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Marketing, strategy, and integrated marketing communication.

The case is suitable for analysis in an MBA level marketing communication course where the theories of hierarchy of effects (HoE) models, push vs pull strategies as well as positioning strategies can be introduced. The case is suitable for analysis in an MBA level marketing course for the module on marketing communications/advertising and promotions.

Sanjay, the regional head of PepsiCo India (eastern region), had been tasked with the preparation of a support plan for a new communication campaign of Mountain Dew, a yellow-coloured drink in PepsiCo's soft-drink portfolio. He had attended a meeting at the headquarters where he had been briefed on the new national campaign roll-out for Mountain Dew – for the first time with celebrity association. While Mountain Dew had been growing its market share in other regions of the Indian market, the Eastern region had been unresponsive to the mass media image building campaigns. During the meeting, the various aspects of Mountain Dew's performance were discussed and Sanjay was asked to prepare a support plan for the national campaign that will help to increase revenues and market share of the brand in the Eastern region.

To understand the complexities of differential impact of integrated nation-wide communications on various segments of the market due to cultural variations, to understand the role of push strategy vs pull strategy in marketing communications, to understand the role of consistency in image between the trade and consumers perception, to understand the impact of celebrity endorsements, an introduction to the HoE communication models and their applications, to understand limitations of the HoE and Think-Feel-Do models in objective setting and understanding the uses of alternative models, to build a communication plan based on pull vs push strategy.

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

The learning outcomes are as follows: introduce the concept of the decision-making process, decision-making unit and hierarchy of effects and marketing strategy; identify the critical aspect of segmentation, targeting and positioning; and highlight the critical element of pricing and communication media.

In early January 2017, Mr Ashish and Mr Rahul, co-founders of Biziga, a company engaged in training through simulation for management education, was at crossroads. Keeping in view the challenges of the emerging Indian market, Biziga envisioned creating participant-centric business learning simulations. The initial responses and feedback received from several top B-schools were promising. However, the euphoria did not last long. Biziga retained only a few of its initial clients from the Tier-1 B-schools who had adopted the product. But the response received from other categories of B-schools was not very encouraging. Acquiring new clients from these institutes was the major challenge. The founders of Biziga had differences in their thought about the strategic path they should pursue to achieve future growth. There were several options to achieve the goal of a target revenue of INR 1bn in the next five years and be known as a virtual gamification company with a complete bundle of business simulation products. They had to finalize for the financial year 2017-18 the most feasible and promising option/s that would have a long-term impact on the company’s future growth and success in the upcoming meeting scheduled in the last week of February 2017.

Postgraduate students and executive students.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 8: Marketing.

Microsoft's Office team was developing the marketing communication plan for its new product, Office 2007. Office was a very mature product and several versions of the product had been introduced over more than 20 years. As such, the new version had to overcome the consumer perception that the versions of Microsoft Office that they already have are “good enough” for them. The Office 2007 marketing team has come up with a two-step campaign strategy that sought to first create awareness and intrigue using traditional media, followed by the heavy use of digital media to get consumer to experience the product through different types of “digital experiences.” The team needs to decide how much of its advertising spending it should shift from traditional media to digital media, how to design the most effective digital experiences and how to measure the effectiveness of digital experiences. The case is set at a time when digital media were emerging as a promising way to engage consumers more deeply with brands and products, but marketers were uncertain about the relative effectiveness of different digital marketing tactics and the optimal mix of traditional versus digital marketing channels for different product, market and campaign contexts.

To introduce students to the possibilities of “engagement marketing” using emerging digital marketing channels To emphasize the complementary nature of traditional versus digital media and their relative effectiveness at different stages of the consumer journey from awareness to perception change to behavior. To highlight the opportunities and opportunities in designing and measuring the effectiveness of integrated marketing campaigns when digital channels are added to the marketing communications mix.

Advertising, Marketing Management, Integrated Marketing Communications.

Undergraduate third year/fourth year students. The case is positioned at the beginning of the course.

The case aims to help the students in understanding the concepts of push and pull marketing in the nutritional supplement category which is different from the FMCG sector in terms of the decision-making process and consumer behavior. The brand is bought by the mother, consumed by the kids and endorsed by the doctors. The brand manager faces the dilemma of budget division on push vs pull marketing considering the previous back lash from the doctors when the company shifted toward pull marketing.

By the end of the case, the students should have understood the following concepts: push versus pull marketing, decision-making unit, decision-making process and customer acquisition vs retention efforts.

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

Integrated advertising, promotion and marketing communications.

The case has been developed for use in marketing communication as well as strategic brand management courses of MBA and/or PGDM programmes. It high/ights the fact that generating interest amongst customers is not the only task of marketing strategists but conversion of such interest into an effective purchase is what the marketing department should be looking for.

The case takes the students through the journey of Vodafone's marketing communication since its introduction in the Indian market. It gives the reader a briefing as to how Vodafone has grown in the past few years - the changes in communication strategies involved to propagate the product; the integrated marketing communications that have he/ped Vodafone increase its customer base considerably. As mentioned by Marten Pieters, CEO of Vodafone Essar, India is an emerging market and it is necessary for Vodafone not on/y to increase its customer base but a/so to generate revenues. Therefore, his di/emma is how to bring about the perceptual connect with customers which induces them into product usage.

The area of integrated advertising, promotion and marketing communications is an integral part of marketing. It forms the foundation of creating effective marketing programmes that in turn helps develop positive product perception in the minds of the customers. It also helps the student understand the role of customizing the marketing communication according to the target audience and the importance of integrating advertising with not only the promotional activities but also other newer forms of marketing communications. The case has been structured to achieve the following learning objectives: the role of marketing communications in creating and building brand Vodafone; understanding the importance and key elements of Vodafone's Zoozoo ad campaign relating it to Vodafone's communication strategies; and the effect of marketing communication on the customers' perception about the brand.

Teaching notes are available. Please consult your librarian for access.

In the light of the case and the accompanying case questions, the students should understand:1. The theoretical underpinnings of the brand positioning and brand repositioning.2. Critical evaluation of marketing communication material in the light of theoretical underpinnings.3. The nuances of operating in emerging markets in technology-driven sectors.4. The intricate link between the business goals and communication goals5. The application of the attention-interest-desire-action model and the brand media wheel when translating business strategies into communication strategies.

It was in June 2016, when Asad Haroon, the young head of brands at Ufone, a Pakistani originated telecom operating company, was posed with a challenge of dwindling subscriber identity module card sales, deteriorating average revenue per user and an exponential increase in customer churn. The telecom industry itself was in a flux due to various factors such as changes in the regulatory frameworks and technological shifts.Asad felt that the reason for the brand’s decline might be the lack of synergy between the business strategy and the brand’s communication strategy.Asad knew that he would have to make some unpopular choices and review his brand’s communication strategy which had not yet proved to create a harmony between communication goals and business goals. However, he was unsure about how and if at all he should go about changing a marketing legacy and the brand’s positioning which had reigned the minds of his peers and his customers for so long.

This case is aimed toward undergraduate students enrolled in courses of principles of marketing, marketing communications and corporate media strategy.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 8: Marketing

Marketing, marketing communication and business strategy.

Graduate level and some core courses in undergraduate level.

The case describes the evolution of a start-up company, Great Sports Infra Pvt Ltd, which had acquired the exclusive dealership of the largest artificial sports surface products company – FieldTurf Tarkett. Great Sports Infra was started as a small business with a capital of INR 5 million, by Mr Anil Kumar who had won the exclusive license to sell the FieldTurf brand of artificial turf in India and the SAARC region. FieldTurf was a well entrenched brand for playing surfaces in several developed countries around the world. The size, scope and consumer base of the Indian market was vastly different from the mature markets in which FieldTurf was a well established brand. Anil had to find a market for the product in India which was a classic context of “existing product entering a new market” – in this case an emerging market. Identifying new markets and targeting them with a relevant marketing mix and communication mix were the dominant challenges faced by Anil. Having developed the market in India, he now faces competition from cheaper manufacturers and limited growth in the sports infrastructure. The students must deliberate on current strategies and suggest strategies for the future growth of the product in this market.

• Challenges of an established brand entering a new market in the emerging economies. Using Ansoff's matrix to identify the nature of challenges.

• Understanding positioning strategy.

• To understand how to extract IMC strategy from business strategy.

• Targeting each segment differently but keeping the message consistent following the principles of principles of IMC, i.e. harmony, consistency and synergy.

• Understanding the role of 6Ms in designing a communication plan.

• Understanding how to identify appropriate media mix.

• Understanding the holistic IMC framework.

Challenges of an established brand entering a new market in the emerging economies. Using Ansoff's matrix to identify the nature of challenges.

Understanding positioning strategy.

To understand how to extract IMC strategy from business strategy.

Targeting each segment differently but keeping the message consistent following the principles of principles of IMC, i.e. harmony, consistency and synergy.

Understanding the role of 6Ms in designing a communication plan.

Understanding how to identify appropriate media mix.

Understanding the holistic IMC framework.

Teaching notes.

The present field-based case study is related to topics in marketing area, more specifically brand management, strategic marketing and business strategy.

This case is primarily meant for second-year students in a postgraduate program in business management (MBA). The case could also be discussed in an executive development program on marketing/business strategy.

The present case is based on Aava natural mineral water, the brainchild of Mr Behram Mehta, Chairman of Shelpee Enterprises. The case explores at the various marketing strategies adopted by Aava in India. The case traces the brand's foray into the Indian bottled water market as a regional players and its growth as a pan Indian brand. However, in early 2012, the majority of Aava's sales were coming through institutional sales. The brand was facing a challenge of trying to find a foothold in the retail market. The balance between becoming a mass and a premium brand was also looming large. The major question that Aava needed to answer is whether it should restrict itself to the B2B market or whether it should try to penetrate the retail market. Given the latter is more beneficial for the company, the issues of product, pricing and brand communication needed to be revisited since these are not similar for B2B and B2C brands.

The various learning outcomes of the case include: understanding the differences between B2B and B2C marketing and the need for different strategies for both, apply marketing research findings to introduce a product in a market, evaluate and execute marketing communication strategies based on human behaviour for more effectiveness, evaluate alternatives leading to the right choice of branding/marketing strategy, understand the role of 4Ps of marketing for successful business and industry analysis.

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

Social Entrepreneurship/management of non-profit organizations (and non-government organizations).

Undergraduate/MBA/Executive MBA.

PUKAR is a niche non-government organization (NGO) working on a unique concept of “Right to Research”. It has several themes aimed at democratizing research and broadening access to knowledge among the disenfranchised or the weakly institutionalized groups. The resulting output is disseminated through media such as lectures, Web site, books and newsletters, thus initiating local, national and global debates about future of these groups. PUKAR conceptualizes all projects around this philosophy, which are supported by few specialized funding organizations. Funding organizations, on the other hand, are trying to support many causes aimed at improving the quality of life of citizens of various countries. Thus, PUKAR's growth is constrained by limited funds. Nevertheless, PUKAR has been able to create transformation in the lives of youth who carry out these projects. PUKAR, therefore, faces a continuous challenge of conceptualizing proposals that are meaningful and impactful for the society and to stay true to its core philosophy.

The expected learning outcomes include: to understand the nature of challenges (both strategic and operational) faced by a niche NGO; to analyze how the strategy of an NGO evolves with time; to analyze the impediments of growth for a niche NGO; and to analyze the strategic options for growth and sustenance of an NGO.

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

1. Analyze the concept of disruptive change and its impact on organizational learning and development; 2. Develop the ability to identify and implement effective behavioral training interventions; 3. Understand the learning and development process; 4. Evaluate the challenges associated with online learning and explore strategies to overcome them; and 5. Recognize the significance of online learning in the current era and acquire knowledge and skills using online tools and applications for different job roles.

This case focuses on the new challenges that Shazia Zaheer, who is Head of the Learning and Development Department, is experiencing as a consequences of COVID-19 in her department. As her learning and development department has been focused primarily on traditional learning modes since the inception of Pakistan Telecommunication Limited (PTCL), she is facing additional challenges in adopting online learning because PTCL has undergone significant structural change. Since 1947, PTCL has been a state-owned enterprise. In 2005, the Pakistan Government privatized PTCL. This privatization resulted in numerous structural changes in management, hierarchy, chain of command, pay structure, product lines, technology and other factors. Employees were reduced from 90,000 to 23,000 as part of a volunteer separation plan, and a new scheme was introduced to streamline the process and improve efficiency. However, the employees at PTCL reacted to this transformation with union strikes and behavioral changes. Hence, this became a daunting challenge for Shazia Zaheer to change employees’ mindsets and instill corporate culture values. Nonetheless, she successfully won the half battle by changing the mindset of employees, and then she faced another challenge, COVID-19. This new normal brought new challenges for Shazia to implement online learning as her department relies solely on traditional modes of learning (classroom-based learning).

This case will be a good teaching aid if included in any courses on “Training and Development,” “Human Resource Management,” “Change Management” and “Online Learning” It would be better at the undergraduate (specialization courses) or graduate level.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 6: Human Resource Management.