Case Studies: Marketing
Groupon
Cassie Young T'11, M. Eric Johnson, John Marshall T'92
Length: 14 pages
Publication date: 2011
Case#: 6-0034
On track to exceed two billion dollars in revenue in 2011 in its third full year of business, Groupon and its latest daily deals were news the business media could not resist. From the local corner bakery to national retailers such as Gap, sizzling offers were projected to triple Groupon’s 50 million subscribers by the end of the year. But while the limelight remained focused on the headline “feature” deals, Groupon was quietly testing new models to expand this core platform. This case considers how those new models would fit with its operations and marketing strategy.
Preview copy in PDF Format
Spanish Translation
Topics: Marketing, Operations
Request Teaching Note (if available), for professors only | Order a Copy of this Case Study
Digital Communication at Dell
Jennifer M. Farrelly
Length: 22 pages
Publication date: 2009
Case#: 6-0032
Every second two new blogs are created, seven PCs are sold, 2.2 million emails are sent, 520 links are clicked, 1,157 videos are viewed on YouTube, 31,000 text messages are sent. With the explosive growth of social media, society and corporations are embracing this phenomenon as much more than a passing trend. This case focuses on computer manufacturer Dell Inc.'s social media strategy and how it has successfully integrated digital communications into every aspect of its business model. Case readers are put in the shoes of Bob Pearson, VP of Dell's "Conversations & Communities" team, who is tasked with developing Dell's social media strategy. After a rocky start with social media--including an actively blogged service crisis termed "Dell Hell"--Pearson is challenged with not only creating a department and strategy from scratch, but with developing internal buy-in and skill sets needed to get Dell started with Web 2.0. Pearson faced important decisions including how to structure the internal team,what guidelines to set for blogging and social media participation, and how to measure success. The Dell case focuses on how new social media technology is changing not only corporate communication but also business functions such as product development, customer service, marketing, and customer engagement. It offers many valuable lessons for both students and business professionals as they continue to join the Internet age.
Preview copy in PDF format (866K)
Topics: Marketing, Media, Product Development, Public Relations
Industry: Computer
Request Teaching Note (if available), for professors only | Order a Copy of this Case Study
Enhancing Service at Southwest Airlines
M. Eric Johnson
Length: 14 pages
Publication date: 2009
Case#: 6-0031
Scarcely five years at the helm of Southwest Airlines, CEO Gary Kelly was navigating the high-flying airline through the downturn of 2009. By focusing on simplicity and keeping costs low, Southwest had posted profits in every year for over three decades and had grown to be the fifth largest U.S. carrier. Kelly was faced with maintaining those low costs while readying the airline for growth when passengers returned. Looking to enhance its value proposition, he was considering a number of service refinements including satellite- based WiFi Internet, more extensive wine and coffee service, and even new international alliances with foreign carriers. In each case, the offering would be scrutinized to see if it fit within the Southwest strategy and its legendary operating model.
Preview copy in PDF format (701K)
"Reframing Your Business Equation," Strategy + Business, 2009
Enhancing Service at Southwest Case (in Mandarin)
Industry: Transporation
Request Teaching Note (if available), for professors only | Order a Copy of this Case Study
Nolej Studios: Growing a Creativity- Based Company
Ashley Martin
Length: 27 pages
Publication date: 2008
Case#: 6-0028
Nolej focuses on providing dynamic websites, brand identities, and unique interactive demos primarily for clients targeting a young adult, urban, hip demographic. The company develops cross-platform marketing and advertising that engages the audience and generates visibility for their clients' products and services. When a new client approached Nolej for help in developing and marketing a new product for the toy industry -- a product area new to the company -- Crawford knew that taking on this potentially lucrative project would push the company out of its comfort zone. Saying "yes" meant the company would have to quickly expand its creative team by outsourcing tasks and integrating technical vendors.
Preview copy in PDF format (563K)
Topics: Innovation, Marketing
Industry: Advertising
Request Teaching Note (if available), for professors only | Order a Copy of this Case Study
Social Media and the Burger King Brand
Andrew Schneller, John Marshall T'92
Length: 27 pages
Publication date: 2007
Case#: 6-0025
With profits decreasing and franchisees unhappy, Burger King needed to take dramatic action and redefine how it was perceived by customers. Instead of traditional advertising, the company created Burger King-related content intended to entertain consumers, give the brand social currency, and create a sense of mystery. The firm chose inexpensive, non-traditional media channels such as internet micro-sites and social networking sites to reach target consumers. This case study examines how the use of digital communication, media channels, and Web 2.0 have changed the way firms can build their brands.
Preview copy in PDF format (627K)
Topics: Marketing
Industry: Fast Food
Request Teaching Note (if available), for professors only | Order a Copy of this Case Study
Biogen-Idec: Growing a Customer-Focused Supply Chain
M. Eric Johnson, Julia Kidd
Length: 19 pages
Publication date: 2005
Case#: 6-0022
Biogen CEO Jim Mullen was taking the biotech firm from a research-focused business model to a more customer-centric enterprise. This case looks at his plan for a significant IT investment in a new customer relationship management (CRM) system to support more patient interaction in the company's call center, improve the flow of medication to patients, and provide better access to account information for its increasingly international and mobile sales force.
Preview copy in PDF format (536K)
Topics: Innovation, Marketing, Supply Chain
Industry: Biotechnology
Request Teaching Note (if available), for professors only | Order a Copy of this Case Study
Victoria’s Secret
Kathleen L. Biro , Theodore Durbin
Length: 11 pages
Publication date: 2004
Case#: 6-0014
Amid some of the toughest retail conditions in years, Victoria's Secret announced a gain of 9% in first half-year 2002 sales and 30% in operating income. However, market growth was slowing down: profit margins for the VS's Direct division, which focused on catalogues and the Internet sales, had been declining over the past several years.
Preview copy in PDF format (1184K)
Topics: Innovation, Marketing
Industry: Apparel
Request Teaching Note (if available), for professors only | Order a Copy of this Case Study
Hasbro Interactive
Chris Trimble
Length: 16 pages
Publication date: 2004
Case#: 2-0021
In the mid 1990s, Hasbro created Hasbro Interactive, a new business unit chartered to develop video games for PCs and other gaming systems based on Hasbro's many toy and game brands. After a few successful years, ambitions for Hasbro Interactive escalated dramatically. Would all games in the future be interactive?
Topics: Innovation, Marketing
Industry: Toys/Video Games
Request Teaching Note (if available), for professors only | Order a Copy of this Case Study
PERI
Hans Brechbühl, (with Yiorgos Bakamitsos)
Length: 10 pages (plus appendices)
Publication date: 2003
Case#: 6-0019
he international market leader in an increasingly important product and service segment of the construction industry, PERI faced key decisions on updating and automating key processes. This case offers the opportunity for in-depth discussion on where a bricks-and-mortar company should place its IT bets for the future.
Preview copy in PDF format (1957K)
Topics: Manufacturing, Marketing, Services, Supply Chain
Industry:
Request Teaching Note (if available), for professors only | Order a Copy of this Case Study
McGraw Hill: GradeSummit
Yiorgos Bakamitsos, Evelyn Hsia, T'02 , Hans Brechbühl
Length: 30 pages
Publication date: 2003
Case#: 6-0018
This case outlines the interesting challenges McGraw Hill faced in launching an online testing and assessment product for higher education. It offers the opportunity for in-depth discussion on new product development, product/service bundling, channel management, and value networks.
Preview copy in PDF format (456K)
Topics: Innovation, Marketing, Services
Industry: Publishing
Request Teaching Note (if available), for professors only | Order a Copy of this Case Study
New York Times Digital
Chris Trimble
Length: 21 Pages
Publication date: 2002
Case#: 2-0006
In 1995, the New York Times, launched New York Times Digital, a new venture dedicated to building a profitable business focused on distributing news context in multimedia format online. In implementing the venture, the company created a unit that was quite distinct organizationally. Many challenges followed.
Topics: Innovation, Marketing
Industry: Media
Request Teaching Note (if available), for professors only | Order a Copy of this Case Study
Learning from Mattel
John W. Torget T'00, under the supervision of Sydney Finkelstein
Length: 8 pages
Publication date: 2002
Case#: 1-0072
After just three years as chairman and chief executive, Ms. Barad’s 18-year storybook career with Mattel ended dramatically on February 3, 2000 with another disappointing earnings announcement. As one of only three women running a Fortune 500 company, she became a role model for millions of women aspiring to positions in the top ranks of corporate management.
Preview copy in PDF format (79K)
Topics: Innovation, Marketing
Industry: Toys/Video Games
Request Teaching Note (if available), for professors only | Order a Copy of this Case Study
Groove Networks: Making P2P a Reality
Ed Ludwigson T'02, under the supervision of Visiting Professor Melissa M. Appleyard
Length: 7 pages
Publication date: 2002
Case#: 6-0008
Is P2P the future of collaboration in the workplace? Groove Networks certainly believes so, as do backers Accel Partners, Intel Capital, and most recently Microsoft. But will the Microsoft relationship launch Groove on to the desktops of millions or see Groove subsumed within the Redmond software giant? Will Groove's future exist solely as a project collaboration tool or will it create a completely new platform for P2P computing?
Preview copy in PDF format (193K)
Topics: Innovation, Marketing
Industry: Communications
Request Teaching Note (if available), for professors only | Order a Copy of this Case Study
Electronic Trading Systems and Fixed Income Markets
Richard A. D'Aveni, Jonathan Joys T'02
Length: 23 pages
Publication date: 2001
Case#: 6-0006
Electronic trading systems have only recently begun to account for measurable levels of the $88 trillion in annual trading volume in the US fixed income market. The fixed income markets' adoption of the Internet represents a significant shift in power. The principal advantages are: (1) greater availability and speed of information, (2) the possibility of direct trading between investors, (3) reduced cost and errors in processing transactions, and (4) increased speed of execution. It also improves liquidity by providing the smaller investors (below the top 200) access to markets and transactions from which they were previously locked out.
Preview copy in PDF format (538K)
Topics: Innovation, Marketing
Industry: Internet
Request Teaching Note (if available), for professors only | Order a Copy of this Case Study
Mattel, Inc: Vendor Operations in Asia
M. Eric Johnson, Tom Clock
Length: 22 pages
Publication date: 2000
Case#: 1-0013
After the announcement of the merger between Mattel, Inc. and its second largest rival, Tyco Toys, SVP Ron Montalto was embroiled in a debate over the sourcing strategy for the existing Hot Wheels product line and newly added Matchbox cars. Montalto had to decide whether Mattel should go forward with a new China plant, build a plant in Malaysia or Indonesia, expand one of the existing facilities, or outsource the surplus die-cast volume.
Preview copy in PDF format (1415K)
Topics: Manufacturing, Marketing, Supply Chain
Industry: Toys/Video Games
Request Teaching Note (if available), for professors only | Order a Copy of this Case Study