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Presentation for product 8B20A036.

In January 2020, the co-founder of Alpha Advantech LLP (Alpha Advantech), an agricultural and gardening products company based in Karnal, Haryana, India, had to decide whether to drive an organic growth strategy and utilize his resources to expand the company’s operations, or stick to consolidation and market penetration with the current range of products. Alpha Advantech had performed well since its inception in 2016, and the co-founder aimed to make it a ₹600 million company by 2022. However, the current team size and scale limitations of the company were potential impediments to achieving this target. The co-founder could not decide whether to let Alpha Advantech stay niche in the business or to expand it both geographically and in terms of its range of offerings. He realized that if he were to choose expansion over consolidation, he would need to devise a strategic plan for Alpha Advantech’s growth, assess the technical and digital capabilities that his company would require, and anticipate the scalability issues it was likely to face.

In 2016, China witnessed a significant rise in the knowledge economy. Many users, who had been used to consuming information on the Internet for free, had become increasingly willing to pay for user-generated-content (UGC). Recognizing this emerging opportunity, Qiushibaike (QB), a well-established UGC platform with a focus on entertaining content, rolled out a new pay-for-knowledge product, namely Youliaodao (YLD), which focused on informational content. Instead of following the popular pay-for-knowledge product endorsed by eye-catching celebrities for hedonic needs, YLD differentiated itself by charging for high-quality UGC for practical problem-solving. QB needed to make a critical decision: Should the company support YLD with additional investments and promotion of its informational content, or should QB terminate YLD and return to the company’s core competence area of promoting more entertaining content? How could YLD cope with the increased competition and overcome these obstacles?

In early January 2018, the chief executive officer and co-founder of Tamul Plates Marketing Private Limited had just confirmed the next round of much-needed funding. Having accomplished this goal, he was reassured that funding was taken care of until 2020. The funds would drive a long-awaited expansion and take the company to its next phase of growth. Although he had worked hard to refine the company’s business model over the previous six to seven years, the co-founder was still working on fine tuning the company’s distribution strategy. One challenge was how to expand distribution channels across India. Historically, more than 70 per cent of sales came from wholesalers. However, with increasing attention on building the brand, the co-founder worried that this approach might not work in the future.

In early January 2018, the chief executive officer and co-founder of Tamul Plates Marketing Private Limited had just confirmed the next round of much-needed funding. Having accomplished this goal, he was reassured that funding was taken care of until 2020. The funds would drive a long-awaited expansion and take the company to its next phase of growth. Although he had worked hard to refine the company's business model over the previous six to seven years, the co-founder was still working on fine tuning the company's distribution strategy. One challenge was how to expand distribution channels across India. Historically, more than 70 per cent of sales came from wholesalers. However, with increasing attention on building the brand, the co-founder worried that this approach might not work in the future.

In 2016, China witnessed a significant rise in the knowledge economy. Many users, who had been used to consuming information on the Internet for free, had become increasingly willing to pay for user-generated-content (UGC). Recognizing this emerging opportunity, Qiushibaike (QB), a well-established UGC platform with a focus on entertaining content, rolled out a new pay-for-knowledge product, namely Youliaodao (YLD), which focused on informational content. Instead of following the popular pay-for-knowledge product endorsed by eye-catching celebrities for hedonic needs, YLD differentiated itself by charging for high-quality UGC for practical problem-solving. QB needed to make a critical decision: Should the company support YLD with additional investments and promotion of its informational content, or should QB terminate YLD and return to the company's core competence area of promoting more entertaining content? How could YLD cope with the increased competition and overcome these obstacles?

In-N-Out was an iconic burger chain that had changed little since it was founded in 1948. The company remained family-owned and had continually resisted going public. The company was only located in seven US states and grew slowly and deliberately in order to ensure that it could continue to offer a high quality product and experience to its customers at low prices. Current CEO Lynsi Snyder was interested in continued growth for In-N-Out, but not at the cost of sacrificing the quality of its products or the unique way in which the company operated. How could she grow the company without altering its identity?

Jacquelyn Yang is the Senior Marketing Manager at a young Singapore company, Funding Societies, in the nascent debt crowdfunding scene in the island city-state. Debt crowdfunding, also referred to as peer-to-peer (P2P) lending, represents an alternative source of loans for businesses to borrow money. P2P companies are different from banks in that they operate through online platforms, utilise data analytics and algorithms for credit risk assessment, and have much shorter turnaround times for loan approvals than the banks. Moreover, while banks lend money to companies using customer deposits, P2P companies play the part of a matchmaker by enabling individual investors to put money directly towards funding a particular loan. Crowdfunding is part of a growing worldwide trend in FinTech innovations. It is perhaps unsurprising then that there were no fewer than seven P2P lenders in a mere three years since the first company, MoolahSense, was founded in Singapore in 2013. The rivalry is intense and exacerbated by the fact that business loans tend to be a product that does not differentiate on non-price factors. In addition, all of the competing companies, with the exception of CoAssets, appear to be competing head-on for the same general SME market. To improve the effectiveness of their marketing efforts, it would be helpful for Funding Societies to move away from a 'shotgun' approach to marketing to more carefully identify the segments or types of SMEs that would be more inclined to borrow from the crowdfunding market. These SMEs would represent the 'lower hanging fruit' so-to-speak, and identifying who they are will help Funding Societies better focus their marketing resources. Understanding the factors that influence an SME's decision to borrow from a P2P lender will help Funding Societies build a strong competitive advantage, giving it an edge over its P2P competitors as well as banks. What should Yang focus the marketing strategy on?

In-N-Out was an iconic burger chain that had changed little since it was founded in 1948. The company remained family-owned and had continually resisted going public. The company was only located in seven US states and grew slowly and deliberately in order to ensure that it could continue to offer a high quality product and experience to its customers at low prices. Current CEO Lynsi Snyder was interested in continued growth for In-N-Out, but not at the cost of sacrificing the quality of its products or the unique way in which the company operated. How could she grow the company without altering its identity?

Guelph-based Intrigue Media (Intrigue), a marketing agency, has built a wholly-owned and operated network of 200 television screens in high-traffic consumer environments in Southwestern Ontario. The network reaches 1.5 million potential customers per month, and targets local small businesses wanting to expand their customer base. The business development manager at Intrigue has been tasked with developing a business plan to grow this video advertising network. She is reviewing several options, one of which includes the opportunity to seek outside investment.

In June 2019, a newly promoted branch manager of a bank in Davao City, Philippines, must recommend to the bank’s head office who among six loan applicants will obtain loans from the branch. She has received applications for ₱24 million in loans but can only grant ₱18 million. The branch manager needs to (a) decide how much to loan and to which customers, (b) find ways to retain valuable customers and acquire new ones, and (c) consider new avenues to accommodate the increasing number of applicants at her branch. The case encourages students to apply customer relationship management concepts in deciding which borrowers to recommend and it offers an opportunity to discuss the role of marketers as trusted advisers to their clients.

In June 2019, a newly promoted branch manager of a bank in Davao City, Philippines, must recommend to the bank's head office who among six loan applicants will obtain loans from the branch. She has received applications for 24 million in loans but can only grant 18 million. The branch manager needs to (a) decide how much to loan and to which customers, (b) find ways to retain valuable customers and acquire new ones, and (c) consider new avenues to accommodate the increasing number of applicants at her branch. The case encourages students to apply customer relationship management concepts in deciding which borrowers to recommend and it offers an opportunity to discuss the role of marketers as trusted advisers to their clients.

Guelph-based Intrigue Media (Intrigue), a marketing agency, has built a wholly-owned and operated network of 200 television screens in high-traffic consumer environments in Southwestern Ontario. The network reaches 1.5 million potential customers per month, and targets local small businesses wanting to expand their customer base. The business development manager at Intrigue has been tasked with developing a business plan to grow this video advertising network. She is reviewing several options, one of which includes the opportunity to seek outside investment.

Asha Handicrafts Association (Asha) was a fair trade marketing organization, headquartered in Mumbai, India. The organization primarily marketed and sold handicrafts sourced from artisans across India to three main customer segments. The first segment consisted of fair trade importers outside of India, where Asha was a leading player. The second segment consisted of commercial importers who sold products through commercial retail stores abroad. Asha had done reasonably well in this segment in a pilot project. The third segment was the domestic retail market, where Asha ran its own retail store chain in India with the brand name of Karigar. In January 2017, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Asha deliberated the all-important decision of whether to continue with or shut down Asha's retail business, Karigar. The CEO also examined how Asha could redefine its value proposition and determine which customer segment (or segments) to focus on while building its strategic road map for the future.

In June 2019, the chief executive officer of a Canadian menswear enterprise was examining his options mid-way through a five-year growth plan. The strategy involved a three-fold mandate: reinforce the company's value proposition, rapidly scale up marketing, and transition to omnichannel retailing. What has worked well for the company and how does the strategy need to be refined so the company meets its goals?

In July 2018 Sherry Schaefer, the Director, Foundation & Community Engagement at the CapitalCare Foundation (the Foundation) was facing an organizational branding/positioning problem. The Foundation, based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, was responsible for raising donations to support equipment and enrichment programs in long-term care facilities that provide long-term housing and medical care for sick and elderly people. The Foundation was competing with many large and well-organized charities and was losing visibility in the crowded charity market. Schaefer had just found out that the Foundation would have to double annual donations, and she needed to decide how to overcome the market visibility problems to make that happen.

In June 2019, the chief executive officer of a Canadian menswear enterprise was examining his options mid-way through a five-year growth plan. The strategy involved a three-fold mandate: reinforce the company’s value proposition, rapidly scale up marketing, and transition to omnichannel retailing. What has worked well for the company and how does the strategy need to be refined so the company meets its goals?

In July 2018 Sherry Schaefer, the Director, Foundation & Community Engagement at the CapitalCare Foundation (the Foundation) was facing an organizational branding/positioning problem. The Foundation, based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, was responsible for raising donations to support equipment and enrichment programs in long-term care facilities that provide long-term housing and medical care for sick and elderly people. The Foundation was competing with many large and well-organized charities and was losing visibility in the crowded charity market. Schaefer had just found out that the Foundation would have to double annual donations, and she needed to decide how to overcome the market visibility problems to make that happen.

Asha Handicrafts Association (Asha) was a fair trade marketing organization, headquartered in Mumbai, India. The organization primarily marketed and sold handicrafts sourced from artisans across India to three main customer segments. The first segment consisted of fair trade importers outside of India, where Asha was a leading player. The second segment consisted of commercial importers who sold products through commercial retail stores abroad. Asha had done reasonably well in this segment in a pilot project. The third segment was the domestic retail market, where Asha ran its own retail store chain in India with the brand name of Karigar. In January 2017, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Asha deliberated the all-important decision of whether to continue with or shut down Asha’s retail business, Karigar. The CEO also examined how Asha could redefine its value proposition and determine which customer segment (or segments) to focus on while building its strategic road map for the future.