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In 2022, Mazatlán was enjoying a reputation as a popular seaside town on the Mexican Pacific Coast, in the northwestern state of Sinaloa. Protected by a bay and three islands, it offered sandy beaches and favourable weather year-round, making it an attractive destination for Mexican, American, and Canadian vacationers. It was a popular stop for Pacific Ocean cruises, where tourists could enjoy beaches, sunshine, Mexican cuisine and culture, and various sporting activities including baseball, marathons, triathlons, sport fishing, and soccer. However, Mazatlán’s image was being tainted by unfavourable events, which presented unique challenges for the city’s marketers and threatened to endanger the city’s highly successful tourism industry. Mazatlán’s tourism authorities were wondering how to keep the city’s tourism brand and image strong, despite these new and significant challenges.

In 2022, Mazatlán was enjoying a reputation as a popular seaside town on the Mexican Pacific Coast, in the northwestern state of Sinaloa. Protected by a bay and three islands, it offered sandy beaches and favourable weather year-round, making it an attractive destination for Mexican, American, and Canadian vacationers. It was a popular stop for Pacific Ocean cruises, where tourists could enjoy beaches, sunshine, Mexican cuisine and culture, and various sporting activities including baseball, marathons, triathlons, sport fishing, and soccer. However, Mazatlán's image was being tainted by unfavourable events, which presented unique challenges for the city's marketers and threatened to endanger the city's highly successful tourism industry. Mazatlán's tourism authorities were wondering how to keep the city's tourism brand and image strong, despite these new and significant challenges.

Founded in 2017, the canned-water company Liquid Death had raised about US$125 million in venture capital funding and created a strong following within the punk and heavy metal communities. However, the brand was seeking to expand and needed to choose the best growth strategy, which involved deciding which customers to target, whether to develop new products or line extensions, how to continue to use promotions and communications to defend the brand’s “cool” and eco-friendly image while appealing to a broader range of consumers, and how to stave off competitive threats.

Presentation to accompany product W28659.

Bajaj Finance, India's largest consumer finance firm with $20.9 billion of assets across 50.5 million customers, is on a journey to transform itself from a traditional firm that sells loans and other financial products through brick-and-mortar outlets to an omnipresent firm that offers customers a seamless experience across the physical and online world. Can a traditional offline firm with limited experience in the digital arena embrace a new customer-focused way of working? Can it win against a consumer tech giant like Amazon, which aspires to be the "earth's most customer-centric company"?

June 16, 2020, marked another milestone in the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC)'s long history - the opening of the new Clubhouse. Scarlette Leung, the Executive Director of Corporate Planning, Branding and Membership at the HKJC, was introducing the new clubhouse to the guests attending the opening ceremony. Nearly forty months after the new Clubhouse design and business plan was approved by HKJC's Board of Stewards, it was finally ready to be unveiled to HKJC's members. The HKJC had long contemplated the implementation of a digital transformation. The launch of the new Clubhouse project provided the opportunity to go ahead and realize new benefits and services for the members. The initial usage patterns and informal feedback indicated that members were delighted with the new Clubhouse, especially the younger segments. With the new clubhouse, the demand pipeline had increased. Many members had also started using the new digital app, even some of the older ones who were less tech savvy. Still, it was too early to pop the champagne bottles. Challenges remained on the horizon. The pandemic was still ebbing and flowing. Government-imposed social distancing measures severely complicated hospitality businesses, including private clubs such as HKJC. Scarlette was reflected on some of the challenges lying ahead. Would the recent initiatives be sufficient to attract younger members to the Club without alienating older club members? Would there be more breakthroughs for operations to realize new capabilities from the membership transformation? Would new programs and events realize the intent of the business design to attract the younger segments and their social circles for more regular visits? And how about the operational staff who had all learned the new way of operation that was hardwired by the new systems - would they continue to improve and buy into the new direction the Club was heading toward?

Major League Baseball (MLB) had been financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. With a shortened season without fans in attendance, revenue-generating opportunities decreased dramatically from previous years. This case examines issues that MLB teams dealt with during the 2020 season, including the loss of revenue during the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. How would MLB move forward into the 2021 season, having lost a significant amount of money in the previous year? How should its teams invest their resources to maximize earning potential—despite the ongoing pandemic—for this upcoming season and possibly years to come?

This exercise can be used in conjunction with the main case "Zalora: Data-Driven Pricing" to facilitate class discussion without requiring data analysis from the students. Instead, the exercise presesnts reports that were created by the data science team to answer the pricing question presented in the case. The students analyze those reports to facilitate learnings about data genertaing process, descriptive analysis, statistical analysis, and other aspects important for data driven decision making.

Shein, an ultra-fast-fashion brand, is one of the most downloaded shopping apps in the United States. With an estimated value of USD100bn in 2022, Shein has caught the attention of the fashion industry as its huge range of low-priced and ever-changing fashion appeal to young consumers in their teens and twenties. Headquartered in China, Shein's success is built on its proprietary supply chain management system and China's garment production ecosystem to target overseas markets outside China. Shein mainly relies on digital marketing, collaborating with celebrities and influencers to market its products on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Despite keeping a low profile, Shein has found itself at the center of a series of controversies. Among others, Shein has been accused of low quality, copyright infringement, lack of supply chain transparency, encouraging a culture of excessive consumption, and indifference to environmental costs. This case gives an opportunity for students to discuss and explore what factors have contributed to the success of Shein, what challenges Shein is facing and what strategies Shein can adopt to develop a sustainable business. After studying this case, students will know how to identify and develop a company's core competences and develop a sustainable business.

In 2022, retail media was one of the fastest growing segments in digital advertising. A retail media network (RMN) allows a retailer to use its assets for advertising. Retailers set up an advertising business by allowing marketers to buy advertising space across their different channels, such as their website or mobile application as well as physical stores or other properties the retailer owns or partners with. The value proposition retailers offer advertisers is to potentially generate more effective advertising and to drive sales, by leveraging their exclusive data that includes customer behavior and transactions (both online and offline), allowing advertisers to close the loop from ad exposure to purchase across channels. This note provides an overview of retail media networks in 2022. First, it describes the role played by each key player-retailers, brands, and consumers-as well as the main drivers behind the dramatic growth of RMN in the last few years. Then, it describes the main challenges for retailers who aim to seize the RMN opportunity. Third, it positions the RMNs within the broader context of digital advertising, identifying key challenges and open questions in this industry.

By October 2021, the US social media giant Facebook Inc. had been dominating the social media market globally with the highest number of active users. It owned four of the biggest social media platforms—Facebook, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram. However, the company’s history was marked by controversies ranging from ethical matters to social issues. The various crises it had faced to date included thousands of internal documents leaked by whistle-blower Frances Haugen, public criticism by former director Tim Kandell, and data breaches by Cambridge Analytica. These crises were symbolic of the anguish that various stakeholders were feeling. In the aftermath of these events, Facebook Inc. had to contemplate various key questions. Were the controversies destructive to the company, or were they adding value to its growth? Had the company taken the right actions to address its issues, or could it do more to make amends? How could the company prevent the recurrence of such situations in the future?

This case continues the themes discussed in "Pricing at Netflix" (Case 521-004). Following the conclusion of the original case, Netflix developed new, high-profile original content, added millions of subscribers, and introduced another price increase in January 2022. Yet Netflix struggled to grow as streaming rivals such as Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max captured market share and the global pandemic was winding down. The case describes actions that Netflix considered to remain competitive, such as developing video games, charging users for sharing passwords, and, particularly, rolling out an ad-supported tier at a cheaper price than the other plans it currently offered. The case describes other streaming platforms' ad-supported tiers and asks readers to consider whether and how Netflix should design its own ad-supported plan; as well as whether raising subscription prices yet again on its existing plans was advisable.

"The fast-growing educational technology start-up Resilia had successfully initiated its operations in Brazil. It trained full stack developers and connected them with entry-level jobs at unicorn start-up companies such as iFood, Stone, and Nubank, as well as traditional established companies going through a digital transformation process, such as Globo, one of Brazil's largest media conglomerates. After two years of growth between 2019 and 2021, and with evidence for the potential of his start-up idea, the cofounder of Resilia, Bruno Cani, found himself in a challenging position after attracting the investment of XP Investimentos, one of Brazil's largest financial technology firms. As of 2022, Resilia's dilemma was to find a way to scale up the start-up without losing sight of its original purpose, but at the same time to show the potential value of monetizing this initiative in a near future, so that the business could operate without the need for investors' money. Resilia had developed three key major capabilities: (1) acquiring customers (i.e., students) from among the low-income population and selecting the applicants with the most potential, (2) training them and funding their training through a system in which they would pay back the investment based on a percentage of their income once they had completed the program and found work, and (3) connecting with partnering companies to facilitate their employment and career advancement. This case is appropriate for use in an MBA, executive education, or undergraduate course on social entrepreneurship, innovation, marketing, or corporate social responsibility."

The case highlights the journey of a digital gold loan start-up which offers low interest rates, doorstep service, speedy documentation, locker and quick gold withdrawal features to customers looking for a gold loan. This enables the customers to eliminate the fear of social stigma associated with gold loans and complete the formalities from the comfort of their home. The case also talks about the nature of the organized and unorganized gold loan markets. It stresses the relevance of a secure, guaranteed and affordable gold loan structure in a market where interest rates are skyrocketing and customers can easily wind up with unsustainable levels of debt, especially in unorganised gold loan markets.

USV Private Limited (USV), an Indian pharmaceutical company, launched three comparative advertising campaigns for its Sebamed cleansing bar in January 2021, targeting the soap bars of Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) based on the bars’ pH values. Without delay, HUL filed a lawsuit against USV on grounds of disparaging its brands, infringing upon its trademarks, and misleading of consumers. The Bombay High Court restrained USV from continuing with the campaigns, but later vacated that order and delivered another order that permitted USV to continue with one of the three campaigns, directed modifications for the other two, and restrained the company from categorizing soaps as “safe” and “not safe” based on their pH values. HUL eventually began a campaign to refute the pH rationale used in USV’s advertisements. USV now had questions to consider: Would consumers buy its Sebamed cleansing bar for the bar’s “ideal” pH level as communicated in the ads, or was it time to change its advertising strategy?

Doodlage Retail LLP (Doodlage), a sustainable fashion brand based in India, was based on an idea that had come to the co-founder while she was interning with export houses. There, she witnessed large-scale discarding of fabric waste, which found its way to landfills and became a major source of pollution. Doodlage utilized the practices of circularity—repairing, reusing, refurbishing, and recycling—to transform industrial waste into women’s apparel. With time, the company came to collaborate with numerous players and extended into categories like home furnishings, accessories, and men’s apparel. Relying primarily on social media and e-commerce sites to market its wares, Doodlage slowly built a niche for itself. After nearly a decade, awareness of sustainable fashion, ethical fashion, and slow fashion had risen, and a number of competitors had emerged, heating up the competitive landscape. Doodlage thus faced multiple future challenges and needed to decide whether to continue to focus on the niche it had created for itself or to go mainstream. What was the optimal way forward?

USV Private Limited (USV), an Indian pharmaceutical company, launched three comparative advertising campaigns for its Sebamed cleansing bar in January 2021, targeting the soap bars of Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) based on the bars' pH values. Without delay, HUL filed a lawsuit against USV on grounds of disparaging its brands, infringing upon its trademarks, and misleading of consumers. The Bombay High Court restrained USV from continuing with the campaigns, but later vacated that order and delivered another order that permitted USV to continue with one of the three campaigns, directed modifications for the other two, and restrained the company from categorizing soaps as "safe" and "not safe" based on their pH values. HUL eventually began a campaign to refute the pH rationale used in USV's advertisements. USV now had questions to consider: Would consumers buy its Sebamed cleansing bar for the bar's "ideal" pH level as communicated in the ads, or was it time to change its advertising strategy?

Doodlage Retail LLP (Doodlage), a sustainable fashion brand based in India, was based on an idea that had come to the co-founder while she was interning with export houses. There, she witnessed large-scale discarding of fabric waste, which found its way to landfills and became a major source of pollution. Doodlage utilized the practices of circularity-repairing, reusing, refurbishing, and recycling-to transform industrial waste into women's apparel. With time, the company came to collaborate with numerous players and extended into categories like home furnishings, accessories, and men's apparel. Relying primarily on social media and e-commerce sites to market its wares, Doodlage slowly built a niche for itself. After nearly a decade, awareness of sustainable fashion, ethical fashion, and slow fashion had risen, and a number of competitors had emerged, heating up the competitive landscape. Doodlage thus faced multiple future challenges and needed to decide whether to continue to focus on the niche it had created for itself or to go mainstream. What was the optimal way forward?

The case elaborates the relaunch of Chetak, the iconic scooter brand by Bajaj Auto Limited (BAL), from the perspective of brand identity, legacy brands, and brand extension authenticity. It traces the journey of Chetak from being the market leader in the Indian two-wheeler segment in the 1970s and 1980s to its gradual exit from the market in 2005. With the discontinuation of Chetak, BAL completely withdrew from the scooter market in India to build a motorcycle-focused business. The case locates the reader in December 2019, 14 years from BAL's exit from the scooter market. BAL had decided to bring back Chetak and wanted to launch it as a modern electric scooter in 2020. Although Chetak carried a positive legacy from the past, it needed to reconfigure its brand identity to fit with the new electric vehicle category. However, in this reconfiguration, the brand needed to be careful about not losing the authenticity connected to its past. The case focuses on the dilemma facing the protagonists regarding the brand positioning of the revived Chetak.