Around 1994, competition in the credit card market was based on price (i.e., interest rates and annual fees). After Chase and American Express launched bonus point programs in 1993, HSBC was forced to follow in 1994. The original program was targeted at high-income consumers as with luxury brand redemption items. Competition reacted and consumers quickly learned to expect a points program as a standard feature. Again, HSBC differentiated their credit .....more

The senior Brand Manager for Capital One Canada is developing the firm's strategy for its first mass media advertising campaign in Canada. He had been provided with a menu of U.S. and U.K. advertisements - with test results for each - which he can adapt for a Canadian audience. The key decisions the Senior Brand Manager faces includes which customer segment to focus on, what value proposition to signal to this segment, what advertisements should .....more

Boots Group PLC, one of the best known and respected retail names in the United Kingdom, provided health and beauty products and advice that enhanced personal well being. The marketing manager at Boots was planning his sales promotion strategy for a line of professional hair-care products. The professional hair-care line consisted primarily of shampoos, conditioners and styling products (gels, wax, mousse, etc.) developed in collaboration with United .....more

The vice-president of regulation at the Investment Funds Institute of Canada is reviewing the monthly statistics. It shows the continuance of three trends, prevalent during the last 12 months in the Canadian mutual funds industry. Net sales of mutual funds were declining, fund redemptions were rising and the rate of growth in mutual fund assets had been marginal. The vice-president must determine how the Investment Funds Institute, as the industry .....more

Ford of Canada is a division of the Ford Motor Company - one of the "Big Three" automobile manufacturers in North America. The brand manager of the Windstar was concerned that its only brand in the minivan category would not meet its annual sales target. Since the Windstar's launch in the early 1990s, it had become one of the largest selling auto brands in Canada and was synonymous with safety and family travel. During the past few years, .....more

The Canada Summer Games is a national, premier amateur sports event held biannually. The 2001 Summer Games faced a challenge in generating revenue by selling spectator tickets to various events. Early sales did not meet expectations and the marketing strategy was revised halfway through the advertising campaign. The marketing manager must determine the impact revising the marketing campaign had on sales and prepare a report with recommendations that .....more

Molson Canada produced Molson Canadian, Canada's best selling beer. Canadian's previous advertising campaign "The Rant" had been incredibly popular making it one of the most successful ads for Molson in a long time, and winning numerous international and domestic advertising awards. The marketing team for Molson Canadian had to find the theme for the next advertising campaign, and must decide whether to move towards more traditional .....more

Canadian Tire is a large retailer of automotive, hardware and houseware products. As part of the company's marketing strategy, the executive director of corporate affairs is reviewing four social marketing programs and must decide which program the company will adopt. She must analyse each of the social marketing programs and assess how the program will contribute to the company's competitive position. She also needs to convince the company's .....more

Nintendo Co. Ltd. is a worldwide leader in the retail video game industry. In 1998 the color version of Nintendo Game Boy would be launched simultaneously in North America and Europe and would be one of Nintendo's most important launches. The president of Nintendo, Canada must develop a marketing plan that would generate the most profit.

The manufacturer of TotalMint mouthwash graded its television commercials internally to judge their potential effectiveness in the marketplace. New television commercials were shown to planned audiences and diagnostic data points were used to judge the commercial based on several criteria. TotalMint was able to assess the extent that a particular commercial was likely to drive sales by comparing the results of the test against a historical database .....more