Search results

Marketing of Services, Brand Management.

Graduate (MBA), Services Marketing Course.

The case highlights growth challenges faced by a fast food brand named Peri-Peri Original in a developing country context of Pakistan. The major presence of the brand is in two major cities of Pakistan – Karachi and Lahore where mostly youth and families are the target markets of this brand. However, there is no unique element in the minds of the target market because the brand faces a differentiation challenge in the realm of strong global competition from McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). The management team at Peri-Peri has several environmental challenges to face as well. Internally, the brand is confused with its close competitor Nando’s as people perceive these two brands as the same. Second, there is growing concern among social activist groups and families in Pakistan that fast food consumption is causing diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and obesity among children. On the contrary, the global fast food chains especially McDonald’s and KFC are on top of the mind in the consideration set. With these challenges and concerns in mind, the brand team has two options on the table. One is to geographically extend the brand to other cities whereas the other option is to use the same outlets and dedicate a portion to the kids’ market segment to increase product variety and ultimately the store traffic. It is noticeable that the brand has a reputation of excellence in service quality; the employees are motivated and Peri-Peri have retained their staff over a period of time. Furthermore, the brand is a small scale restaurant with only limited budget and focused product mix which is its core spirit of branding – the chicken grilled in Mozambican sauces and a service attitude which no one can demonstrate; in a way, Peri-Peri is approaching to grow its brand equity.

To understand the brand positioning of developing countries’ organizations facing a growth challenge in a service environment. To understand the concept and application of Services Tangibility spectrum. To understand the decision-making process managers have to face when dealing with brand extension decisions.

Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

CSS 8: Marketing.

Upon completion of the case study, the students will be able to conceptualize the importance of brand differentiation; suggest the implications of brand differentiation in the context of the traditional Chikan art form; examine the aspect of a brand’s product portfolio management; and critically analyse the competitive advantages of the brand using the VRIO framework.

The Chikankari art form gained worldwide recognition. In fact, it also received a geographical indication (GI) tag which is important for international branding. The case is centred around an entrepreneur, Mr. Vinod Punjabi, who redefined the essence of the existing Chikan art form by value addition in terms of intricate designs, patterns and exclusivity. He founded the brand Ada in 2015 aimed at preserving the traditional art form while curating elegance and exclusivity in its product portfolio. The case outlined Punjabi’s journey. The protagonist carefully analysed the open and unorganized Chikankari market and adopted the strategy of brand differentiation to stand apart from the competitors. Punjabi’s daughter, the chief operations officer of Ada, described the aspects. The journey was arduous, but over the years, Ada emerged as a successful name in the Chikankari market. The brand’s intent of becoming synonymous with Chikankari was successful owing to its authentic and exclusive hand-crafted products in the competitive environment of machine-made replicas. Furthermore, the brand also consistently worked on the aesthetic appearance of its store to attract a wide range of customers. Punjabi ensured that the brand was an amalgamation of all the essential elements for its survival in the long run.

The case is aimed for students pursuing bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration/diploma in management, marketing and entrepreneurship. Furthermore, it will assist the management trainees in gaining valuable insights.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 8: Marketing.

In January 2008, Citi and Merrill Lynch are trying to steer their ships back to calm waters. The new CEOs, Vikram Pandit (Citi) and John Thain (Merrill), have been at the helm of their companies for less than three months. This case focuses on their steps to counteract the massive losses resulting from their firms' investments in subprime-mortgage structures. What actions have these leaders taken thus far and what actions should they consider going forward? See also “Warren E. Buffett, 2008” (UVA-F-1550).

The case presents an ideal platform for discussing the branding strategy, brand elements and the factors that contributed to success of an entrepreneurial venture in the quick-service restaurant (QSR) segment. Further, it enables students to discuss changes that are necessitated as the firm looks for new growth avenues. After working through the case and assignment questions, students will be able to analyze the entrepreneurial journey of a startup in red ocean markets by assessing the factors that contributed to its success; comprehend the importance of branding strategy for small business – choosing/designing of brand elements and selecting the positioning strategy; and assess changes needed in the branding strategy over time and devise strategies for the continued success of the firm.

Kolkata-based QSR chain Wow! Momo was bootstrapped with a meager INR 30,000 in 2008 by two school friends Sagar Daryani and Binod Kumar. It went on to become India’s Wow! Momo very first QSR specializing in momos. By the year 2019, Wow! Momo was dishing out India’s favourite street food, “momos” from 300 outlets across 15 cities. It also claimed to have captured 90% market share in the organized momo business. The startup grew at a CAGR of over 50% between 2015 and 2019 and reported INR 1.19bn revenue in financial year 2019 with an EBITDA of 9.3%. Wow Momo Foods Pvt. Ltd (WMF), the parent company of Wow! Momo, had tasted stupendous success within a short period and set an ambitious goal of achieving revenue of INR 10bn by 2023–2024. Wow! Momo had achieved top of mind recall among the target customers and was also vying for the same share of wallet as formidable international giants such as McDonald’s, Domino’s, Burger King and KFC. However, compared to these large players, Wow! Momo offered a limited menu and a smaller average ticket size. At the same time, Wow! Momo’s market share was also threatened by a host of branded momo players that offered a similar menu and pricing. Both these factors did not argue well for WMF’s mammoth growth objective. Achieving revenue of INR 1.19bn in a matter of just 10 years was no small feat, but reaching targeted INR 10bn in half that time needed a different game plan altogether. The founders clearly needed to rethink their strategies for the next phase of growth. What would be the next growth driver for the company? Should it look for greener pastures outside India? Was it time to diversify the menu and think beyond momos? If so, then should new items be added to existing menu or a new brand be launched altogether? The case maps the journey of two entrepreneurs as they went on to set up a successful QSR chain. It examines their trials and tribulations as well as successful implementation of marketing strategy. It also looks at the dilemmas faced by a startup as it searches for new avenues for growth.

Graduate and postgraduate courses in Management.

Teaching Notes are available for educators only.

CSS 8: Marketing.

The case study has several objectives: to gauge the evaluation of the direct-to-consumer industry in the economy of India, to analyse the competition of the brands, to ascertain the evolution of smaller direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands on the purchasing capacity of consumers, to analyse challenges in branding in Tier 2 and 3 cities and to evaluate the strategic branding decisions of Mamaearth.

During her pregnancy, Ghazal Alagh and her husband Varun Alagh, the co-founders of Mamaearth, were looking for some good and natural products for their baby’s skincare. However, she could not find products that were 100% safe. Hence, as a concerned mother, she started using a few hands-on home remedies for her baby, which were 100% organic, and then the idea clicked to her to start a baby care brand named Mamaearth, which later also included personal care products. The company started as a DTC/internet-first brand in 2016, which only used to sell products online without any intermediaries when it was still trying to make its way in the market and was aware of the stiff competition by giants such as Hindustan Unilever and Proctor & Gamble, who were ruling the market for decades. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the market saw a shift in consumer buying patterns. There was greater use of e-commerce touch points for shopping, as various digital platforms such as the official site of products, social media and mobile platforms were used by consumers during the pandemic, leading to digitalization in buying and digitalization of consumer shopping journey. These technology platforms were expected to play a substantial role in reaching and creating consumer awareness, transaction and retention post-COVID according to reports by Deloitte 2020. Moreover, such a shift in behaviour amidst the COVID-19 pandemic shot up sales of this DTC brand and made itself the big shot it is today, where they were looking to get into an initial public offering in just seven years of its launch. They re-evaluated their strategy, which helped them become the biggest brand in no time.

This case study is suitable for Doctor of Philosophy students.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 8: Marketing.

This case highlights repositioning strategies that change a product’s position in the minds of the consumer in response to changes in market conditions. These changes should be balanced with a certain amount of brand authenticity and continuity. Brand identity is the vision, core values and key beliefs of the brand. There are four main branding strategies as follows: house of brands, endorsed brands, sub-brands and branded house. These options can be placed in a continuum and the position on the branding relationship spectrum reflects the degree to which brands are separated in strategy execution and in the customer’s minds.

This case is based on secondary data, mainly from interviews of industry leaders in business journals, newspapers, research articles and industry reports, including from international organizations.

The case examines the frequent revisions in branding strategies by India’s second largest group of hotels – Indian Hotels Company Limited. Repositioning involves changing the market’s perceptions of an offering to compete more effectively in its target segments. However, a certain amount of continuity is also essential to the brand’s development over time. The case helps students to view the brand from two angles as follows: the angle of brand identity and the disruptive angle of new developments. They will examine the rationale for the frequent repositioning strategies using the brand relationship spectrum and whether these will affect the brand identity of the iconic brand Taj.

This case has been effectively used with MBA Marketing students in Product and Brand Management and Services Marketing classes to demonstrate how companies use repositioning strategies as a considered response to the market conditions. As competitive conditions and consumers evolve, changes in branding strategy will be necessitated. The students are expected to have basic knowledge of brand architecture and brand strategies. The case can be used to illustrate the brand relationship spectrum and the differences among branding strategies in brand architecture.

Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

strategic alliances/collaborative strategies;

defending against global competitors;

related diversification;

entrepreneurship-organizational life cycle; and

evaluating strategies for firm growth.

MBA/PGP level programmes in management and/or entrepreneurship.

Aztec Fluids & Machinery, set up just over four years ago in the city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat, India, caters to the printer hardware, spares and consumables needs of the digital ink jet printing market. The company has identified vendors principally from the UK and China for its printers and consumable sourcing and presently markets these using a hybrid channel structure of direct selling and through 12 distributors in ten cities of India. A recent development of note is the successful transformation of a flexible roll printer into a flat-bed type one by the co-founder. The experiment assumes significance since the cost of a conventional flat-bed screen printer is almost five times that of the improvised printer. The huge, fragmented, price-sensitive, yet quality-conscious market in India offers immense potential for this innovation. At the same time, Aztec's recent interactions with a couple of its UK-based vendors present other alternatives for growth.

To explore organizational life cycle: the introduction and early growth phases.

To understand alliance dynamics for early-stage entrepreneurs –rationale, management and the manifestation of trust between different types of partners: suppliers and customers.

To understand how small firms prepare for and evaluate the challenges of growth.

Teaching note.

After completion of the case study, students will be able to critically appraise the strategic growth opportunities of an “eating out” industry brand; evaluate the role of customer relationship and retention management in sustaining a brand; and analyse the importance of developing core competencies for long-term business viability.

Since its inception in 2017, Urban Chowk was one of the pioneer places that successfully managed to create a hospitality format called “food and lifestyle park” which combined multiple food brands with good ambience and entertainment, all under the same roof. Although Urban Chowk was one of the popular brands in the given format, its USP was not difficult to challenge or copy. The owner, Mr Kartikey Rajput, anticipated a deluge of similar establishments in the near future. Urban Chowk led the pack in terms of footfalls compared to similar establishments, with Rajput looking to expand his brand beyond Ahmedabad. The case took 2022 as the timeline and brought forth the challenge that Urban Chowk faced. The primary challenge was retaining the existing customer base along with adding newer ones. Second, with the industry being extremely dynamic, it was important to determine how marketing analytics could be used to collect customer data and convert them into repeat customers, thus building a loyal customer base.

This case is applicable for teaching at undergraduate and graduate levels for understanding the concepts of brand development and strategic growth as well as creating and maintaining customer relationships, also helping the students in assimilating these concepts as a part of brand building.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 11: Strategy.

Tourism and hospitality.

This case has been developed to suit the pedagogical needs of undergraduate and post-graduate students of management in the area of strategic marketing management in the service industry.

The case describes the challenge faced by Gautam Raj, Executive Vice President, Strategic Development, The Oberoi Group, in making submissions to the Chairman, P.R.S. Oberoi for giving shape to the company's future strategic plans and developing the blueprint for further growth. The Oberoi Group is a leading India-based hospitality company, which was looking at selective expansion in the five-star deluxe segments by seeking new opportunities for its luxury leisure business in order to achieve a greater geographic spread. The case gives detailed information related to “The Oberoi” resorts ranging from their genesis to their branding and marketing strategies to put into perspective the challenge faced by the protagonist in making appropriate recommendations regarding the optimal choice of location for new-luxury leisure resorts.

The case is designed to give students an opportunity to demonstrate understanding of generic strategies for sustaining competitive advantage and market selection strategies and to analyse prospective location choices for making recommendations regarding appropriate markets to enter.

Teaching note.

This case study focuses on the problems that a company have in segmenting a local market of a gas distribution company and some strategies that they can use for developing a viable market segmentation to target the right segment that will provide a good economics, revenue base customers who also have the mindset to change to a new product. At the end of this exercise, students should have a clear understanding of the following: the essentials concepts of market segmentation, targeting and positioning and how they can be leveraged so that businesses increase their returns; the main elements/steps that drive market segmentation and business positioning; the appropriate methods for market segmentation when targeting local markets for a city gas project; and the challenges companies might face when changing a product.

In 2018, commercial customers began asking Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) Distribution to provide a sustainable solution to ensure a continuous supply of safe gas and avoid the interruptions and hazards associated with the supply of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to their premises. The request was discussed with the ADNOC marketing, supply and trading (MST) Division to investigate the possibility of growing the natural gas business in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, thus contributing to the Emirate’s security, economy, environment and community, and ultimately to ADNOC Strategy 2030. Khaled Salmeen, Director of the ADNOC MST Division, believed that industrial customers accounted for higher business volume and profitability. Nevertheless, he advised Shuhab Al Shehhi, the City Gas Project Manager, to study the potential benefits in targeting both residential and commercial customers as part of ADNOC’s responsibility towards community engagement and investments. Al Shehhi had to address several questions: How could the City Gas Project be strategized and positioned so as to target all market segments? What were the potential outcomes? Would targeting all market segments strengthen ADNOC’s brand position?

This case study was written for Marketing and Strategic Management courses in Bachelor of Business Administration programs.

Teaching Notes are available for educators only.

CSS: 8 Marketing