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Describes the situation faced by GCI.com in April 2000, soon after raising $12 million for their new venture. After hiring an advertising agency, management needs to decide on the nature of the advertising campaign to target the right set of customers with the right message.

As cable operators across Europe go digital, they will require a means of remotely upgrading the applications software on subscribers' digital set-top boxes, using some kind of loader software to do so. Intellibyte Inc., a small Canadian software firm, has developed the only remote loader software that currently meets the specifications of the European Cable Communications Association. However, it must sell the software to manufacturers of set-top boxes before cable operators can use it. The competition is no more than two years behind. The president must decide among several pricing and positioning alternatives for intellectual property products in a complex industry.

South African Breweries (SAB) was the only profitable international brewer in the crowded and hyper-competitive beer market in China. SAB's keen understanding of emerging market environments allowed it to develop a unique strategy for the Chinese market that resulted in large market shares in each of the provinces in which it was present. However, it served only 5% of China's immense population. The managing director was faced with decisions: how to expand to other markets where SAB's approach would be replicated, how SAB could expand its successful business model to new markets, and what would happen when it ran head-to-head with a global giant or a well-positioned local competitor.

How can manufacturers of styled products analyze and predict consumers' style preferences more effectively? Based on insights from a decade of desk and field research, the authors outline a model for facilitating style decisions that balance extreme innovation with the least market risk. The core concept in the model is adoption propensity (AP): the quantifiable willingness of an individual consumer to adopt new and different styles. By relating style appeal to consumers' AP over time, one can construct a model of the style acceptance cycle that fits the research data and provides predictive power in the development phase of a style. The model suggests the importance of separating a style's total sample appeal into that of consumers with high and low APs. Otherwise, there is no way to tell the difference between a promising cycle marked by steadily increasing style acceptance and the opposite one of a premature "has-been." There is no such thing as a universal category of early adopters, and they can be identified for a specific product category only by interview or similar methods. Early adopters alone tell us nothing about a style's potential; more important is the absolute difference in acceptance between high and low APs--if both early and late adopters like a style, then it's fine for today, but has no future. Wherever styled products are targeted to the mass market, this type of pre-market testing should become a normal function of product development.

An online resource for independent professionals must create a marketing plan to build brand awareness. Along with the tone and message of the ads, the executives must choose from several different treatments and media, keeping within their budget.

Presents results of a consumer survey used to guide selection of a new corporate brand name. Four alternative names are tested for their ability to communicate desired company attributes to consumers. The pros and cons of developing brand names at corporate versus subunit levels are also considered. Strategic recommendations for the company's brand architecture and its unifying corporate values provide background for the naming decision at hand.

Kana is a young Internet software company wondering how it should react to the rapid emergence of Application Service Providers (ASPs), firms that host software applications for customers who can reach those via the Internet. ASPs may be a new channel of distribution for software vendors. Issues of channel design, channel conflict, and resource allocation are all addressed.

Volkswagen of America introduced the New Beetle at the Detroit auto show in January 1998 to rave reviews from the automobile press and industry gurus. Elisabeth Vanzura, marketing director of Volkswagen American had the challenging task of converting this enthusiasm to sales. Her first set of decisions related to the target market selection and positioning of the New Beetle. Includes color exhibits.

Spreadsheet supplement for case 501-023.

Describes the start-up and first-year difficulties of Freeport Studio, a unit of L.L. Bean, founded in 1998 to sell women's clothing by catalog. First-year sales were far below plan, and projected profits did not materialize. Fran Philip must identify the problems and plan what must be done to make the unit profitable by year two. Includes color exhibits.

The president director of Dharmala Manulife, a large, successful Canadian-Indonesian joint venture life insurance company, faced a significant disruption to operations due to social unrest in Jakarta. Moreover, the Asian financial crisis had resulted in a massive devaluation of the rupiah, in terms of the U.S. dollar. Thus, premiums on U.S.-dollar denominated policies had become prohibitively expensive almost overnight. Policy surrenders, redemptions, and lapses were occurring at an alarming rate. This erosion of the company's client base also meant that sales agents (who worked solely on commissions) were not only losing clients, but were also facing a tremendous challenge in writing new policies in light of the economic, political, and social chaos. Given the external situation, the president director and his senior management team were forced to develop effective strategic marketing decisions. The case asks students to consider the marketing plan for the launch of a new product designed to address the market realities and how to manage the commissioned salesforce in light of the disruption to operations.

Top management at Research in Motion (RIM) were considering a significant change in strategic direction. RIM manufactured two-way pager, wireless PC card and OEM radio products. With the anticipated convergence of wireless and Internet e-mail, RIM saw an opportunity to sell end users a two-way, e-mail end-to-end solution, including both hardware and telecommunication service. Management had to assess whether this was an attractive opportunity. If they did enter the market, RIM would have to decide whether to target individual users or corporate information technology departments and select channels to reach its targeted customers. RIM also faced some challenging marketing communication issues, since about 50 per cent of potential users showed no interest in a mobile e-mail solution.

Students take the role of managers for a firm that is experiencing a product disaster (the coffee makers they produce are starting kitchen fires). Students have 90 minutes to prepare a statement for a press conference, and then present their statement to the press (other students who are selected to play the role of the journalists).

Independer.com is an Internet start-up in the Dutch financial services industry. The case describes a strategic decision confronting Managing Director Edmund Hilhorst in April of 2000. Hilhorst must decide which option to choose for the loyalty program that would govern the excess commissions which Independer would accrue.

The founder and managing director of looks.com, a soon-to-be-launched Hong Kong based e-commerce site for brand name cosmetics, fragrances, skin care products and fashion aimed at Asian women, had to make a key strategic decision - should he engage in parallel importing? He considered this decision one that would likely have the largest impact on the success, or failure, of his dream. Parallel importing, also known as grey marketing, involves the legal, though disturbing practice (to many manufacturers and distributors) of sourcing products wholesale from unauthorized distributors. The case issue has universal appeal, given the ever-increasing prevalence of parallel importing throughout the world. Students are introduced to the Internet industry in Hong Kong, and are provided the background information for an in-depth analysis of the positives and negatives of engaging in parallel importing. A short supplement is available: Looks.com (B), 9B00A013.

A leading French cosmetics house has told the founder and managing director of looks.com that they wouldn't be able to sell products directly to looks.com due to the potential conflicts with existing retailers, but has suggested that they could buy the products on the parallel markets instead. Looks.com will have to weigh the benefits and risks of sourcing these products from an unauthorized distributor. This case is a supplement to the looks.com (A)-A Grey Issue case, 9B00A012.

Describes the situation faced by Omnitel soon after launching its mobile telecommunication services in Italy in December 1995. Competing against the Italian monopoly, TIM, Omnitel had positioned its services to be better on the quality dimension. However, sales were significantly below expectations. In order to develop a new strategy, Omnitel conducted extensive marketing research. This research identified the varying needs of different customer segments. Omnitel now had to decide whether to attack a new segment with a new service plan, "LIBERO," to improve on past performance.

The second Harley-Davidson Posse Ride, a grueling 2,300 mile, 10-day trek from South Padre Island, Tex., to the Canadian Border is billed "for serious riders only." Harley Owner's Group (H.O.G.) Director Mike Keefe must decide whether this rolling rally deserves a place in the H.O.G. product line, and if so, what philosophy and tactics to adopt in future design. This case helps students get inside one of the world's strongest brands to consider issues of brand loyalty, close-to-the-customer philosophy, the cultivation of brand community, and the day-to-day execution of relationship marketing programs. What benefits accrue from relationship programs such as this? Can brand community be built? How? What is the role of the marketer in this process? Is it better to develop customer intimacy or empathy when executing close-to-the-customer goals? Can management really balance apparently disparate subcultures such as the retired bikers, Yuppie Weekend Warriors, and serious outlaws within one community? Includes color exhibits.

As Monsanto launches Roundup Ready® Soybeans in 1995, its executives must choose a target segment and decide how to position the new product and how to support that position through appropriate tactical decisions regarding price, distribution, and communication. The genetically altered soybeans will not die when sprayed with Monsanto's Roundup, the world's leading herbicide.

Designed primarily to give students the opportunity to evaluate brands by breaking down individual attributes and analyzing performance in these areas. In doing so, students will be able to isolate a brand's distinct characteristics and decide which areas are the most important for improving brand performance.