tom Rose was about to listen to his marketing head, Cassie Martin, make a major presentation on the biggest strategic initiative in Rose Partyware's history: the launch of a branded line of party ware. Rose had manufactured paper goods for parties and other social events for many years. But Tom had recently spotted an opportunity to break out of the pack: a new printing technology that would improve quality and reduce costs. When Rose test-marketed the new line, consumers loved it, and retailers pledged their support. Tom felt that the new technology would give Rose the edge it needed to establish its own brand, which would, in turn, allow the company to stay ahead of its rivals. In her presentation, Cassie reported that customers loved the brand concept. However, it was going to be more expensive than she had originally thought. And Hank Lewis, Rose's national accounts manager, further complicated matters when he told Tom that one of Rose's biggest customers, Party!, had just decided to offer customers a complete line of party goods under its own name and wanted Rose to manufacture it. The management team is split on whether Rose should launch its own line. Tom needs to decide: What's the best marketing strategy for Rose Partyware? In R0303A and R0303Z, commentators Frank Weise III, Cott CEO; Micky Pant, Reebok chief marketing officer; Stephen J. Hoch, a marketing professor at Wharton; Judith Corstjens, head of Cubiculum Consultancy; and Marcel Corstjens, a marketing professor at Insead, offer advice on this fictional case study.

When and how should a firm introduce an innovative new product? Introduce too early and functionality may not be there, too late and strong competition might appear. Precise Software Solutions, headquartered in Westwood, MA, is a small, growing company with a successful--albeit narrowly targeted--software product for database performance management. In 1999, it had the beginnings of a new product with radically broader functionality and market appeal. However, this new product would potentially appeal to a different "audience" within the client's IT organization. Once management decides when to introduce the product, it must also decide how to do so. Specifically, should this product be sold through the same sales force as other successful products? Or, would the company be better off creating a separate group targeted at this new audience? Finally, it must also decide how to price the product. Its current products have historically yielded sales of $15K to $25K. The firm feels that the value of this new product could be five times this amount. Is this possible? Will the same salespeople be effective? Teaching Purpose: Examines sales organization, sales strategy, and new product introduction.

What is the best way to "sell" consulting services? Should the firm focus on key accounts? Should it have dedicated salespeople? How should the firm account for "selling" activities in its compensation plan? ENSR is an environmental consulting firm located in Westford, MA. It consults on a variety of topics, such as air and water qualit, wildlife resource management, and workplace safety. As a result, its 1,000 consultants are drawn from very diverse backgrounds. The firm's top management seeks to deliver sales and utilization growth from this complex organization. The question is how should they do it?

Worldwide Equipment Ltd. is one of the world's largest manufacturers of heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning equipment. The Beijing regional sales manager has just heard that the sales performance of his office ranked the lowest among the sales offices in China. As a result, the Beijing sales force will not receive their year-end bonuses unless the situation can be turned around quickly. The regional sales manager must determine whether the sales management process or a recent new hire on the sales force, whose hiring was strongly suggested by the manager's boss, are to blame for the poor sales performance and how to keep the situation from recurring.

In September 2002, Marjorie Newman-Williams, director of communication for UNICEF, is poised to present the results of a two-year rebranding process at the annual meeting of the national committee heads. This case describes the organization and highlights the challenges UNICEF faces in 2002. Details of the rebranding process, including market research, the development of brand essence and brand models, and organizational challenges of consensus building, are at the core of the case.

Should Brioni, an internationally known, exclusive men's suit manufacturer and retailer extend its line to include women's apparel? The opportunity is to enter a much larger and profitable market. The dangers are: 1) compromising the existing image, and 2) failing to recognize the quite different organizational demands of the women's fashion business. Includes color exhibits.

For centuries, Jingdezhen, the "Porcelain Metropolis" of China, produced and exported the finest porcelain treasures in the world. By the late 20th century, however, the city was in danger of losing its past glory. Although its factories still churned out more than a million pieces of porcelain a day, it was facing more competitors at home and abroad than at any time in its history. The declining quality of porcelain made in this highly respected city disappointed a number of porcelain experts and collectors. Jiangdong Crystal-color Art and Crafts Co. Ltd. (JCAC) was one of the few ceramic makers that had differentiated itself from its rivals. The company manufactured top-of-the-line luxury products and limited its distribution to the government and high-end retailers. Although JCAC was enjoying its success, a number of small and medium-size porcelain manufacturers in Jingdezhen were still struggling to make a profit. With new competitors looming on the horizon, some ceramic firms were reviewing their marketing plans with an eye toward finding a market niche. JCAC, at the same time, was aiming to develop a global brand and to revive the image of Jingdezhen ceramics. This case illustrates the problems of adopting an undifferentiated strategy in a competitive market. It explores how to identify market niches in a traditional industry and examines strategies for building a global brand.

Hongkong Land Holdings Ltd. (HKL), the property arm of the Jardine Matheson Group, is a leading property investment, management, and development company with a major portfolio in Hong Kong and other property and infrastructure interests in Asia. In early 2000, HKL was faced with significant changes in its business environment in the Central District in Hong Kong, where it was the leading landlord of Grade A retail and office real estate. It had commissioned a report from consultants to inform the company on developments in the Grade A retail and office markets and the influence it might have on the company's operations. One of the major issues was how to reposition the company's aging properties to achieve optimal returns in a competitive market.

This note provides a resource to aid in understanding brand equity: its creation, maintenance, measurement, and value. Suitable for use in introductory courses in marketing at the undergraduate and MBA levels, this note presents an overview of brand perspectives including those of Millward Brown, Young & Rubicam, David Aaker, and Bill Moran, and Interbrand.

Data-driven marketing is not an entirely new concept or practice. With advances in information technology, many aspects of marketing operations have become informationalized. This note provides technical information about database marketing. The intent is to familiarize readers with database technologies, including data mining from a marketing perspective, databases, data warehouses, and decision support systems.

Two entrepreneurs have created a not-for-profit online back office system that can be used at no charge by any of Canada's 70,000 charities to reduce their operating costs. The cost of maintaining the system has been underwritten by major financial service firms. Just as the entrepreneurs are about to launch, a for-profit service announces a similar service that targets the same charities. The entrepreneurs are concerned about overlap, pre-emption and possible confusion in the market. They wonder if they should alter their planned strategy or perhaps should just abandon the project.

For ten years, Jeff Patterson's firm, Flynn Fuller Consulting, has worked on projects for financial services giant GloBank. Now Jeff's contact, Bill Holland, says another project is imminent--good news for the recession-battered consultancy--but there's just one problem: GloBank has an enigmatic new CEO, H. Frank Maloney III. Brought in to restore profitability, Maloney has been examining GloBank's bottom line, looking for places to cut. The new CEO wants to slash GloBank's extensive use of consultants, which means that division presidents like Bill must justify major consulting projects. Worse, firms like Flynn Fuller must sell themselves again to GloBank. Jeff will have just one hour to try to sway Maloney, or his client will disappear. How can Jeff persuade Maloney that outside consultants are worth the cost? Jeff's presentation isn't a progress report or a pitch to a new client; rather, it's a defense of Flynn Fuller's continuing added value. Jeff pulls together a team to make the case, but he hears as many approaches as there are people in the room. In R0302A and R0302Z, commentators P. William Bane, a recently retired vice-president and director at Mercer Management Consulting; Tom Van Berkel, the president and CEO of insurance firm Main Street America Group; Peter Klein, the senior vice-president of strategy and business development for Gillette; and Tricia Stone, a founding partner of Stone Communications, offer advice in this fictional case study.

When customers lack the expertise to judge a company's offerings, they naturally turn detective, scrutinizing people, facilities, and processes for evidence of quality. The Mayo Clinic understands this and carefully manages that evidence to convey a simple, consistent message: The needs of the patient come first. From the way it hires and trains employees to the way it designs its facilities and approaches its care, the Mayo Clinic provides patients and their families concrete evidence of its strengths and values--an approach that has allowed it to build what is arguably the most powerful brand in health care. Marketing professors Leonard Berry and Neeli Bendapudi conducted a five-month study of evidence management at the Mayo Clinic. Their experiences led them to identify best practices applicable to just about any company, in particular those that sell intangible or technically complex products. Essentially, the authors say, companies need to determine what story they want to tell, then ensure that their employees and facilities consistently show customers evidence of that story. At Mayo, the evidence falls into three categories: people, collaboration, and tangibles. The way in which Mayo manages evidence to communicate its message is an example to be followed.

For ten years, Jeff Patterson's firm, Flynn Fuller Consulting, has worked on projects for financial services giant GloBank. Now Jeff's contact, Bill Holland, says another project is imminent--good news for the recession-battered consultancy--but there's just one problem: GloBank has an enigmatic new CEO, H. Frank Maloney III. Brought in to restore profitability, Maloney has been examining GloBank's bottom line, looking for places to cut. The new CEO wants to slash GloBank's extensive use of consultants, which means that division presidents like Bill must justify major consulting projects. Worse, firms like Flynn Fuller must sell themselves again to GloBank. Jeff will have just one hour to try to sway Maloney, or his client will disappear. How can Jeff persuade Maloney that outside consultants are worth the cost? Jeff's presentation isn't a progress report or a pitch to a new client; rather, it's a defense of Flynn Fuller's continuing added value. Jeff pulls together a team to make the case, but he hears as many approaches as there are people in the room. In R0302A and R0302X, commentators P. William Bane, a recently retired vice-president and director at Mercer Management Consulting; Tom Van Berkel, the president and CEO of insurance firm Main Street America Group; Peter Klein, the senior vice-president of strategy and business development for Gillette; and Tricia Stone, a founding partner of Stone Communications, offer advice on this fictional case study.

For ten years, Jeff Patterson's firm, Flynn Fuller Consulting, has worked on projects for financial services giant GloBank. Now Jeff's contact, Bill Holland, says another project is imminent--good news for the recession-battered consultancy--but there's just one problem: GloBank has an enigmatic new CEO, H. Frank Maloney III. Brought in to restore profitability, Maloney has been examining GloBank's bottom line, looking for places to cut. The new CEO wants to slash GloBank's extensive use of consultants, which means that division presidents like Bill must justify major consulting projects. Worse, firms like Flynn Fuller must sell themselves again to GloBank. Jeff will have just one hour to try to sway Maloney, or his client will disappear. How can Jeff persuade Maloney that outside consultants are worth the cost? Jeff's presentation isn't a progress report or a pitch to a new client; rather, it's a defense of Flynn Fuller's continuing added value. Jeff pulls together a team to make the case, but he hears as many approaches as there are people in the room. In R0303A and R0303Z, commentators P. William Bane, a recently retired vice-president and director at Mercer Management Consulting; Tom Van Berkel, the president and CEO of insurance firm Main Street America Group; Peter Klein, the senior vice-president of strategy and business development for Gillette; and Tricia Stone, a founding partner of Stone Communications, offer advice on this fictional case study.

This note is designed for use in an MBA-level marketing research course. The note provides students with an overview of how to construct perceptual maps from data. It concentrates on the attribute-rating method and overall-similarity method for constructing the maps. It also describes preference regressions and basic multidimensional-scaling procedures and includes examples from the automotive and movie industries.