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Logitech is an international company that designs and manufactures computer peripheral products. The retail pointing devices unit director is thinking about the development of the next generation of his device, the Logitech io digital pen. With less than two months until launch time, the director is still unsure which features are valuable to potential users, who these potential users are, and for which applications the digital pen can be used.

The realities of putting tactics to work confound people on the corporate firing line every day. Today's tumultuous marketplace and growing business complexities don't help. And frontline managers and employees are the ones facing many of these challenges while trying to make top management dreams a reality. Attention must focus on the critical, yet often neglected, issue of effective tactical implementation, including many of the misconceptions and factors that contribute to its failure or success. Based on an ongoing research program on marketing implementation challenges, five key principles of tactical implementation are highlighted here, followed by eight recommendations to help managers cope with it--recommendations that apply to all aspects of business.

For decades, marketing channel management has been widely written and talked about but never connected with any "real world" business position. What's more, the many articles and textbooks on the topic seldom provide any hint as to who is supposed to be doing all these functions. At last, based on a national study and a systematic review of the literature to find the most likely suspect, we have identified the erstwhile unknown channel manager. It is now up to top management to provide the selection criteria, training, rewards, and respect for this newly recognized position, because it is central to corporate success.

.Discusses how Hong Kong is positioning itself as the gateway to China and as Asia's world city. The Hong Kong SAR government's (HKSARG) program Brand Hong Kong (BrandHK) uses the tagline "Hong Kong: Asia's world city." HKSARG has spent some U.S. $1.24 million of taxpayers' money on the branding program and it is important to measure its effectiveness. The public is somewhat confused about the messages displayed and the distinction from previous campaigns run by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB). The case highlights HKTB and its successful experience in marketing Hong Kong as a tourist destination and what BrandHK can learn from it. Also focuses on the HKSARG's attempt to market BrandHK with traditional marketing tools and how new marketing tools, such as the Internet, could and should be used.

This case describes the history of the Red Bull brand and how the company stimulated and harnessed word-of-mouth to build a new product category (functional energy drinks) and brand franchise. The case concludes by asking the reader to consider how Red Bull should react to competitive challenges in the United States. The case was written to foster discussion of nontraditional brand-building strategies and the growing globalization of brands and products targeted toward younger consumers.

The case describes challenges facing Ranbaxy, the third largest pharmaceutical company in India, as it attempts to move from being a generics marketer, to a player in the branded drugs business. The case focuses on issues relating to the launch of Cifran OD, Ranbaxy's first drug based on a patented new drug delivery system.

In the drive to create the wired automobile, General Motors developed the OnStar system, a subscription-based, wireless dashboard communication service that provides numerous safety and convenience features including emergency assistance, remote door unlocking, and hotel reservations. GM was faced with several key questions regarding its market-leading telematics system. Should they syndicate OnStar, or was it of more value to the company as an exclusive feature? Should the OnStar division be spun-off? Will telematics devices become standard for all vehicles, and if so, how would this affect decision-making regarding OnStar?

Château Online looks at the situation of an e-tailer in 2001. The firm has done well and is a European leader. However, it faces the twin challenges of creating the online market for wine purchasing and the threat of entry by major players.

In July 1996, the French social security governmental agency (the CNAM) sent a letter to all doctors urging them to prescribe generic amoxicillin instead of Clamoxyl, SmithKline Beecham's (SB) blockbuster antibiotic. Pierre Chahwakilian, Marketing Director of SB in France must decide how to respond: (1) milk Clamoxyl and divert promotional investments towards Augmentin, a more specialized and still patent-protected antibiotic, (2) strengthen Clamoxyl's brand equity among doctors by increasing the effort of medical reps, by launching new forms, or with new advertising, (3) go against SB's corporate philosophy and reduce the price of Clamoxyl, or (4) change nothing and count on the resistance of French doctors towards generics. The B case (Augmentin in 2002) shows that GSK (the company formed by the merger of Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham) now faces the same options for Augmentin, another blockbuster antibiotic. Should they use the strategy that was so successful for Clamoxyl or have the market conditions changed so much that a whole different approach should be followed?

This case charts the process of the souring of the Acela Express, a joint venture of Alstom and Bombardier with Amtrak, the US rail passenger service. Alstom and Bombardier won the contract to install high-speed rail service between Boston and Washington. Soon after the Acela's launch, technical problems with the train were severe and Bombardier's relationship with Amtrak became acrimonious. Both sides in the dispute made legal moves and they continue as of the writing of this case. The case examines the histories of the companies involved, the relationship between the respective parties and presents the technological background to the Acela Express. The goal is to highlight key points in the management of relationships for large-scale projects and to explore a number of issues in technology licensing.

Ford of Canada is a division of the Ford Motor Company - one of the Big Three automobile manufacturers in North America. The brand manager of the Windstar was concerned that its only brand in the minivan category would not meet its annual sales target. Since the Windstar's launch in the early 1990s, it had become one of the largest selling auto brands in Canada and was synonymous with safety and family travel. During the past few years, the popularity of purchasing a Windstar had declined with the minivan market becoming very competitive, the recession, quality problems and several product recalls. The brand manager must create a promotional strategy that will maintain Windstar sales and profitability and attempt to maintain the brand image. (Also available is the video, Ford Windstar product # 7B03A005.)

Capital One, a credit card company, has built its business on a strategy with a clear customer focus: The company systematically gathers and analyses information on its customers in order to correctly assess their individual credit risk and to offer products and services tailored to their individual needs. The case is designed to illustrate how the concept of customer relationship management (CRM) can be translated into strategy, organizational design, hiring, marketing processes, and IT infrastructure of a company.

APL (Australian Pork Limited) is a not-for-profit company focused on securing a profitable future for the Australian Pork Industry through R&D and export development. The case describes the March 2000 introduction of Airpork chilled Australian pork that is air-freighted into Singapore daily, following the outbreak of the Nipah virus and foot-and-mouth disease in neighboring Malaysia (which supplied most of Singapore's pork requirements). The timing of the case is a year after the launch of the product. The top management are involved in rationalizing the performance of Airpork over the year and developing its future strategy.

The company's management is considering the possibility of launching a rebranding campaign around the promises "What you need. What you need to know." The questions are whether and when to launch the campaign in view of the large number of training efforts and supporting technologies needed to deliver on the promises.

Supplements the (A) case.

In response to changes in the European small car market and the success of the Renault Twingo, Ford decided to launch a new small car, the Ford Ka. Before Gilles Moynier can get to the specifics of the marketing strategy to launch the Ford Ka, he needs to decide how to segment the market and who to target. The market research firm has conducted a series of studies among potential small car buyers and now the data must be analyzed and interpreted.

In response to changes in the European small car market and the success of the Renault Twingo, Ford decided to launch a new small car, the Ford Ka. Before Gilles Moynier can get to the specifics of the marketing strategy to launch the Ford Ka, he needs to decide how to segment the market and who to target. The market research firm has conducted a series of studies among potential small car buyers and now the data must be analyzed and interpreted.

In response to changes in the European small car market and the success of the Renault Twingo, Ford decided to launch a new small car, the Ford Ka. Before Gilles Moynier can get to the specifics of the marketing strategy to launch the Ford Ka, he needs to decide how to segment the market and who to target. The market research firm has conducted a series of studies among potential small car buyers and now the data must be analyzed and interpreted.

Technological and scientific innovation in recent years has opened up much research and development in relation to human cloning. Many early steps have been taken and further progress is anticipated for the coming decade. This case looks at the development of human cloning; the potential benefits and market potential of such innovation and the challenges the industry might expect to encounter going forward.

Two-party integrative e-mail negotiation between a soccer star and her long-term representative over the terms of a potential new agency contract. It is the year 2030. Football (formerly referred to as "soccer" in the United States but now known as "football" worldwide) continues to be the most popular international sport. Women's football has surpassed men's football as the most attended, watched, and marketed sport in the world. Three years ago, in the 2027 Women's World Cup, a previously unknown Ghanaian forward named Ama Ata Fie emerged as one of the most prolific goal scorers in the world. Kofi Mwenchena, a Ghanaian sports agent, has represented Fie for the past six years, even before she surfaced as one of the world's most popular and successful football stars. Fie and Mwenchena signed an official contract six years ago, just before Fie was drafted to a Ghanaian club team. Mwenchena's contract with Fie has now expired, and the two have not yet been able to agree on terms of a potential new contract. International club rules state that official free agent negotiations begin in less than one week. Fie is still in Brazil completing some marketing obligations for Maccabi Wireless, while Mwenchena is back in Ghana to attend his brother's wedding ceremony, but he and Fie have agreed to try to finalize their contract negotiations via e-mail.