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In this case, students step into the shoes of a brand manager at UK-based online peer-to-peer lending company Zopa as she decides whether or not to recommend that the company undertake a brand redesign. Students are provided a brand design worksheet to help them understand the component parts of brand strategy and brand design and to help structure their assessment of Zopa's current brand. They are then challenged to consider if, to what extent, and how Zopa's brand design should change as a function of the company's brand strategy. Finally, they will learn a set of best practices, or guidelines, for approaching brand redesigns.

In 2016, MGM Resorts International announced it would break with the long-standing tradition of providing free parking on the Las Vegas Strip. Other Las Vegas resort companies, including Caesars Entertainment and Wynn Resorts, soon followed suit. Las Vegas Sands Corp. owned the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino, the Palazzo, and the Sands Expo and Convention Center, and had no plans to charge for parking. As more hotels and casinos chose to implement paid parking on the Las Vegas Strip, the president and chief operating officer of Las Vegas Sands Corp. properties faced a decision: should the Las Vegas Sands Corp. properties continue to offer free self-parking and use it as a differentiating marketing tactic, or should it follow the trend of its competitors and generate additional income by introducing parking fee?

"Mondelēz International" is a packaged foods company competing primarily in "snacks" around the globe. The case describes how and why the Kraft Inc. CEO, and later Mondelez CEO, Irene Rosenfeld, created Mondelez, and how she positioned it as a growth company at a time when many packaged food companies were suffering declines. The case also discusses trends in the snack food business and invites readers to suggest how the company's new CEO should build on the foundation that Irene created.

With 33,000 employees and revenues of $13 billion in 2016, Kellogg Company was the world's largest producer of branded packaged cereal and a leader in branded convenience foods. Founded in 1906 and based in Michigan, the company had a proud history of product and marketing innovation starting with its first product, Kellogg's Toasted Corn Flakes, which created the cold cereal category. In recent years, however, Kellogg's revenue had declined due to a number of factors, including changing consumer tastes, increased competition, and evolving advertising trends and sales channels. Seeing innovation as a key to future success, in 2016 the company established eighteen94 capital, its corporate venture capital arm, which had announced investments in three startups as of late 2017. eighteen94 was conceived as a platform for giving Kellogg access to the kinds of skills, products, and ingredients that could help drive future growth. It was also a vehicle for changing mindsets and culture by reviving the entrepreneurial spirit that some felt had eroded within Kellogg. This case allows students to consider what sort of impact on internal culture and behavior Kellogg should expect from eighteen94 in its current form. Does eighteen94 have the potential to drive the kind of changes and benefits that Kellogg needs?

This note provides an overview of the snacking industry in 2017.

In 2017, Joelle Faulkner, CEO of Area One Farms, a Canadian private-equity fund focused on investing in the best Canadian farms and helping them expand, considered the merits and disadvantages of expanding her business to the U.S. While the markets shared some similarities, Faulkner did not know the U.S. market as well as the Canadian one. Could her joint venture partnership model work as well in the U.S. as it had in her home country?

In 2009, Samuel Lim, Daniel Lim, and Benjamin Han, saw growth opportunities in the online accessible luxury fashion market and boldly set up Reebonz to pursue them. Their efforts over the years had expanded Reebonz to become a notable online marketplace for both new and pre-owned luxury products. Going forward, the founding trio knew that in order to stay ahead, they must continue to differentiate Reebonz from the traditional luxury players and new online competitors. Would the continuous push for accessible luxury dilute the luxury consumption experience? Where can Reebonz find its next growth trajectory?

At the beginning of 2017, India was among the top 10 markets for Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning India Limited, accounting for around 10 per cent of its revenue. The company was trying to increase its room air conditioner (RAC) market from 11 per cent to 20 per cent by 2020. It was positioned in the premium segment of the RAC market but wanted to enter the popular segment, which was crowded with established players. The company’s focus had been on the inverter air conditioner (AC) segment, which accounted for 40 per cent of its RAC revenue; however, because of this segment’s market potential and growth, competition from key competitors was stiff. Under these circumstances, the company faced the dual challenge of finding the right strategy to establish itself in the popular RAC market and deciding how to defend its position in the inverter AC segment.

Alltech was a Lexington, Kentucky-based producer of supplements for animal feed, with revenues of over $2 billion (projected to reach $3 billion in 2018), sales in 120 countries, 5,000 employees, and 100 manufacturing plants worldwide. For nearly four decades, Alltech had been defined by its focus on innovation and marketing as well as the entrepreneurial spirit and vision of its founder, Dr. Pearse Lyons, who remained intimately involved in company operations and in managing relationships with key customers. This case finds Alltech in the midst of a new growth strategy-downstream integration, specifically buying up feed companies-which marked a stark departure from the company's longtime emphasis on organic growth. The decision to buy feed companies had been controversial within Alltech: feed was a low-margin, rather traditional commodity business, while Alltech earned relatively high margins on products rooted in science and innovation. However, Lyons believed downstream integration would allow Alltech to better communicate with its end customers (farmers), increase sales of its supplements, and help protect the firm from industry dynamics such as consolidation and cost pressure. Was he right, or should Alltech take a different approach?

This case describes a major food fraud scandal that resulted in a much-publicized product recall. The episode was dubbed "Horsegate" by the national and international press. In early 2013, a scandal broke out in Ireland and the UK when horsemeat was found in frozen prepared meals sold as containing 100% beef. Findus Nordic, the company involved in the scandal, sold the same products in France. The press launched an investigation, and there were numerous media reports. A French company, Picard Surgelés, was found to have two products tainted with horsemeat. Both companies had to recall their products. Politicians got involved and carefully followed the crisis. Organizations in the supply chain implicated in the scandal struggled to defend themselves and blamed each other. French consumers reacted, and sales of frozen meat products dropped sharply. Findus Nordic and Picard Surgelés's brands were the most heavily impacted in France. This case focuses on Picard Surgelés, an integrated food processor that sells its store brand (private label) products in a company-owned chain of retail stores. The company needs help, and brand managers and marketing communications specialists must assess the situation and make recommendations to address the aftermath of the food fraud/product recall.

StockX is the world's first "stock market of things", a consumer marketplace for high-demand, limited edition products that operates exactly like the stock market. The underlying concept is to allow participants to buy and sell authenticated products in a live marketplace where they trade anonymously (with stock market-like visibility). The StockX exchange offers buyers and sellers historical price and volume metrics, real-time bids and offers (asks), time-stamped trades, individualized portfolio tracking and metrics, as well as in-depth market analysis and news. A partnership with Eminem, a native of Detroit, got StockX off the ground by creating exclusive content and access to rare sneakers from the rapper's personal collection. To build on this momentum, StockX needs to develop a growth strategy.

NourishCo Beverages Ltd.’s newest drink, Tata Gluco Plus, was an innovative ready-to-drink product that offered instant energy and wellness with a blend of dextrose, electrolytes, and iron. It was available in six different flavours and packaged in a 200-millilitre cup. The economical cup was targeted to consumers at the bottom of the economic pyramid. Despite strong initial sales and customer recognition, the brand was unable to build a distinct identity or a clear connection with consumers, and sales dropped by 11 per cent in 2014. In 2016, the vice-president of marketing and innovations, who was given the task of reviving the brand, was left with several questions to resolve. How would he create an image for the brand that could be adapted to local energy needs? Would the brand be able to relate locally while resonating nationally? Could the brand compete in territories where both regional and international cola brands dominated the market? NourishCo Beverages Ltd.’s business model emphasized operational efficiency and cost efficiency, but would the challenge of achieving a national presence be possible with a conservative promotional budget?

NourishCo Beverages Ltd. (NourishCo) was founded as a fifty–fifty joint venture between one of the world’s best-known companies, PepsiCo India Holdings, and one of India’s most respected and trusted brands, Tata Global Beverages. The long-term corporate vision of NourishCo was to focus on the health and wellness needs of India. In May 2016, after a considerable amount of investment in product, packaging, manufacturing, and innovation, NourishCo had successfully met the objectives of its business model. The company wanted to continue its expansion nationwide. NourishCo had a distinct, low-cost, and effective business model. However, the low barriers to entry in this segment could lead to fierce competition. To retain its first mover advantage and achieve financial viability, it needed to move quickly to become a national company. How could NourishCo strike a balance between managing cash flows and expansion?

In January 2017, the owner of Kookie Kutter Bakery in Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada, needed to make some challenging decisions about the future of his bakery. He enlisted a small marketing firm to help him determine the marketing options available to him, including introducing new cookie flavours, and reaching out to new markets. Because of the bakery’s precarious financial situation, the owner needed to decide how to move forward to ensure that his bakery would succeed in the long run. What should the bakery owner do to keep Kookie Kutter Bakery alive?

QualityKiosk Technologies Private Limited (QualityKiosk) was an information technology company providing software application testing and quality assurance services to banks and insurance companies in India. In 2015, QualityKiosk had over 70 per cent penetration in the insurance sector in terms of numbers of customers, and only 30 per cent penetration in the banking sector. Anuroop Krishna, head of QualityKiosk’s banking vertical, must put together a coherent sales strategy for 2016–17, and present his recommendations to QualityKiosk's chief executive officer.

Spreadsheet to accompany product 8B17A062.

NourishCo Beverages Ltd. (NourishCo) was founded as a fifty-fifty joint venture between one of the world's best-known companies, PepsiCo India Holdings, and one of India's most respected and trusted brands, Tata Global Beverages. The long-term corporate vision of NourishCo was to focus on the health and wellness needs of India. In May 2016, after a considerable amount of investment in product, packaging, manufacturing, and innovation, NourishCo had successfully met the objectives of its business model. The company wanted to continue its expansion nationwide. NourishCo had a distinct, low-cost, and effective business model. However, the low barriers to entry in this segment could lead to fierce competition. To retain its first mover advantage and achieve financial viability, it needed to move quickly to become a national company. How could NourishCo strike a balance between managing cash flows and expansion?

NourishCo Beverages Ltd.'s newest drink, Tata Gluco Plus, was an innovative ready-to-drink product that offered instant energy and wellness with a blend of dextrose, electrolytes, and iron. It was available in six different flavours and packaged in a 200-millilitre cup. The economical cup was targeted to consumers at the bottom of the economic pyramid. Despite strong initial sales and customer recognition, the brand was unable to build a distinct identity or a clear connection with consumers, and sales dropped by 11 per cent in 2014. In 2016, the vice-president of marketing and innovations, who was given the task of reviving the brand, was left with several questions to resolve. How would he create an image for the brand that could be adapted to local energy needs? Would the brand be able to relate locally while resonating nationally? Could the brand compete in territories where both regional and international cola brands dominated the market? NourishCo Beverages Ltd.'s business model emphasized operational efficiency and cost efficiency, but would the challenge of achieving a national presence be possible with a conservative promotional budget?

In January 2017, the owner of Kookie Kutter Bakery in Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada, needed to make some challenging decisions about the future of his bakery. He enlisted a small marketing firm to help him determine the marketing options available to him, including introducing new cookie flavours, and reaching out to new markets. Because of the bakery's precarious financial situation, the owner needed to decide how to move forward to ensure that his bakery would succeed in the long run. What should the bakery owner do to keep Kookie Kutter Bakery alive?