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- All HBS Web
(1,886)
- People (1)
- News (270)
- Research (1,476)
- Events (5)
- Multimedia (16)
- Faculty Publications (886)
- 19 Apr 2004
- Research & Ideas
Birth of the American Salesman
to the sales strategies worked out at NCR. The well-known IBM motto "Think!" first appeared on an NCR trade card, apparently at Watson's suggestion. Q: The salesman is perhaps the most familiar and... View Details
Keywords: by Laura Linard
- April 2020
- Teaching Note
Glossier: Co-Creating a Cult Brand with a Digital Community
By: Jill Avery
Teaching Note for HBS No. 519-022. Flush with cash from its Series C fundraise, cult beauty brand Glossier considers its next phase of growth, facing critical decisions on how to allocate its capital to support various marketing communications and distribution... View Details
Keywords: Digital Marketing; Crowdsourcing; CRM; Startup; Direct-to-consumer; DTC; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Brands and Branding; Consumer Behavior; Customer Relationship Management; Venture Capital; Business Startups; Entrepreneurship; Social Media; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; United States
- May 1996 (Revised March 1998)
- Case
SaleSoft, Inc. (A)
By: Das Narayandas
SaleSoft, a start-up firm, markets Comprehensive Sales Automation Solutions (CSAS) that automate a firm's sales, marketing, and service functions. Even though the product has received very favorable responses from prospects, product complexity and a long buying cycle... View Details
Keywords: Business Startups; Decisions; Revenue; Marketing Strategy; Product Launch; Sales; Opportunities; Information Technology; Technology Industry
Narayandas, Das. "SaleSoft, Inc. (A)." Harvard Business School Case 596-112, May 1996. (Revised March 1998.)
- 28 Oct 2011
- News
For Incoming I.B.M. Chief, Self-Confidence is Rewarded
- June 2012
- Article
The Economic Value of Celebrity Endorsements
By: Anita Elberse and Jeroen Verleun
What is the payoff to enlisting celebrity endorsers? Although effects on stock returns are relatively well documented, little is known about any impact on sales—arguably a metric of more direct importance to advertising practitioners. In this study of athlete... View Details
Keywords: Stocks; Value; Advertising; Sales; Brands and Branding; Decisions; Economics; Marketing Strategy; Investment Return
Elberse, Anita, and Jeroen Verleun. "The Economic Value of Celebrity Endorsements." Journal of Advertising Research 52, no. 2 (June 2012): 149–165.
- March 1990 (Revised November 1999)
- Case
MCI Communications: Planning for the 1990s
By: Robert L. Simons and Hilary Weston
Concentrates on the evolution of MCI's strategy-setting process following a period of dramatic growth. Opportunistic strategies during MCI's early years have given top managers a dislike of formal strategic planning and a strongly-held belief in top down strategy... View Details
Keywords: Globalization; Growth and Development; Planning; Strategic Planning; Growth Management; Business or Company Management; Competition; Alignment; Communications Industry
Simons, Robert L., and Hilary Weston. "MCI Communications: Planning for the 1990s." Harvard Business School Case 190-136, March 1990. (Revised November 1999.)
- August 2009 (Revised August 2012)
- Case
Cabot Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
By: Frank V. Cespedes and John T. Gourville
Traces the 12-year career of a pharmaceutical salesperson, Bob Marsh, from recruitment to termination. Marsh has had an uneven career with Cabot Pharmaceuticals and eventually is asked to resign. Following his termination, a number of Marsh's former customers complain... View Details
Keywords: Customer Relationship Management; Employees; Resignation and Termination; Performance Evaluation; Salesforce Management; Alignment; Pharmaceutical Industry
Cespedes, Frank V., and John T. Gourville. "Cabot Pharmaceuticals, Inc." Harvard Business School Case 510-030, August 2009. (Revised August 2012.)
- December 2007 (Revised April 2008)
- Case
Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners
Selling an intangible like advertising services is a difficult task. The first step is to understand how brands buy these services. What are they looking for? What do they need to learn? How do they go about assessing things like creativity, trust, and loyalty? This... View Details
Godes, David B. "Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners." Harvard Business School Case 508-043, December 2007. (Revised April 2008.)
- November 1978 (Revised December 1979)
- Case
Federal Express (C)
The Marketing Director for Federal Express, a fast growing freight airline specializing in small packages, must select a strategy to achieve a big sales increase for one of the company's services. First he must decide on the relative emphasis to place between... View Details
Lovelock, Christopher H. "Federal Express (C)." Harvard Business School Case 579-041, November 1978. (Revised December 1979.)
- 02 Nov 2010
- First Look
First Look: November 2, 2010
technical system to gain strategic advantage. The strategy involves, first, identifying "bottlenecks" in the existing system, and then creating a new open architecture that isolates the bottlenecks in modules and allows others... View Details
Keywords: Sean Silverthorne
- July 1989 (Revised April 2001)
- Case
Kanthal (A)
By: Robert S. Kaplan
Multinational company needs an improved cost system to determine the profitability of individual customer orders. Its strategy is to have significant sales and profitability growth without adding additional administrative and support people. The new cost system... View Details
Keywords: Cost Accounting; Earnings Management; Cost Management; Financial Management; Multinational Firms and Management; Business or Company Management; Customer Relationship Management; Sales; Business Strategy; Profit; Electronics Industry
Kaplan, Robert S. "Kanthal (A)." Harvard Business School Case 190-002, July 1989. (Revised April 2001.)
- December 2007 (Revised July 2008)
- Supplement
MINI USA: Finding a New Advertising Agency (B)
Selling an intangible like advertising services is a difficult task. The first step is to understand how brands buy these services. What are they looking for? What do they need to learn? How do they go about assessing things like creativity, trust, and loyalty? This... View Details
Godes, David B. "MINI USA: Finding a New Advertising Agency (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 508-042, December 2007. (Revised July 2008.)
- March 2023 (Revised May 2025)
- Case
On
By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, Karolin Frankenberger and Sascha Mader
Founded in 2010, in just one decade, the Swiss company On had established itself as a main player in global sports footwear and apparel. Based on an unconventional strategy which one of the founders labeled as “obsessively distinct,” On grew its sales with a compound... View Details
Keywords: Brands and Branding; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Model; Business Startups; Business Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Customer Focus and Relationships; Customer Satisfaction; Digital Marketing; Disruptive Innovation; Distribution Channels; Entrepreneurship; Environmental Sustainability; Global Strategy; Initial Public Offering; Innovation and Invention; Innovation Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Marketing Strategy; Product Design; Product Development; Product Marketing; Social Media; Strategy; Supply Chain Management; Technological Innovation; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Retail Industry; Sports Industry; Europe; Switzerland; Germany; United States
- March 2017 (Revised March 2019)
- Case
Ant Financial (A)
By: Feng Zhu, Ying Zhang, Krishna G. Palepu, Anthony K. Woo and Nancy Hua Dai
Headquartered in Hangzhou (China), Ant Financial has grown into a fintech “Unicorn.” The fintech empire that the company established spanned verticals such as mobile and online payment (Alipay), money market fund (Yu’e Bao), wealth management (Ant Fortune),... View Details
Keywords: Growth and Development Strategy; Global Strategy; Finance; Opportunities; Financial Services Industry; Technology Industry
Zhu, Feng, Ying Zhang, Krishna G. Palepu, Anthony K. Woo, and Nancy Hua Dai. "Ant Financial (A)." Harvard Business School Case 617-060, March 2017. (Revised March 2019.)
- September 2008 (Revised June 2010)
- Case
Hearts On Fire - Brand Development Manager
By: Frank V. Cespedes and Benson P. Shapiro
Hearts On Fire, a successful branded diamond producer, established the position of Brand Development Manager (BDM) to build the company's presence, sales, and relationships with its retail customers. After one year, the CEO, CFO and President must evaluate the impact... View Details
Keywords: Customer Focus and Relationships; Investment Return; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Business Processes; Salesforce Management; Business Strategy
Cespedes, Frank V., and Benson P. Shapiro. "Hearts On Fire - Brand Development Manager." Harvard Business School Case 709-436, September 2008. (Revised June 2010.)
- May 2017 (Revised August 2021)
- Case
Mavi: Fashioning a Path to Brand Growth
By: Jill Avery and Gamze Yucaoglu
This case examines the strategic choices and business model with regards to branding at Mavi, a leading Turkish apparel retailer. The case is presented from the perspective of the company CEO and its global brand director who is also part owner. In 2015, Mavi had sales... View Details
Keywords: Brand Management; Brand Architecture; Brand Portfolio Strategy; Brand Positioning; International Expansion; Retailing; Fashion; Pricing; Fast Fashion; Emerging Economies; Brand Extension; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Brands and Branding; Emerging Markets; Growth and Development Strategy; Expansion; Global Range; Decision Choices and Conditions; Fashion Industry; Retail Industry; Turkey; Europe; Asia
Avery, Jill, and Gamze Yucaoglu. "Mavi: Fashioning a Path to Brand Growth." Harvard Business School Case 517-075, May 2017. (Revised August 2021.)
- March 2006 (Revised January 2011)
- Case
CEMEX: Rewarding the Egyptian Retailers
CEMEX has pursued an aggressive decommoditization strategy focused on its relationship with small Egyptian retailers. In particular, the strategic role and effectiveness of the Rewards Program, a tournament that rewarded the sales performance of the retailers, was... View Details
Keywords: Marketing Strategy; Performance Improvement; Sales; Motivation and Incentives; Construction Industry; Egypt
Martinez-Jerez, Francisco de Asis, Joshua Bellin, and Carole Winkler. "CEMEX: Rewarding the Egyptian Retailers." Harvard Business School Case 106-065, March 2006. (Revised January 2011.)
- November 2001 (Revised March 2011)
- Case
Corona Beer
By: Rohit Deshpande, Gustavo Herrero and Kirsten O'Neil Massaro
In early June 1997, the CEO and vice chairman of Grupo Modelo were reviewing the performance of Corona beer in the U.S. market. Despite a much higher sales volume growth rate, Corona still trailed Heineken, the #1 imported beer brand in the U.S. market. Could Corona... View Details
Keywords: Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Sales; Competitive Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry; Mexico; United States
Deshpande, Rohit, Gustavo Herrero, and Kirsten O'Neil Massaro. "Corona Beer." Harvard Business School Case 502-023, November 2001. (Revised March 2011.)
- September 2012 (Revised December 2013)
- Case
Roxbury Technology Corporation
By: Richard S. Ruback and Royce Yudkoff
Roxbury Technology is a Boston-based re-manufacturer of ink and toner cartridges. In early 2012 RTC was re-evaluating its approach to the company's two most important goals: reducing customer concentration and increasing profitability. RTC's largest customer accounted... View Details