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Business owners and managers are told that anyone who cannot see the benefits of social media marketing is unfit for their positions, stupid, or incompetent. As organizations, brands, and products fill the social media landscape with boring content that wastes resources and alienates customers, a small voice can be heard exclaiming; "who told you that was a good idea?" In this book, Hans Christian Andersen's cautionary anecdote of the Emperor's New Clothes provides the backdrop to a review of the use of social media platforms in the marketing of an organization, brand, or product. Chapter one provides the reader with a background to social media. This starts with its history and adoption in the digital age before identifying the key elements that make up digital social media, namely, social networks, online communities, social sharing, user-generated content, and blogging.

Business owners and managers are told that anyone who cannot see the benefits of social media marketing is unfit for their positions, stupid, or incompetent. As organizations, brands, and products fill the social media landscape with boring content that wastes resources and alienates customers, a small voice can be heard exclaiming; "who told you that was a good idea?" In this book, Hans Christian Andersen's cautionary anecdote of the Emperor's New Clothes provides the backdrop to a review of the use of social media platforms in the marketing of an organization, brand, or product. In chapter two, the public's use of social media is examined along with the digital platforms on which it is conducted. The chapter concludes by considering why the public might interact with organizations, brands, or products on social media.

Business owners and managers are told that anyone who cannot see the benefits of social media marketing is unfit for their positions, stupid, or incompetent. As organizations, brands, and products fill the social media landscape with boring content that wastes resources and alienates customers, a small voice can be heard exclaiming; "who told you that was a good idea?" In this book, Hans Christian Andersen's cautionary anecdote of the Emperor's New Clothes provides the backdrop to a review of the use of social media platforms in the marketing of an organization, brand, or product. Chapter three analyzes what social media marketing consists and what it does not. Details of the key models associated with social media marketing are also included.

Business owners and managers are told that anyone who cannot see the benefits of social media marketing is unfit for their positions, stupid, or incompetent. As organizations, brands, and products fill the social media landscape with boring content that wastes resources and alienates customers, a small voice can be heard exclaiming; "who told you that was a good idea?" In this book, Hans Christian Andersen's cautionary anecdote of the Emperor's New Clothes provides the backdrop to a review of the use of social media platforms in the marketing of an organization, brand, or product. In chapter four, an organization's strategic expectations of marketing on social media are addressed, as are how its success or failure can be measured and issues related to any potential return on investment. The chapter concludes with an evaluation of the role that the culture of any organization, brand, or product plays in effective social media marketing.

Business owners and managers are told that anyone who cannot see the benefits of social media marketing is unfit for their positions, stupid, or incompetent. As organizations, brands, and products fill the social media landscape with boring content that wastes resources and alienates customers, a small voice can be heard exclaiming; "who told you that was a good idea?" In this book, Hans Christian Andersen's cautionary anecdote of the Emperor's New Clothes provides the backdrop to a review of the use of social media platforms in the marketing of an organization, brand, or product. Chapter five deliberates the operational aspects of marketing on social media from its management through which employees do what, and when they do it. Also reflected upon is the use of third party platforms by social media marketers.

Business owners and managers are told that anyone who cannot see the benefits of social media marketing is unfit for their positions, stupid, or incompetent. As organizations, brands, and products fill the social media landscape with boring content that wastes resources and alienates customers, a small voice can be heard exclaiming; "who told you that was a good idea?" In this book, Hans Christian Andersen's cautionary anecdote of the Emperor's New Clothes provides the backdrop to a review of the use of social media platforms in the marketing of an organization, brand, or product. Chapter six analyzes examples of social media marketing in practice from entertainment, politics, and business, to help readers conclude what works, what does not, and why.

Business owners and managers are told that anyone who cannot see the benefits of social media marketing is unfit for their positions, stupid, or incompetent. As organizations, brands, and products fill the social media landscape with boring content that wastes resources and alienates customers, a small voice can be heard exclaiming; "who told you that was a good idea?" In this book, Hans Christian Andersen's cautionary anecdote of the Emperor's New Clothes provides the backdrop to a review of the use of social media platforms in the marketing of an organization, brand, or product. Chapter seven brings together the issues raised in previous chapters, throws in a few new ideas, and encourages readers to draw their own conclusion on whether marketing on social media is a marketing panacea or the Emperor's New Digital Clothes. It identifies various components of the social media marketing mix and suggests that the goal of social media marketing is engagement.

Brandless, an online direct-to-consumer seller of upscale private-label consumer packaged goods, offered consumers a limited assortment of values-conscious products delivered directly to their homes with the simplicity of one fixed $3.00 price point that promised an average savings of 40% versus national brands through the elimination of the BrandTax, the hidden costs the company claimed consumers paid for a national brand. As the venture funded startup entered the fiercely competitive CPG industry, it was simultaneously taking on both the world's greatest brands and the world's most dominant retailers. Could Brandless change the way consumers bought the essential items that filled their pantries and medicine cabinets? Industry pundits had long predicted both the death of brand and the death of brick and mortar retailing in the contemporary marketplace. Would Brandless be the final nail in the coffin?

Spreadsheet to accompany product 9B17A058.

In 2017, True Fruits, a German smoothie company, was operating in three European markets. The company had developed flash pasteurization, which was an efficient and gentle production process that made their product one of the highest quality smoothies in the world. The company successfully exported its product to premium Austrian and Swiss supermarkets, and was planning further expansion within Europe. True Fruits had strong brand loyalty, and a noteworthy, healthy lifestyle-oriented product. True Fruits' owners were convinced that entering other European markets would fuel the company’s growth.

Although Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) was the leader in passenger vehicle sales in India in May 2015, it was having difficulties breaking into the high-end car segment. There were multiple strategies that MSIL could have used to deal with this problem, such as; changing its brand image from small automaker to high-end automaker; staying in the small car market; penetrating the market further by introducing new models and their variants in the same segment; or striking a balance between both of the other suggestions (i.e., a mixed strategy). A sudden change in MSIL's image could harm the company's existing share of the small car segment. At the same time, remaining firmly in the small car market could be detrimental for MSIL's market leader position in the years following, as the small-car-dominated market was gradually moving towards segments such as mid-size and executive cars in India. Which strategy (or combination of strategies) should the company pursue?

Student spreadsheet for case W17689.

Based in 2016, this case presents the dilemma faced by Tiffany & Co. (Tiffany), the luxury jewellery and specialty retailer, about embarking upon an omni-channel retail (OCR) strategy. Although Tiffany had a strong social media presence globally, it offered e-commerce solutions only in a few select markets. Online sales accounted for just six percent of its total sales, and there was limited integration between its brick-and-mortar outlets and online presence. While the company recognised the growing significance of OCR, as a luxury brand it struggled with the idea of embracing the online medium wholeheartedly. Luxury brands, synonymous with being superior, elusive and premium, endeavoured to provide a sensory-rich experience meant for a privileged few, while the online world was a mass media platform representing low cost, democratisation and a ubiquitous experience for all. The fashion-oriented and affluent Singapore market, with its high levels of internet usage and mobile penetration, provided a perfect opportunity for Tiffany to experiment with a fully integrated omni-channel strategy. However, it raised significant concerns too: What did implementing such a strategy mean in terms of investment in resources and capabilities? What would be the key factors to success? How would this strategy enable the brand to differentiate itself from other luxury brands? How would it impact Tiffany's product lines, pricing strategies, store designs-physical and digital, service initiatives, and above all its brand equity?

In 2017, the Financial Times ranked INSEAD's MBA programme #1 in the world for the second year in a row. The Dean of INSEAD, Ilian Mihov, commissioned a large-scale study to understand the shool's brand equity compared to its peers. The goal is to optimize INSEAD's positioning, value proposition and communication, to attract the best MBA students. Case A asks students to develop a survey that will measure the strengths and weaknesses of the INSEAD brand compared to its key competitors. They must select the performance measures, relevant competitors and the relevant sample. Case B provides results from a survey of 4,000 GMAT-takers who rated 18 business schools. Students analyze the data to measure the strength of the INSEAD brand and its image compared with its competitors. To optimize the school's positioning, students must identify the most important attributes used when choosing an MBA programme. Please visit the dedicated case website "https://cases.insead.edu/who-is-number-one" to access supplementary material.

Supplement to case IN1415. In 2017, the Financial Times ranked INSEAD's MBA programme #1 in the world for the second year in a row. The Dean of INSEAD, Ilian Mihov, commissioned a large-scale study to understand the shool's brand equity compared to its peers. The goal is to optimize INSEAD's positioning, value proposition and communication, to attract the best MBA students. Case A asks students to develop a survey that will measure the strengths and weaknesses of the INSEAD brand compared to its key competitors. They must select the performance measures, relevant competitors and the relevant sample. Case B provides results from a survey of 4,000 GMAT-takers who rated 18 business schools. Students analyze the data to measure the strength of the INSEAD brand and its image compared with its competitors. To optimize the school's positioning, students must identify the most important attributes used when choosing an MBA programme. Please visit the dedicated case website "https://cases.insead.edu/who-is-number-one" to access supplementary material.

Ashton Thyme's, an upscale furniture boutique in Athens, Georgia, has been granted exclusive territory to sell antique-reproduction furniture from Country Market Collection. But a customer has found the same Country Market Collection products Ashton Thyme's carries for a lower price online. The customer offered Ashton Thyme's the opportunity to match the online price, which the manager declined. This situation prompts an angry call from the manager to the owner of Country Market Collection, arguing that sales to websites infringe on Ashton Thyme's exclusive territory rights.

L’Itinéraire Community Group was a not-for-profit organization located in Montréal, Quebec. It published a French-language magazine that was sold by homeless and socially marginalized people in the city. The group’s management committee was examining ways of raising additional funds because of the reduction in contributions from traditional sources such as government subsidies. Options included targeting the magazine to the Anglophone and immigrant communities in Montréal, targeting regions outside of Montréal, and producing a digital version of the magazine. The digital option had the additional constraint that the vendors of the magazine, the homeless and socially marginalized, would not be involved in selling. How should the organization deal with this issue?

In 2017, the German company mymuesli GmbH (mymuesli) was operating in six European countries. Having begun to successfully distribute its customizable organic breakfast cereals online, mymuesli built on its growing popularity by opening stores in various cities across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Sweden, where the most popular versions of the product were sold. The relatively young company differentiated itself with its customizable, premium organic products, and relied on its strengths to adapt to lifestyle and health trends. After a conversation in early 2017 with fellow hotel guests hailing from different European countries, the three founders of mymuesli were convinced that entering new countries might be a promising option for the company’s future growth. They began to analyze the maturing industry and its impacts on the company's growth plans.

In 2017, the next generation of consumers that were poised to become engaged to be married—millennials—showed different preferences and consumption patterns than previous generations had shown. In response, the De Beers Group of Companies (De Beers), a leading company within the global diamond industry, was making moves to capture this important market. In partnership with the world’s six other leading diamond companies, known collectively as the Diamond Producers Association, De Beers launched a campaign titled “Real is Rare” with the goal of persuading millennials into believing that diamonds were an important symbol of romantic commitment, even in 2017. Would these marketing endeavours be successful in changing the millennial mindset, or would the campaign fall flat? Would diamond engagement rings continue to be the ultimate symbol of commitment? What could De Beers do to encourage sales of diamonds in a changing world?