Publications

May 1986 (Revised January 1989)
Case

Gillette Co.: Dry Idea Advertising (A), The Creative Problem

Presents the first of two cases describing the struggle to solve creative problems on the Dry Idea antiperspirant brand introduced in 1978 by the Gillette Co. and its advertising agency (Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborne). Provides company and industry background plus... View Details

Keywords: Creativity; Advertising; Product Marketing; Consumer Products Industry; United States

Career Coach

Whit Collier

business. He can expand upon careers within these diverse areas within the wealth and investment management ecosystem, and advise students interested in these fields. Whit is thrilled to be a coach focused on serving others in their... View Details

01 Jun 2014
News

Ready for Takeoff

Santos-Dumont—not the Wright brothers—made the first manned flight in 1906.) Twenty years ago, this kind of consumer class would have been unthinkable. "In 1994, Brazil was really stuck in the mud," says... View Details

Keywords: Dan Morrell; Air Transportation; Transportation

July 2025
Teaching Note

Designed for Purpose: “Never a Failure. Always a Lesson”

By: James Riley and Andrea Dorbu

In 2017, Rihanna launched Fenty Beauty under LVMH, disrupting the cosmetics industry with an inclusive 'Beauty for All' strategy that emphasized accessibility across skin tones. The brand’s success was followed by the launch of Savage X Fenty, a lingerie line upholding... View Details

Keywords: Cultural Entrepreneurship; Brands and Branding; Luxury; Consumer Behavior; Market Entry and Exit; United States

01 Sep 2020
News

Action Plan: Finding Fluency

the American Northwest—now re-evaluates its plans on a weekly basis, tracking consumer sentiment regionally to adjust the tone of campaigns in real time. “I think being really agile is something that strong... View Details

Keywords: April White; foreign language; education and technology; digital marketing; change management; COVID-19; Educational Services

November 1998
Case

Wegmans Food Markets: Diabetes Counseling

By: Ray A. Goldberg, David E. Bell and Ann Leamon

Danny Wegman, president of Wegmans Food Markets, is trying to decide how to evaluate the success of a nutrition-counseling program for diabetics, and whether and how to expand the program beyond the two stores currently involved. Wegmans, with 57 stores and $2.3... View Details

Keywords: Performance Evaluation; Expansion; Programs; Human Needs; Financial Management; Health Care and Treatment; Nutrition; Consumer Behavior; Pharmaceutical Industry; Food and Beverage Industry

04 Jun 2007
Research & Ideas

Is Health Care Making You Better—or Dead?

think in any of these cases I launched a revolution, but I think I was helpful. But the pace was so slow, and people were saying that these high deductibles represented consumer-driven health care. It's ridiculous. View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Health

March–April 2023
Article

Market Segmentation Trees

By: Ali Aouad, Adam Elmachtoub, Kris J. Ferreira and Ryan McNellis

Problem definition: We seek to provide an interpretable framework for segmenting users in a population for personalized decision making. Methodology/results: We propose a general methodology, market segmentation trees (MSTs), for learning market... View Details

Keywords: Decision Trees; Computational Advertising; Market Segmentation; Analytics and Data Science; E-commerce; Consumer Behavior; Marketplace Matching; Marketing Channels; Digital Marketing

August 1971 (Revised August 1984)
Supplement

Dansk Designs Ltd., Video Supplement

By: Hugo Uyterhoeven

Introduces the students to the principals of Dansk Design. View Details

Keywords: Consumer Products Industry

2020
Case

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation: Accelerating a Circular Economy for Plastic Packaging

By: Andrew J. Hoffman

Plastic has become essential to global day-to-day activities, yet it is also causing extreme environmental degradation. Many leaders in the plastics industry are starting to question its sustainability. This case presents insights into the future of the plastic... View Details

Keywords: Plastic Waste; Environmental Sustainability; Cooperation; Supply Chain Management; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Consumer Products Industry

November 2002 (Revised June 2003)
Case

Corning, Inc.: Technology Strategy in 2003

By: Rebecca Henderson

Corning, Inc. has a 150-year history of building a strategy around innovation. Founded as a glass manufacturer in 1851, the company quickly established itself as a maker of specialty glass products and over the next 100 years diversified into light bulbs, television,... View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Strategy; Innovation Strategy; Situation or Environment; Research and Development; Consumer Products Industry; United States

21 Aug 2013
Research & Ideas

To Buy Happiness, Spend Money on Other People

Now, Consume Later (delayed consumption leads to increased enjoyment); and Invest in Others (spending money on other people makes us happier than spending it on ourselves). Recently we featured a video illustrating the emotional benefits... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

07 Mar 2007
Research & Ideas

How Do You Value a “Free” Customer?

Businesspeople understand that not all customers are created equal—the 80-20 rule suggests that over time a small percentage of a company's customer base can generate a high percentage of its sales and... View Details

Keywords: by Sarah Jane Gilbert; Web Services

March 2009 (Revised January 2010)
Background Note

The Newspaper Industry in Crisis

By: David J. Collis, Peter W. Olson and Mary Furey

This note is a primer on the newspaper industry, which has been in decline in the U.S. and Western Europe. The 19th century business model whereby news and editorial content was packaged and delivered to homes daily and paid for by national advertisers has been... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Business History; Newspapers; Disruptive Innovation; Consumer Behavior; Business Strategy; Internet; Journalism and News Industry; Publishing Industry; Europe; United States

March 1997 (Revised July 1999)
Case

S1 Corporation

S1 is a fast growing subsidiary of the Samsung Group in South Korea that sells business security products. S1 has implemented a number of marketing initiatives that the company president would like to have evaluated. View Details

Keywords: Marketing Strategy; Price; Salesforce Management; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry; South Korea

14 Nov 2016
Op-Ed

5 Lessons I Hope Marketers Don’t Learn from Donald Trump

If marketing is a profession, and I hope it is, then I suggest there are five rules that marketers should not follow in the interests of self-respect and respect for the profession. It pays to pander. No it... View Details

Keywords: by John A. Deighton

February 1994 (Revised May 1995)
Case

Eastman Kodak Co.: Funtime Film

By: Robert J. Dolan

Eastman Kodak has suffered significant declines in film market share at the hands of lower priced branded producers and private label products. The case presents Kodak's proposal to launch a new economy brand of film to combat these rivals. View Details

Keywords: Product Positioning; Competition; Price; Product Launch; Brands and Branding; Consumer Products Industry

August 2005 (Revised March 2007)
Case

Leitax (A)

By: Noel H. Watson, Rogelio Oliva and Laura Winig

Leitax, a young digital camera manufacturer selling its cameras mainly through retailers, experienced poor matching of inventory availability with demand for new and existing products in 2002. Describes the implementation and details of a consensus forecasting... View Details

Keywords: Demand and Consumers; Supply Chain Management; Forecasting and Prediction; Supply and Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Retail Industry