The president of a national placement agency is preparing to make a final pitch to sign Greyhound Canada as a client. Greyhound wants to reposition its brand as a mainstream travel option, particularly for suburban commuters, and needs cost-effective ways to get its message to consumers. The company views product placement as a viable tool for building brand awareness, but worries about losing control over its brand image. Even more serious are .....more

The product manager for coffee development at Kraft Canada must decide whether to introduce the company's new line of single-serve coffee pods or await results from the United States. Key strategic decisions include which target market to focus on and what value proposition to signal. Important questions are also raised as to how the new product should be branded, which flavors to offer, whether Kraft should use traditional distribution channels .....more

This is the second of two cases on Kraft Canada's entry into the single-serve coffee and hot beverage market. The (A) case describes the initial situation facing the category manager, who must decide whether to launch a new line of coffee pods that Kraft plans to introduce shortly in the United States. The (B) case summarizes key elements of the marketing strategy, and the preliminary results. Students are then faced with the challenge of what .....more

InvestorSoft is preparing to launch its one and only product, a subscription-based software service that will make it convenient and economical for companies to manage the investor relations portion of their website. The company's founder faces an uphill battle in establishing InvestorSoft as a credible supplier to buyers who prefer dealing with large, reputable firms. His immediate challenge is to settle on a set of target customers, and determine .....more

Dexit is a new electronic payment system that offers a convenient alternative to cash for small-value retail transactions. The chief executive officer is faced with some critical target market and marketing mix decisions as she prepares for launch. The situation is complicated by the fact that action is needed on two fronts: Dexit must not only recruit end-consumers to use the service, it also has to convince merchants to install the payment terminals. .....more

In less than a decade, Korea's Samsung has transformed itself from a maker of low-end consumer electronics into a legitimate rival to Japanese industry giants such as Sony and Panasonic. Success has been due largely to efforts to reposition Samsung as a provider of stylish, leading-edge digital technology. But shadows of the old brand image remain, spurred on by the continued availability of several of the company's traditional products. The .....more

An historic hotel faces the twin challenges of seasonal demand and a decline in its most important market. The hotel's general manager is considering several expansion/renovation proposals to address these problems, each of which implies a different strategic focus. The decision is complicated by the fact that the hotel is located in world-renowned Banff National Park, an environmentally sensitive area administered by the Canadian government. .....more