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Denitsa Ikonomova is a champion professional dancer on Dancing with the Stars (France) who has become a desired social media influencer. She must now consider the business side of her profession and decide how to leverage her celebrity.

Denitsa Ikonomova is a champion professional dancer on Dancing with the Stars (France) who has become a desired social media influencer. She must now consider the business side of her profession and decide how to leverage her celebrity.

At a time when the wellness industry was experiencing a dynamic renaissance, Weight Watchers International Inc. was stuck with an aging demographic. In 2018, in an effort to stay relevant, the company rebranded itself as WW International Inc. (WW). The goal was to make wellness accessible to all, and to transform from a diet brand to a global wellness juggernaut. However, despite the rebrand and support from celebrity spokesperson Oprah Winfrey, WW's stock price declined sharply. The results led to a number of questions about the soundness of WW's marketing strategy. What should WW do to prevent a meltdown in brand equity, retain its loyal customers, and realize its ambitious goals in the wellness space?

At a time when the wellness industry was experiencing a dynamic renaissance, Weight Watchers International Inc. was stuck with an aging demographic. In 2018, in an effort to stay relevant, the company rebranded itself as WW International Inc. (WW). The goal was to make wellness accessible to all, and to transform from a diet brand to a global wellness juggernaut. However, despite the rebrand and support from celebrity spokesperson Oprah Winfrey, WW’s stock price declined sharply. The results led to a number of questions about the soundness of WW’s marketing strategy. What should WW do to prevent a meltdown in brand equity, retain its loyal customers, and realize its ambitious goals in the wellness space?

Spreadsheet to accompany product 8B20A065.

This technical note explores the concepts of marketing as a ploy, promotion and position. To build a sustainable business, where customers return and spread positive word of mouth, one must satisfy customers as well as ensure an adequate profit margin for the firm. This is simpler said than done. From this perspective, marketing is fundamentally about seeking a unique competitive position in the industry for the firm's offer.

In early 2020, during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, Google Trends data revealed a surge in the use of the search terms "Corona beer virus" and "beer virus" by users of the Google search engine. A survey conducted around that time also seemed to suggest that consumers were less likely to buy Corona beer, which led various major media outlets to misrepresent the accuracy of the findings regarding consumer beliefs about the association between Corona beer and coronavirus. However, the chief executive officer of Constellation Brands Inc., the Corona brand's distributor, was confident about the brand's performance and did not change the company's plans for a US spring 2020 launch of Corona hard seltzer. Consumers criticized both the poor timing of the planned launch, during the coronavirus pandemic, and various promotions for Corona beer that were considered inappropriate. Constellation Brands Inc. had to consider the effect, if any, on Corona beer sales in the United States. Should the launch of Corona hard seltzer go on as planned during the coronavirus pandemic? How should the company respond to misleading survey reports by some media outlets? Should bar owners in the United States be cautioned against launching promotional campaigns that link the Corona beer brand with the coronavirus?

In early 2020, during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, Google Trends data revealed a surge in the use of the search terms “Corona beer virus” and “beer virus” by users of the Google search engine. A survey conducted around that time also seemed to suggest that consumers were less likely to buy Corona beer, which led various major media outlets to misrepresent the accuracy of the findings regarding consumer beliefs about the association between Corona beer and coronavirus. However, the chief executive officer of Constellation Brands Inc., the Corona brand’s distributor, was confident about the brand’s performance and did not change the company’s plans for a US spring 2020 launch of Corona hard seltzer. Consumers criticized both the poor timing of the planned launch, during the coronavirus pandemic, and various promotions for Corona beer that were considered inappropriate. Constellation Brands Inc. had to consider the effect, if any, on Corona beer sales in the United States. Should the launch of Corona hard seltzer go on as planned during the coronavirus pandemic? How should the company respond to misleading survey reports by some media outlets? Should bar owners in the United States be cautioned against launching promotional campaigns that link the Corona beer brand with the coronavirus?

Since its launch in 1998 as "the Amazon.com of DVDs," Netflix had evolved from a DVD rental company to a video streaming platform and producer of original films and television shows. As the company matured, it regularly increased prices and adjusted its product offerings while continuing to add new subscribers. However, between late 2019 and mid-2020, competition within the streaming industry intensified with the launch of new entrants such as Disney+, Apple TV+, and HBO Max, jeopardizing Netflix's position as the industry leader. In spite of the heightened competition in the streaming industry, some analysts and customer willingness-to-pay surveys suggested that Netflix had the opportunity to implement another rate hike in the near future. By May 2020, Netflix must decide whether to increase prices again, or whether it should consider a different pricing model altogether.

In March 2020, direct-to-consumer (DTC) company Pattern Brands needed to decide how to allocate resources across its different brands. Pattern Co-Founders Nick Ling and Emmett Shine hoped to avoid the pitfalls faced by some DTC companies-such as inability to scale and lack of competitive differentiation-by relying on their previous experience running a successful branding and marketing agency. Rather than focusing on a single brand, they conceived Pattern as a "DTC 2.0" model-a portfolio of 5 to 10 brands that shared a common theme of activities related to the home and a common mission of helping millennials enjoy daily life. Since its founding in August 2019, Pattern had launched cookware brand Equal Parts and home organization brand Open Spaces. Although Pattern's team still believed strongly in the benefits of a multi-brand strategy, Open Spaces' sales and unit economics had significantly outperformed Equal Parts' to date. Pattern's leadership wanted to build on Open Spaces' early momentum with new product colors and product lines, but they debated whether to act on the results of a recent customer survey indicating a positive response to an Equal Parts product redesign. Ling and Shine now had several decisions to consider. How should they allocate resources between repositioning Equal Parts and continuing to grow Open Spaces? How and when should they continue building Pattern's portfolio by developing a third brand? How much should they invest in marketing parent brand Pattern? More broadly, did Pattern's model represent the future of DTC brands?

By 2017, the comprehensive multi-brand Chinese clothing manufacturer Bosideng International Holdings Limited (Bosideng), founded in 1976, had become famous for its main business of down jackets. After almost 40 years of rapid development, Bosideng had become the top brand in the Chinese down apparel industry and had established strong brand equity. However, the company’s performance had been in decline since 2013. Faced with increasingly fierce competition, Bosideng had gradually lost its appeal to younger customers, who were uninterested in its unfashionable designs. The reduced profit level threatened Bosideng’s further development. In 2017, Bosideng’s chairperson and president was considering how to overcome this dilemma by revitalizing the brand. He hoped to strengthen the position of the Bosideng brand in the Chinese down jacket market and even in the global market in the future. However, he was not sure which approach would be most effective: should he maintain Bosideng’s existing brand values or invest in rebranding?

By 2017, the comprehensive multi-brand Chinese clothing manufacturer Bosideng International Holdings Limited (Bosideng), founded in 1976, had become famous for its main business of down jackets. After almost 40 years of rapid development, Bosideng had become the top brand in the Chinese down apparel industry and had established strong brand equity. However, the company's performance had been in decline since 2013. Faced with increasingly fierce competition, Bosideng had gradually lost its appeal to younger customers, who were uninterested in its unfashionable designs. The reduced profit level threatened Bosideng's further development. In 2017, Bosideng's chairperson and president was considering how to overcome this dilemma by revitalizing the brand. He hoped to strengthen the position of the Bosideng brand in the Chinese down jacket market and even in the global market in the future. However, he was not sure which approach would be most effective: should he maintain Bosideng's existing brand values or invest in rebranding?

This public-sourced case uses Facebook, the legendary social media platform, to unfold circumstances that allow an analysis of the firm's privacy risk around its marketing tools and use of collected consumer data. Although Facebook had made progress on providing users more transparency around how it operated, how policies were enforced, and how shared data has been collected since 2018, challenges persisted-most notably over how to deal with misinformation on Facebook's platform and what to do with efforts to regain public trust. Facebook needed access to user data in order to ensure its advertising revenue source remained profitable. The scandal around user data and Cambridge Analytica leaves the case open to exploring privacy policies, data use, and factors driving consumer concerns regarding their data. The case provides an overview of Facebook's platform and policies that can be used to discuss the responsibility future general managers have to consider privacy and transparency when using consumer data. Had Facebook crossed the line with users over data collection? And what, if anything, should be done about regulators' increasing interest in how the firm conducted business? Although this case was written and taught before the global COVID-19 pandemic struck, it provides an interesting contrast to consumers' attitudes toward trust and legitimacy issues before and after COVID-19.

In September 2015, the owner of Jayman BUILT, a homebuilder and developer in Alberta, was fine-tuning his vision for a resort-style residential community in the outer suburbs of Calgary, Alberta. The development, Westman Village, would be a legacy project and the first of its kind in Calgary-a high-density, walkable, and amenity-rich community. Work on the development was planned for September 2016, and the owner was eager to showcase the innovative community; however, the economy was in a recession and a tough housing market was likely. How could the company develop a unique marketing strategy to convince prospective customers to buy into the one-of-a-kind project?

In September 2015, the owner of Jayman BUILT, a homebuilder and developer in Alberta, was fine-tuning his vision for a resort-style residential community in the outer suburbs of Calgary, Alberta. The development, Westman Village, would be a legacy project and the first of its kind in Calgary—a high-density, walkable, and amenity-rich community. Work on the development was planned for September 2016, and the owner was eager to showcase the innovative community; however, the economy was in a recession and a tough housing market was likely. How could the company develop a unique marketing strategy to convince prospective customers to buy into the one-of-a-kind project?

Metro Cash and Carry India Private Limited (Metro C&C) was a chain of wholesale stores owned by the German retailer Metro Group, which opened its first store in India in the southern city of Bangalore in 2003. By 2018, the company led the cash-and-carry segment of the Indian wholesale market, but was still not profitable. It faced challenges related to high real estate costs, competition from domestic and international wholesale firms, and competition from a strengthening e-commerce sector. Its most important customer segment—small, unorganized retailers, or kiranas—faced similar challenges. With considerable investments in the country, Metro C&C needed to develop a strategy to become profitable in the country after 15 years of operations. How could it build active engagements with different customer segments to improve its performance and turn a profit?

Metro Cash and Carry India Private Limited (Metro C&C) was a chain of wholesale stores owned by the German retailer Metro Group, which opened its first store in India in the southern city of Bangalore in 2003. By 2018, the company led the cash-and-carry segment of the Indian wholesale market, but was still not profitable. It faced challenges related to high real estate costs, competition from domestic and international wholesale firms, and competition from a strengthening e-commerce sector. Its most important customer segment-small, unorganized retailers, or kiranas-faced similar challenges. With considerable investments in the country, Metro C&C needed to develop a strategy to become profitable in the country after 15 years of operations. How could it build active engagements with different customer segments to improve its performance and turn a profit?

Influencer marketing is the practice of compensating individuals for posting about a product or service on social media. Influencer marketing is on the rise, and many marketers now plan either to start using influencers or to increase their use of them in their media mixes. Despite such growth, relatively little strategic or academic insight exists that is specific to influencers. In this article, we describe the roots of influencer marketing and the many different types of influencers that now exist. We identify influencers' three functional components: the audience, the endorser, and the social media manager. We then detail for each of these components the different sources of value influencers potentially offer marketers. We draw on relevant academic research to offer advice about how to leverage each component strategically. We close by describing how the interplay of these functional components makes influencers a potentially powerful-and undervalued-marketing tool.

In July 2019, the uncertainty that had been surrounding Brexit since the public referendum in June 2016 had led to a crisis for Owen Barry Inc. (Owen Barry), a luxury goods manufacturing enterprise in the United Kingdom. The company's finance and production manager had voted in favour of Brexit but was hardly prepared for the deadlock that followed. He was now weighing different options for navigating a way out of the company's predicament. His three main concerns were: How should he deal with the exchange rate fluctuations that had been affecting the company's revenues and margins? How should he deal with issues around sourcing and importing essential raw materials? How should he deal with problems around the recruitment and retention of the skilled workforce at the company's manufacturing plant near London?

In January 2020, Jai Prakash Chaubey, the managing director of Sarva Pharmaceuticals Private Limited (Sarva), needed to decide whether or not to accept a proposal from Gursim Pharmaceutical Limited (Gursim) to market some of Sarva's products in Cambodia. Sarva had been performing well; however, the company's profitability in Cambodia was minimal. Should Chaubey accept Gursim's offer? Or should he hire a new country head who could drive the sales in the country and motivate the sales team for better results? Other options included restructuring Sarva's product portfolio or shutting down the company's marketing arm to focus solely on distribution. What strategies should he adopt to turn around his company's performance, strengthen its presence in Cambodia, and remain on course to achieve the company's target for 2020?