Montreaux Chocolate USA: Are Americans Ready for Healthy Dark Chocolate?

John A. Quelch; Diane  Badame

Case | HBS Case Collection | July 2013

Montreaux Chocolate USA: Are Americans Ready for Healthy Dark Chocolate?

Abstract

Andrea Torres, director of new product development at a high-end chocolate confectionery company, leads her team through a carefully sequenced program of market research to support the development and launch of a new product, healthy dark chocolate with fruit. This is the first time Montreaux USA, an offshoot of a Swiss confectioner, has created a product specifically for U.S. chocolate consumers. The case explains the steps Torres and her NPD team have completed and describes the decisions that lie ahead, a few months in advance of the anticipated launch. A challenging situation is intensified by a competitor also having tested a dark-chocolate-with-fruit product that was likely to be introduced into the U.S. marketplace in the near future. Students must perform a quantitative analysis as part of their work.

Keywords: Competition; Food; Consumer Behavior; Nutrition; Product Launch; Product Development; Food and Beverage Industry; Switzerland; United States;

Language: English

Format: Print

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Citation:

Quelch, John A., and Diane Badame. "Montreaux Chocolate USA: Are Americans Ready for Healthy Dark Chocolate?" Harvard Business School Brief Case 914-501, July 2013.

Email mking@hbs.edu for a courtesy copy.

The case describes a program that CVS Health recently implemented to improve medication adherence, an important problem from a societal, public policy, and firm perspective. A test of the program, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars to implement, increased the proportion of adherent customers by 1.4 percentage points. Students are asked to quantify the system-wide economic benefit of this improvement and draw upon insights from behavioral science to examine approaches for boosting medication adherence.

Case | HBS Case Collection | May 2019

Whiskey and Cheddar: Ingredient Branding at the Caesan Cheese Cooperative (Brief Case)

John A. Quelch and Katherine B. Hartman

The Caesan Cheese Cooperative is considering introducing a new high-quality, high-margin artisan whiskey cheddar cheese. Deidra Kelly, vice president of marketing and product development at Caesan, must recommend to the Board of Directors whether to launch the product using Jameson® whiskey as a branded ingredient or using a generically branded whiskey. Use of the branded ingredient would involve a licensing agreement with a leading spirits and wine distributor, Pernod Ricard USA (PR-U). Evaluation of the options requires an assessment of the product-company fit, product-market fit, marketing program, licensing agreement, breakeven sales volume, and achievement of the targeted sales goal. The case focuses on evaluating new product opportunities, specifically regarding product-company fit and product-market fit. In addition, the case allows students to discuss the power of branding and entering strategic partnerships to drive revenue. Students must also use their quantitative skills, such as conducting breakeven analyses and understanding the impact of licensing costs on gross profit margins. The case can be used to discuss product strategy, positioning, branding, and partnerships. It is recommended for upper-level undergraduate students or MBA students in courses focused on marketing strategy, product development and management, or branding.

Keywords: Brands and Branding; Product Development; Management; Product Marketing; Product Positioning; Marketing Strategy; Partners and Partnerships; Food and Beverage Industry;

Citation:

Quelch, John A., and Katherine B. Hartman. "Whiskey and Cheddar: Ingredient Branding at the Caesan Cheese Cooperative (Brief Case)." Harvard Business School Brief Case 919-521, May 2019. View Details

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