Jill J. Avery

Dr. Jill Avery is a Senior Lecturer in the marketing unit at Harvard Business School and Chair for Convening and Special Events. She is an authority on brand management and customer relationship management (CRM). Prior to her academic career, she worked in consumer packaged goods brand management, managing brands for The Gillette Company, Braun Inc., Samuel Adams, and AT&T, and spent time on the agency side of the business, as an account executive managing consumer promotions for Pepsi, General Foods, Bristol-Myers, and Citibank. She remains close to practice by serving as a board member, consultant, educator, and advisor to companies and their executives. She is a Corporate Director and Chair of the Audit Committee of the Amica Mutual Insurance Company, President of the Board of Trustees at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and a Trustee of St. Paul's School.

She currently teaches two MBA courses, Marketing and Creating Brand Value. In the past, she has taught marketing management, brand management, integrated marketing communications, consumer behavior, strategic decision making, social psychology of organizations, and FIELD (Field Immersion Experiences for Leadership) in the MBA and undergraduate programs at HBS, Harvard College, Boston University, Northeastern University, and Simmons College. She received the Simmons School of Management’s Award for Teaching Excellence for her MBA teaching. She was awarded a Certificate of Distinction in Teaching at Harvard College for her undergraduate teaching. She is a 2018 recipient of the Robert F. Greenhill award for service to the HBS community.

She has taught executives in Harvard Business School's Taking Marketing Digital, Strategic Marketing Management, Global Strategic Management, Driving Digital Strategy, and Transforming Customer Experiences open enrollment executive education programs and in custom programs for AB InBev, The Coca-Cola Company, Constellation Brands, Kellogg's, IBM, ANTA, Bacardi, HubSpot, Midea, and American Express, and has developed executive programs for arts and cultural organization leaders at National Arts Strategies.

She is the author of over 100 journal articles, book chapters, cases, and notes on branding, CRM, and digital marketing. Her work has been published in the top academic marketing journals, including Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Marketing, International Journal of Research in Marketing, and Journal for the Advancement of Marketing Education. She reaches a broader audience through managerial articles and case studies that have been published in Harvard Business Review, MIT Sloan Management Review, European Business Review, and Business Horizons. She is the coauthor of the edited book Strong Brands, Strong Relationships, published by Routledge. Her doctoral dissertation on online brand communities won the Harvard Business School Wyss Award for excellence in doctoral research and the Marketing Science Institute’s Best Paper Award for work published in the International Journal of Research in Marketing. Her work on underdog brands earned an honorable mention for best articles published in the Journal of Consumer Research in 2011. Her branding insights have been cited in Advertising Age, The Economist, The New York Times, The Financial Times, Forbes, and Bloomberg/Business Week.

Her field research and teaching cases have sold over 500,000 copies and are taught at the top global business schools, placing her as #16 on the list of bestselling case authors worldwide, and include cases on Kraft-Heinz, Nestle, L'Oreal, Porsche, Pepsi, Budweiser, Marriott/Starwood, Longchamp, Nike, Glossier, Hubble, J.C. Penney, EMC, GAP, JP Morgan Chase, Shiseido, Tate Modern, Christie's, Peapod, Brandless, OneFineStay, The Park Hotels, Eileen Fisher, and the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. Her HubSpot case was awarded The Case Centre Marketing Award in 2014 and her Accor Hotels case was awarded The Case Centre Overall Award in 2019.

She holds a Doctorate in Business Administration (marketing) from Harvard Business School, a MBA (marketing and finance) from the Wharton School, and a BA (English) from the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to joining the HBS faculty, she was an assistant professor of marketing at the Simmons School of Management from 2007-2013, where she was awarded tenure and promotion to associate professor.

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Books

Book | 2015

Strong Brands, Strong Relationships

Susan Fournier, Michael Breazeale and Jill Avery

From the editorial team of the ground-breaking Consumer-Brand Relationships: Theory and Practice comes this new volume. Strong Brands, Strong Relationships is a collection of innovative research and management insights that build upon the foundations of the first book, but takes the study of brand relationships outside of traditional realms by applying new theoretical frameworks and considering new contexts. The result is an expanded and better-informed account of people's relationships with brands and a demonstration of the important and timely implications of this evolving sub-discipline.

A range of different brand relationship environments are explored in the collection, including: online digital spaces, consumer collectives, global brands, luxury brands, branding in terrorist organizations, and the brand relationships of men and transient consumers. This book attends to relationship endings as well as their beginnings, providing a full life-cycle perspective. While the first volume focused on positive relationship benefits, this collection explores dysfunctional dynamics, adversarial and politically-charged relationships, and those that are harmful to well-being. Evocative constructs are leveraged, including secrets, betrayals, anthropomorphism, lying, infidelity, retaliation, and bereavement. The curated collection provides both a deeper theoretical understanding of brand relationship phenomena and ideas for practical application from experiments and execution in commercial practice.

Strong Brands, Strong Relationships will be the perfect read for marketing faculty and graduate students interested in branding dynamics, as well as managers responsible for stewarding brands.

Keywords: marketing; brand building; brands and branding; brand management; customer relationship management; CRM; Marketing; Brands and Branding; Marketing Communications; Advertising; Customer Relationship Management; Customer Focus and Relationships; Advertising Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Consumer Products Industry;

Citation:
Fournier, Susan, Michael Breazeale and Jill Avery, eds. Strong Brands, Strong Relationships. Abingdon, UK: Routledge, 2015. View Details

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Journal Articles

Article | Harvard Business Review

Competing with a Goliath

Jill Avery

A Peruvian apparel company struggles to position itself against a global brand.

Keywords: brands and branding; brand management; brand positioning; competitive positioning; marketing; marketing strategy; Marketing; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Peru; Latin America; South America;

Citation:

Avery, Jill. "Competing with a Goliath." Harvard Business Review 94, no. 10 (October 2016): 117–121. View Details

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Article | Harvard Business Review

Second Thoughts About a Strategy Shift

Elie Ofek and Jill Avery

A retail guru attempts to reposition an established brand and introduce an entirely new pricing scheme. Early financial results from the strategic shift are not favorable. Based on the experience of U.S. retailer J.C. Penney, the piece raises fundamental questions about repositioning retail brands and the ability to shift consumers to entirely new pricing formats. It further raises the question of when to declare that a new approach to the business has failed.

Keywords: brand management; Pricing strategy; retailing; leadership; Leadership; Price; Product Marketing; Brands and Branding; Retail Industry;

Citation:

Ofek, Elie, and Jill Avery. "Second Thoughts About a Strategy Shift." Harvard Business Review 92, no. 12 (December 2014): 125–127. View Details

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Article | MIT Sloan Management Review

The Upside to Large Competitors

Neeru Paharia, Anat Keinan and Jill Avery

Large companies are often viewed as a major threat for startups and small companies; big companies have more financial resources and greater scale, market power, and brand awareness than small ones. However, our research finds that a smaller brand can actually benefit if consumers can see the competitive threat it faces from a larger organization.

Keywords: brands and branding; brand management; marketing; marketing strategy; competition; Marketing; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Consumer Products Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Retail Industry; United States;

Citation:
Paharia, Neeru, Anat Keinan, and Jill Avery. "The Upside to Large Competitors." MIT Sloan Management Review 56, no. 1 (Fall 2014). View Details

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Article | Harvard Business Review

Making Charity Pay

Michael I. Norton and Jill Avery

Companies are increasingly experimenting with the use of philanthropy to enhance consumer loyalty, brand awareness, and sales. But even highly creative approaches that garner a lot of buzz often fall short of sales goals, leading many companies to conclude, prematurely, that charity doesn't pay. Our research, in contrast, suggests that charity can drive engagement—when done right.

Keywords: philanthropy; charitable giving; charity; marketing; marketing strategy; brands and branding; Advertising; Marketing; Brands and Branding; Marketing Communications; Marketing Strategy; Consumer Products Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Retail Industry; United States;

Citation:
Norton, Michael I., and Jill Avery. "Making Charity Pay." Harvard Business Review 92, no. 10 (October 2014). View Details

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Article | Harvard Business Review

Unlock the Mysteries of Your Customer Relationships

Jill Avery, Susan Fournier and John Wittenbraker

Consumers have always had relationships with brands, but sophisticated tools for analyzing customer data are finally allowing marketing organizations to personalize and manage those relationships. With this new power comes a new challenge: people now expect companies to understand what type of relationships they want and to respond appropriately—they want firms to hold up their end of the bargain. Unfortunately, many brands don't meet those expectations.

Keywords: brand management; marketing; marketing strategy; customer relationship management; CRM; Brands and Branding; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Customer Focus and Relationships; Customer Relationship Management; Consumer Products Industry; Retail Industry; United States;

Citation:
Avery, Jill, Susan Fournier, and John Wittenbraker. "Unlock the Mysteries of Your Customer Relationships." Harvard Business Review 92, nos. 7/8 (July–August 2014): 72–81. View Details

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Article | Journal of Marketing Research (JMR)

Positioning Brands Against Large Competitors to Increase Sales

Neeru Paharia, Jill Avery and Anat Keinan

We explore the effect of having a large dominant competitor and show the conditions under which focusing on a competitive threat, rather than hiding it, can actually help a brand. We demonstrate through lab and field studies that highlighting a large competitor's size and close proximity can help smaller brands instead of harming them. We find that support for small brands goes up when faced with a competitive threat from large brands, versus when they are in competition with brands that are similar to them, or when consumers view them outside of a competitive context. This support translates into purchase intention, real purchase, and more favorable online reviews in a study of over 10,000 Yelp posts. We argue that this "framing the game effect" is mediated by consumers' motivation to express their views and have an impact on the marketplace through their purchasing.

Keywords: marketing; Brands; brands and branding; brand management; brand positioning; competitive positioning; Brands and Branding; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Consumer Products Industry; Retail Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Air Transportation Industry; United States;

Citation:
Paharia, Neeru, Jill Avery, and Anat Keinan. "Positioning Brands Against Large Competitors to Increase Sales." Journal of Marketing Research (JMR) 51, no. 6 (December 2014): 647–656. (Lead article.) View Details

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Article | Journal for Advancement of Marketing Education

Leveraging Crowdsourced Peer-to-Peer Assessments to Enhance the Case Method of Learning

Jill Avery

Many marketing educators use the case method to help their students strengthen their decision-making skills. Rigorous class participation is essential to achieving learning objectives in case method learning. One challenge for case method instructors is the assessment of students' class participation, particularly in large classes. This article offers a solution that mines the practices of peer-to-peer feedback and crowdsourcing to enhance the assessment of learning and student-to-student interactions in face-to-face class sessions. The article outlines a technique used in an MBA marketing course for crowdsourced peer-to-peer assessment of class participation during case discussions and empirically validates how crowdsourced peer-to-peer assessment compares to students' self-assessment and to the instructor's assessment of class participation performance, based on five years of data (N=7,025) across ten sections. The article demonstrates that crowdsourced peer-to-peer assessment (unlike self-assessment) offers ratings that are highly correlated with instructor assessment and demonstrate strong inter-rater reliability. Results show that crowdsourced peer-to-peer assessments are perceived as fair and accurate. Educators can leverage peer-to-peer sharing to enhance the assessment of class participation during face-to-face case discussions.

Keywords: marketing; Case method teaching; Marketing; Business Education; Teaching; Education Industry;

Citation:

Avery, Jill. "Leveraging Crowdsourced Peer-to-Peer Assessments to Enhance the Case Method of Learning." Journal for Advancement of Marketing Education 22, no. 1 (Spring 2014): 1–15. View Details

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Article | Harvard Business Review

In Search of a Second Act: Riding the Popularity of a Great First Product Is Easy; Finding the Next One Is Hard

Elie Ofek and Jill Avery

The article presents a fictional case study on new product development and improvement after the successful launch of a first breakthrough product. Topics include business planning for brand name products, finance and investment for the development of educational toys, strategies for product differentiation, and technological improvements to the original product.

Keywords: innovation; growth strategy; Consumer marketing; marketing; brand management; Market research; New Product Development; marketing management; marketing strategy; technology commercialization; technology; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Product Marketing; Consumer Products Industry; Electronics Industry; Technology Industry; North and Central America; United States;

Citation:

Ofek, Elie, and Jill Avery. "In Search of a Second Act: Riding the Popularity of a Great First Product Is Easy; Finding the Next One Is Hard." Harvard Business Review 91, no. 4 (April 2013): 133–137. View Details

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Article | Journal of Marketing Communications

Building Brand Knowledge Structures: Elaboration and Interference Effects on the Processing of Sequentially Advertised Brand Benefit Claims

Susan E. Heckler, Kevin L. Keller, Michael J. Houston and Jill Avery

Two experiments are reported that examine the effects of an ad campaign designed to link two different benefit claims to a brand. The findings indicated that recall for a subsequently advertised claim depended on the strength of existing brand-benefit links in memory. If prior advertising strongly established a benefit claim in memory, then proactive interference effects inhibited recall of subsequently advertised benefit claims unrelated in meaning. Additional analyses suggested that these interference effects appeared to be a result of difficulties with encoding the newly advertised claims. If the original benefit claim was not as strongly established in memory, however, unaided recall of the subsequently advertised benefit claims was actually higher than if there had been no prior advertising at all. In fact, less accessible and memorable claims, whether they preceded or followed more accessible and memorable claims, enhanced recall of the stronger claims. Additional analyses suggest that these elaboration effects occurred because prior or subsequent advertising improved brand awareness and thus later brand claim recall as a result.

Keywords: marketing; marketing communication; brand building; brand management; Brands; advertising; consumer behavior; consumer psychology; Advertising Campaigns; Brands and Branding; Marketing Communications; Marketing Strategy; Advertising Industry; Consumer Products Industry;

Citation:
Heckler, Susan E., Kevin L. Keller, Michael J. Houston, and Jill Avery. "Building Brand Knowledge Structures: Elaboration and Interference Effects on the Processing of Sequentially Advertised Brand Benefit Claims." Journal of Marketing Communications 20, no. 3 (June 2014): 176–196. (Published online: March 29, 2012.) View Details

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Article | International Journal of Research in Marketing

Defending the Markers of Masculinity: Consumer Resistance to Brand Gender-Bending

Jill Avery

I study the Porsche Cayenne SUV launch to ethnographically analyze how men consuming a gendered brand respond to perceived brand gender contamination. Consumers' communal gender work in a Porsche brand community is analyzed to uncover brand gender contamination's effects on the identity projects of consumers, the brand as an identity marker, and the prevailing gender order in the group. Through the promulgation of gender stereotypes, Porsche owners stratify themselves along gender lines and create an ingroup sharply defined by masculinity and an outgroup defined by femininity. The construction of social barriers limits access to Porsche's meanings to those who achieve masculine ideals and causes SUV owners to resort to hyper-masculine behaviors to combat exclusion. Consumers' gender work reverses the firm's efforts to gender-bend the brand, reinstates Porsche as a masculine marker, and reifies particular definitions of masculinity in the community.

Keywords: marketing; Brands; brand building; Brand equity; brand management; brand positioning; brands and branding; consumer behavior; gender; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Product Marketing; Customer Focus and Relationships; Auto Industry; Consumer Products Industry;

Citation:
Avery, Jill. "Defending the Markers of Masculinity: Consumer Resistance to Brand Gender-Bending." International Journal of Research in Marketing 29, no. 4 (December 2012): 322–336. (Article was awarded the Marketing Science Institute's Best Paper Award.) View Details

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Article | Journal of Marketing

Adding Bricks to Clicks: Predicting the Patterns of Cross-Channel Elasticities over Time

Jill Avery, Thomas J. Steenburgh, John Deighton and Mary Caravella

The authors propose a conceptual framework to explain whether and when the introduction of a new retail store channel helps or hurts sales in existing direct channels. A conceptual framework separates short- and long-term effects by analyzing the capabilities of a channel that help consumers accomplish their shopping goals. To test the theory, the authors analyze a unique data set from a high-end retailer using matching methods. The authors study the introduction of a retail store and find evidence of cross-channel cannibalization and synergy. The presence of a retail store decreases sales in the catalog but not the Internet channel in the short run but increases sales in both direct channels over time. Following the opening of the store, more first-time customers begin purchasing in the direct channels. These results suggest that adding a retail store to direct channels yields different results from adding an Internet channel to a retail store channel, as previous research has indicated.

Keywords: marketing; channels; channels of distribution; Distribution; e-commerce; retailing; channel management; channel migration; multichannel retailing; Framework; Customers; Marketing Channels; Sales; Internet; Demand and Consumers; Competency and Skills; Distribution Channels; Retail Industry; United States;

Citation:
Avery, Jill, Thomas J. Steenburgh, John Deighton, and Mary Caravella. "Adding Bricks to Clicks: Predicting the Patterns of Cross-Channel Elasticities over Time." Journal of Marketing 76, no. 3 (May 2012): 96–111. View Details

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Article | Harvard Business Review

Target the Right Market

Jill Avery and Thomas Steenburgh

SparkPlace is a two-year-old business with a hot new product: software that manages and measures the effectiveness of permission-based marketing campaigns for social media. The company is in the process of deciding on which of two customer segments to focus its strategy. Each segment has demonstrable advantages, but developing the product for and marketing to both segments simultaneously could pose big challenges. Is the argument against being "all things to all people" a valid one? If so, which customer segment should SparkPlace target? Or is there a single strategy that can capture the potential value of both types of customers without draining the company's resources?

Keywords: marketing; Market segmentation; customer defection; customer lifetime value; customer relationship management; CRM; market segmentation and target market selection; Marketing Strategy; Product Marketing; Customer Focus and Relationships; Customer Value and Value Chain; Technology Industry; United States;

Citation:

Avery, Jill, and Thomas Steenburgh. "Target the Right Market." Harvard Business Review 90, no. 10 (October 2012): 119–123. View Details

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Article | European Business Review

Underdog Branding: Why Underdogs Win in Recessions

Neeru Paharia, Anat Keinan and Jill Avery

Underdog stories about overcoming great odds through passion and determination are particularly resonant during difficult times as they inspire us and give us hope when the outlook we face is bleak. They promise that success is still possible, a much needed message in challenging social, political, and economic times. In the midst of the worst recession since the Great Depression, the economic challenges facing people have intensified due to the financial crisis of 2008, the collapse of the housing market, widespread job losses, rising health care costs, and crushing amounts of consumer debt. During recessionary time periods such as this, people feel increasingly disadvantaged, making them even more likely to identify with the struggles of underdogs. Firms can capitalize on this through the use of underdog brand biographies. Through the stories of brands ranging from Virgin, Lindt, and Adidas, we illustrate how effective underdog stories can catapult brands into the spotlight and sustain them as they grow.

Keywords: marketing; brand building; brand management; brands and branding; brand positioning; competitive positioning; Brands and Branding; Economics; Marketing Communications; Marketing Strategy; Advertising Campaigns; Advertising Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Fashion Industry; Food and Beverage Industry;

Citation:
Paharia, Neeru, Anat Keinan, and Jill Avery. "Underdog Branding: Why Underdogs Win in Recessions." European Business Review (May 2011): 53–56. (Invited Article.) View Details

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Article | Business Horizons

The Uninvited Brand

Susan Fournier and Jill Avery

Brands rushed into social media, viewing social networks, video sharing, online communities, and microblogging sites as the panacea to diminishing returns for traditional brand building routes. But, as more branding activity moves to the web, marketers are confronted with the stark realization that social media was made for people, not for brands. In this paper, we explore the emergent cultural landscape of open source branding, and identify marketing strategies directed at the hunt for consumer engagement on the people's web. These strategies present a paradox, for to gain coveted resonance, the brand must relinquish control. We discuss how web-based power struggles between marketer and consumer brand authors challenge accepted branding truths and paradigms: where short-term brands can trump long-term icons, where marketing looks more like public relations, where brand building gives way to brand protection, and brand value is driven by risk, not returns.

Keywords: marketing; Brands; brand building; brand management; brands and branding; social media; digital marketing; Advertising Campaigns; Brands and Branding; Marketing Communications; Marketing Strategy; Internet; Advertising Industry; Consumer Products Industry;

Citation:
Fournier, Susan, and Jill Avery. "The Uninvited Brand." Business Horizons 54, no. 3 (May–June 2011): 193–207. View Details

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Article | MIT Sloan Management Review

Putting the 'Relationship' Back into CRM

Susan Fournier and Jill Avery

Many managers think that the way to capture value through relationship marketing is to focus on the 'good' customers and get rid of the 'bad' ones. But there is a lot more to best practice relationship management than maximizing revenues on individual customers and minimizing costs to serve. How can companies build better relationships with their customers? Findings include: 1.) Get to know who your customers really are and what they need and value. 2.) Be open to the different types of relationships that people form with your company and your brand. 3.) Recognize that relationships can't be one-sided; accept responsibility for difficulties.

Keywords: marketing; CRM; customer relationship management; brand building; brand management; customer lifetime value; Customer Focus and Relationships; Customer Satisfaction; Marketing Strategy; Brands and Branding; Consumer Products Industry;

Citation:
Fournier, Susan, and Jill Avery. "Putting the 'Relationship' Back into CRM." MIT Sloan Management Review 52, no. 3 (Spring 2011): 63–72. View Details

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Article | Journal of Consumer Research

The Underdog Effect: The Marketing of Disadvantage and Determination Through Brand Biography

Neeru Paharia, Anat Keinan, Jill Avery and Juliet B. Schor

We introduce the concept of an underdog brand biography (UBB) to describe an emerging trend in branding in which firms author an historical account of their humble origins, lack of resources, and determined struggle against the odds. We identify two essential dimensions of an underdog biography: external disadvantage, and passion and determination. We demonstrate that a UBB can increase purchase intentions, real choice, and brand loyalty. We argue that UBBs are effective because consumers react positively when they see the underdog aspects of their own lives being reflected in branded products. Four studies demonstrate that the UBB effect is driven by identity mechanisms: we show that the effect is 1) mediated by consumers' identification with the brand, 2) greater for consumers who strongly self-identify as underdogs, 3) stronger when consumers are purchasing for themselves vs. others, and 4) stronger in cultures in which underdog narratives are part of the national identity.

Keywords: marketing; brand management; Brands; brand building; brand positioning; competitive positioning; advertising; marketing communication; Biography; Brands and Branding; Product Marketing; Emerging Markets; Network Effects; Demand and Consumers; Marketing Communications; Cost vs Benefits; Perspective; Advertising Campaigns; Marketing Strategy; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Advertising Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Fashion Industry; Food and Beverage Industry;

Citation:
Paharia, Neeru, Anat Keinan, Jill Avery, and Juliet B. Schor. "The Underdog Effect: The Marketing of Disadvantage and Determination Through Brand Biography." Journal of Consumer Research 37, no. 5 (February 2011): 775–790. (Finalist, 2014 Best Article Award for a paper published in JCR in 2011.) View Details

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Article | Harvard Business Review

Capitalizing on the Underdog Effect

Anat Keinan, Neeru Paharia and Jill Avery

This article presents the results of a study that investigated the use of the underdog effect in marketing. The idea of triumphing over disadvantages by impassioned determination is said to be a powerfully positive image, which can lead consumers to choose a brand over its larger rivals. The results of research on this effect are presented, and exceptions to the rule are noted.

Keywords: marketing; brand management; Brands; brands and branding; brand positioning; competitive positioning; Competition; Brands and Branding; Advertising Campaigns; Marketing Communications; Marketing Strategy; Advertising Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Fashion Industry; Food and Beverage Industry;

Citation:
Keinan, Anat, Neeru Paharia, and Jill Avery. "Capitalizing on the Underdog Effect." Harvard Business Review 88, no. 11 (November 2010): 32. View Details

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Working Papers

Other Unpublished Work | 2010

Saving Face by Making Meaning: The Negative Effects of Brand Communities' Self-serving Response to Brand Extensions

Jill Avery

An ethnographic study of a brand community following the launch of the Porsche Cayenne SUV finds that brand extensions can negatively affect the value of their parent brands. By studying the collective response to brand extensions of existing consumers and by substituting a culturally situated and socialized view of consumers, I expose negative feedback effects which have been previously undervalued in existing branding theories. By tracing the processes by which brand extensions are dialectically negotiated in a brand community, I show that negative brand effects stem from consumers' self-serving meaning-making activities. The research highlights three discourses in which consumers debate the legitimacy of users of the brand extension, the brand extension itself, and the post-extension parent brand. These discourses shift the locus of the brand's identity meanings within the brand hierarchy rendering the brand extension and the parent brand less attractive as identity markers and reducing brand equity.

Keywords: marketing; Brands; brands and branding; brand management; brand positioning; Brand equity; internet; social media; Customers; Customer Focus and Relationships; Customer Satisfaction; Marketing; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Auto Industry;

Citation:
Avery, Jill. "Saving Face by Making Meaning: The Negative Effects of Brand Communities' Self-serving Response to Brand Extensions." (Invited for resubmission at the Journal of Consumer Research.) View Details

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Book Chapters

Chapter | Strong Brands, Strong Relationships | 2015

Framing the Game: How Brands' Relationships with Their Competitors Affect Consumer Preference

Neeru Paharia, Jill Avery and Anat Keinan

In this chapter, we explore how brands' relationships with their competitors affect consumers' preferences. Through a series of experiments, we show that the competitive context in which a brand operates can affect consumers' purchase interest and purchase frequency. We show that brand positioning statements that communicate that brands are in direct competition with each other elicit size effects: consumers like small brands more when they compete with big brands and like big brands less when they compete with small brands. We further explore the relationships between brand size and competition and show that while large brands are punished for being a competitive aggressor, small brands are rewarded when they compete aggressively. Our findings illuminate how small brands can benefit from the presence of a large competitor and provide a process understanding of how consumers assess and relate to brands not in isolation, but as part of a competitive system.

Keywords: marketing; brands and branding; brand management; CRM; customer relationship management; competition; marketing strategy; Marketing; Brands and Branding; Customer Focus and Relationships; Competition; Consumer Products Industry;

Citation:
Paharia, Neeru, Jill Avery, and Anat Keinan. "Framing the Game: How Brands' Relationships with Their Competitors Affect Consumer Preference." Chap. 2 in Strong Brands, Strong Relationships, edited by Susan Fournier, Michael Breazeale, and Jill Avery. Abingdon, UK: Routledge, 2015. View Details

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Chapter | The Cambridge Handbook of Consumer Psychology | 2015

Consuming Brands

Jill Avery and Anat Keinan

Traditional definitions of branding often underestimate the value a brand has for infusing a choice situation with meaning. This chapter explores how people consume brands and presents three perspectives on the meaning of brands that have diverse theoretical roots in cognitive psychology, social psychology, and cultural sociology. Brands are important building blocks of the self and serve as relational partners, enabling people to build and enact meaningful lives. People consume brands to access the meaning contained within them and co-create that meaning through their consumption of and relationships with brands. Brands, thus, are meaning-based assets, so brand management, at its core, is a process of meaning management. Managerial questions related to how to build and extend brand meaning and how to change an existing brand's meaning over time are informed by the illumination of individual consumer and collective community meaning-making processes. The chapter concludes with thoughts about the challenges of studying brands and the importance of interdisciplinary multi-method branding research that aims to understand brands in social, cultural, and competitive context.Traditional definitions of branding often underestimate the value a brand has for infusing a choice situation with meaning. This chapter explores how people consume brands and presents three perspectives on the meaning of brands that have diverse theoretical roots in cognitive psychology, social psychology, and cultural sociology. Brands are important building blocks of the self and serve as relational partners, enabling people to build and enact meaningful lives. People consume brands to access the meaning contained within them and co-create that meaning through their consumption of and relationships with brands. Brands, thus, are meaning-based assets, so brand management, at its core, is a process of meaning management. Managerial questions related to how to build and extend brand meaning and how to change an existing brand's meaning over time are informed by the illumination of individual consumer and collective community meaning-making processes. The chapter concludes with thoughts about the challenges of studying brands and the importance of interdisciplinary multi-method branding research that aims to understand brands in social, cultural, and competitive context.

Keywords: marketing; brand building; brands and branding; brand management; Marketing; Brands and Branding;

Citation:
Avery, Jill, and Anat Keinan. "Consuming Brands." Chap. 8 in The Cambridge Handbook of Consumer Psychology, edited by Michael I. Norton, Derek D. Rucker, and Cait Lamberton. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2015. View Details

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Article | Research in Consumer Behavior

The Strategic Use of Brand Biographies

Jill Avery, Neeru Paharia, Anat Keinan and Juliet Schor

We introduce the concept of a brand biography to describe an emerging trend in branding in which firms author a dynamic, historical account of the events that have shaped the brand over time. Using a particular type of brand biography, "the underdog," we empirically show how managers can strategically use brand biographies in brand positioning, in this case to mitigate the curse of success. As brands grow and become successful, they are often marked by the negative stigma associated with size and power, which elicits anticorporate sentiment from consumers. An underdog brand biography can be strategically wielded to prevent or offset anticorporate backlash stemming from consumers' negative perceptions of firms' size and/or market power.

Keywords: marketing; Brands; brand management; brand building; brand positioning; competitive positioning; marketing strategy; Brands and Branding; Managerial Roles; Strategy; Product Positioning; Consumer Behavior; Biography; Success; Perception; Markets; Power and Influence; Consumer Products Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Auto Industry; Fashion Industry; Food and Beverage Industry;

Citation:
Avery, Jill, Neeru Paharia, Anat Keinan, and Juliet Schor. "The Strategic Use of Brand Biographies." Research in Consumer Behavior 12 (2010): 213–230. View Details

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Chapter | Consumer Behavior: Human Pursuit of Happiness in a World of Goods | 2013

Gender Bender Brand Hijacks and Consumer Revolt: The Porsche Cayenne Story

Jill Avery

Throughout history, marketers have created gendered brands, creating their brands and the stories they crafted about them in their advertising to appeal either to men or to women. Gendered brands deliver value to consumers, and therefore, deliver value to marketers. "Gender-bending," taking a brand that has historically been targeted to one gender and targeting it to the other gender, is becoming a more common occurrence. This can be a risky strategy. Consumers who rely on the brand's gender meanings feel threatened when the brand becomes associated with the opposite gender. This chapter traces what happens when brands traditionally used by one gender are targeted toward the other and shows the detrimental long term branding effects of gender-bending.

Keywords: marketing; consumer behavior; Brands; brands and branding; brand positioning; Brand equity; brand management; Advertising Campaigns; Customer Focus and Relationships; Marketing; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Auto Industry; Consumer Products Industry;

Citation:
Avery, Jill. "Gender Bender Brand Hijacks and Consumer Revolt: The Porsche Cayenne Story." In Consumer Behavior: Human Pursuit of Happiness in a World of Goods. 3rd ed. by Jill Avery, Robert Kozinets, Arch Woodside, Banwari Mittal, and Priya Raghubir, 645–649. Cincinnati: Open Mentis, 2013. View Details

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Chapter | Marketing Management: A Cultural Perspective | 2012

The Relational Roles of Brands

Jill Avery

In contemporary culture, brands play important relational roles, linking consumers to others and serving as relational partners. This chapter provides an understanding of the relational roles of brands to illuminate why and how consumers connect with brands and how those connections enable consumers to relate to each other. Moving away from an economic definition of marketing relationships as exchange-based, the chapter provides a more nuanced understanding of consumer-brand bonds and highlights the core processes that drive customer relationship development. It cautions managers not to try to "manage" their customer relationships, but rather, to negotiate them with consumers, providing a fresh approach to CRM.

Keywords: marketing; Brands; brands and branding; brand management; Brand equity; brand building; customer relationship management; CRM; Customers; Customer Focus and Relationships; Brands and Branding; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Consumer Products Industry;

Citation:
Avery, Jill. "The Relational Roles of Brands." Chap. 9 in Marketing Management: A Cultural Perspective, edited by Lisa Penaloza, Nil Toulouse, and Luca M. Visconti, 147–163. Routledge, 2012. View Details

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Chapter | Consumer-Brand Relationships: Theory and Practice | 2012

Firing Your Best Customers: How Smart Firms Destroy Relationships Using CRM

Jill Avery and Susan Fournier

With incidences in the 20%–25% range, the practice of firing customers has become increasingly attractive as firms try to maximize the lifetime value of their customer portfolios. This chapter traces the relationship trajectory of a 30-year customer of Filene's Basement, a retailer offering fashion goods at discounted prices, who was eventually fired by the firm. The case traces how company actions taken in the name of customer relationship management (CRM) contributed to the creation and demise of a particular type of commercial relationship: the best customer. Ironically, we find that firing the customer is often a case of blaming the victim: managers remain largely unaware of their own roles in creating the unprofitable customers they seek to shed. We reveal how CRM programs can transform best customers from highly profitable, loyal customers into high maintenance customers whose value stemming from their frequent purchasing is eroded by their increasing cost-to-serve. The case advocates a deeper appreciation of the two-way, reciprocating nature of customer relations and the dynamic processes whereby they should be nurtured and maintained.

Keywords: marketing; Brands; brands and branding; brand management; CRM; customer relationship management; Customer Focus and Relationships; Customers; Marketing; Brands and Branding; Marketing Communications; Marketing Strategy; Consumer Products Industry;

Citation:
Avery, Jill, and Susan Fournier. "Firing Your Best Customers: How Smart Firms Destroy Relationships Using CRM." In Consumer-Brand Relationships: Theory and Practice, edited by Susan Fournier, Michael Breazeale, and Marc Fetscherin, 301–316. Routledge, 2012. (Paperback edition published in 2013.) View Details

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Chapter | Perspectives on Brand Management | 2011

Consumers' Relationships with Brands

Susan Fournier and Jill Avery

This chapter presents a brand management paradigm based on the foundational principles of relationships. (1) Brand relationships are a means to an end: brand relationship managers must consider the whole person and understand how the brand adds meaning into people's lives. (2) Brand relationships are diverse and multi-faceted: relationship management requires sensitivity to the operative contract and relationship form. (3) Brand relationships are process phenomena: savvy relationship strategies consider the dimensions on which relationships develop and address the causes that drive evolution and change over time. Our perspective enlightens current customer relationship management (CRM) practice by providing a deeper appreciation of the 'R' in CRM.

Keywords: marketing; Brands; brands and branding; brand building; Brand equity; brand management; customer relationship management; CRM; Customer Focus and Relationships; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Consumer Products Industry;

Citation:
Fournier, Susan, and Jill Avery. "Consumers' Relationships with Brands." In Perspectives on Brand Management, edited by Mark D. Uncles, 225–248. Tilde University Press, 2011. View Details

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Cases and Teaching Materials

Case | HBS Case Collection | January 2019

Understanding the Brand Equity of Nestlé Crunch Bar: A Market Research Case

Jill Avery and Gerald Zaltman

An in-depth study of consumer thoughts and feelings about a branded candy bar.

Keywords: Brand equity; Customer Satisfaction; Brands and Branding; Consumer Behavior; Mathematical Methods; Food and Beverage Industry;

Citation:
Avery, Jill, and Gerald Zaltman. "Understanding the Brand Equity of Nestlé Crunch Bar: A Market Research Case." Harvard Business School Case 519-061, January 2019. View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | January 2000

Dimensions of Brand Equity for Nestle Crunch Bar, The: A Research Case

Jill Avery and Gerald Zaltman

In early 2018, Nestlé announced the sale of its U.S. candy-making division and a select collection of twenty of its confectionery brands, including the Nestlé Crunch Bar, to Ferrero SpA for $2.8 billion. Under the terms of the Nestlé acquisition, each of the purchased confectionery brands was permitted to use the Nestlé parent brand name for one year after the close of the sale. After that time, the Nestlé Crunch Bar would be rebranded with the Ferrara parent brand (i.e., Ferrara Crunch Bar). As the Nestlé Crunch Bar brand transitioned to its new owners, it was time for some serious brand analysis to assess the brand equity of Nestlé Crunch Bar and plot a course for its future growth. How strong/weak was the brand? What were its sources of brand equity that could be leveraged in brand storytelling? Which types of messages might attract new consumers to the brand and what might work to cause infrequent users to purchase more often? Did the product itself need to be changed? Were there brand extension possibilities? Luckily, an old consumer research study on the Nestlé Crunch Bar conducted by Professor Gerald Zaltman was found on the shelves at Harvard Business School. The study used an innovative market research methodology developed by Professor Zaltman, the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET), which had proven to be useful to brand managers hoping to better assess and understand their brands. The research methodology and raw data from Professor Zaltman’s ZMET study on the Nestlé Crunch Bar are presented in the case tools to help students assess and understand the brand equity of the Nestlé Crunch Bar and map its future strategic course.

Keywords: brand management; Brand equity; brand communication; Brand ＆ product management; brand building; brand positioning; brand storytelling; brand strategy; Brand Value; branding; Marketing; Advertising; Customer Satisfaction; Brands and Branding; Consumer Behavior; Food and Beverage Industry; Consumer Products Industry;

Citation:
Avery, Jill, and Gerald Zaltman. "Dimensions of Brand Equity for Nestle Crunch Bar, The: A Research Case." Harvard Business School Case 500-083, January 2000. View Details

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Supplement | HBS Case Collection | January 2019

Understanding the Brand Equity of Nestlé Crunch Bar (B): Data Analysis

Jill Avery and Gerald Zaltman

In early 2018, Nestlé announced the sale of its U.S. candy-making division and a select collection of twenty of its confectionery brands, including the Nestlé Crunch Bar, to Ferrero SpA for $2.8 billion. Under the terms of the Nestlé acquisition, each of the purchased confectionery brands was permitted to use the Nestlé parent brand name for one year after the close of the sale. After that time, the Nestlé Crunch Bar would be rebranded with the Ferrara parent brand (i.e., Ferrara Crunch Bar). As the Nestlé Crunch Bar brand transitioned to its new owners, it was time for some serious brand analysis to assess the brand equity of Nestlé Crunch Bar and plot a course for its future growth. How strong/weak was the brand? What were its sources of brand equity that could be leveraged in brand storytelling? Which types of messages might attract new consumers to the brand and what might work to cause infrequent users to purchase more often? Did the product itself need to be changed? Were there brand extension possibilities? Luckily, an old consumer research study on the Nestlé Crunch Bar conducted by Professor Gerald Zaltman was found on the shelves at Harvard Business School. The study used an innovative market research methodology developed by Professor Zaltman, the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET), which had proven to be useful to brand managers hoping to better assess and understand their brands. The research methodology and raw data from Professor Zaltman’s ZMET study on the Nestlé Crunch Bar are presented in the original case as tools to help students assess and understand the brand equity of the Nestlé Crunch Bar and map its future strategic course.

In this (B) case, the data from the study is analyzed and an executive summary of the results is presented.

Keywords: brand management; Market research; brand positioning; value proposition; consumer products; Fast moving consumer goods; qualitative methods; Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique; ZMET; data analysis; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Brands and Branding; Consumer Behavior; Marketing Communications; Data and Data Sets; Analysis; Consumer Products Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Advertising Industry; United States; North America; Italy;

Citation:
Avery, Jill, and Gerald Zaltman. "Understanding the Brand Equity of Nestlé Crunch Bar (B): Data Analysis." Harvard Business School Supplement 519-062, January 2019. View Details

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Technical Note | HBS Case Collection | January 2019 (Revised March 2019)

Brand Storytelling

Jill Avery

Marketers have long appreciated the value and power of storytelling. Stories fill brands with resonant and relevant meaning and empower brands to serve as critical elements in the lives of consumers. Mastering the art of brand storytelling is an increasingly important part of managing brands in the contemporary brandscape, as today, we live in a world filled with an ever-expanding panoply of physical and virtual media spaces and places within which to create and tell stories with and to our consumers. This technical note outlines how and why consumers respond to brand stories, illuminates the four elements that make up good stories, discusses the use of archetypal plots and characters and other storytelling appeals, and provides guidance and a template for creating resonant, relevant, authentic, and differentiated brand stories.

Keywords: brand communication; brand management; brand storytelling; Marketing; Marketing Communications; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Advertising; Consumer Behavior; Consumer Products Industry;

Citation:
Avery, Jill. "Brand Storytelling." Harvard Business School Technical Note 519-049, January 2019. (Revised March 2019.) View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | December 2018 (Revised December 2018)

Branding and Politics: Nike and Colin Kaepernick

Jill Avery and Koen Pauwels

Nike's selection of politically polarizing Colin Kaepernick as the spokesperson for the thirtieth anniversary of its iconic "Just Do It" campaign catapulted the brand into the media spotlight and made it a political flashpoint for consumers across America. Would the choice of Kaepernick positively or negatively affect Nike's business results or just generate a lot of social media chatter? As Nike's management team watched some people burn their sneakers in protest on YouTube and others applaud the company's behavior on Facebook, they wondered whether inserting Nike into the middle of a heated political debate was the right thing to do or the most reckless action Nike's brand stewards had ever taken, putting Nike's $30 billion brand asset at risk? After all, on social media, it was easy to say that one would boycott or buycott a brand due to one's political beliefs, but in the marketplace, other purchase criteria often reigned supreme.

Keywords: social media; digital marketing; entertainment; politics; activism; Brand equity; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Brands and Branding; Marketing Communications; Sports; Advertising; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Sports Industry; Consumer Products Industry; United States; North America;

Citation:
Avery, Jill, and Koen Pauwels. "Branding and Politics: Nike and Colin Kaepernick." Harvard Business School Case 519-046, December 2018. (Revised December 2018.) View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | December 2018

Super Bowl Storytelling

Shelle Santana and Jill Avery

The one day a year when consumers not only tolerate but actually eagerly anticipate ads is during the NFL's Super Bowl. In sharp contrast to their behavior on the other 364 days of the year, consumers watch an average of 89 commercials per Super Bowl game for an average of 46 minutes. Why are consumers willing to spend 3.5x more time watching commercials on the Super Bowl than on any other day of the year? Perhaps because they have come to expect the best, most creative, most engaging storytelling of the year from advertisers. With one out of every three Americans glued to the game, advertisers know they have a captive audience and they go to great lengths to stand out in what is somewhat akin to a battle of the brands. However, at a cost of more than $5 million for a 30-second spot, is Super Bowl advertising worth it? And, which types of Super Bowl stories are more and less likely to "win" on the Super Bowl?

Keywords: television advertising; entertainment; brand management; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Marketing Communications; Advertising; Television Entertainment; Brands and Branding; Media; Cost vs Benefits; Advertising Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Sports Industry; United States; North America;

Citation:
Santana, Shelle, and Jill Avery. "Super Bowl Storytelling." Harvard Business School Case 519-041, December 2018. View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | December 2018

Shiseido: Reinvesting in Brand

Jill Avery and Nobuo Sato

Shiseido was in the midst of a six year corporate turnaround, trying to reverse the effects of decades of under-investment in R&D and marketing which had led to a cycle of declining customer support and brand value. Would the CEO’s VISION 2020 plan, centered on four strategies: 1.) increasing R&D spending from 1.8% to 3% of sales, 2.) investing an incremental ¥120 billion in brand-building marketing, 3.) moving to a “think global-act local” matrixed brand management structure, and 4.) rethinking brand portfolio strategy, be enough to achieve aggressive 8% per year sales goals while simultaneously increasing the company’s operating margin from 8% to 10% in the highly competitive and slow growing beauty industry?

Keywords: brand management; Brand Value; turnaround; brand portfolio; brand communication; global brands; digital marketing; Return on investment; marketing ROI; internet marketing; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Brands and Branding; Value; Growth and Development Strategy; Investment Return; Consumer Behavior; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Japan; Asia;

Citation:
Avery, Jill, and Nobuo Sato. "Shiseido: Reinvesting in Brand." Harvard Business School Case 519-026, December 2018. View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | January 2019

Glossier: Co-Creating a Cult Brand with a Digital Community

Jill Avery

Glossier’s proclaimed strategy was “born from content, fueled by community”. The digital-first, direct-to-consumer beauty brand had experienced rapid growth, with sales up 600% in 2017 and a customer portfolio that grew by threefold. But, its founder, Emily Weiss, was not complacent. Instead, she dreamed of creating the world’s first socially-driven brand that inserted its community into the buying experience so that the company was merchandising people, their opinions, and their content, just as much as they were merchandising products. As her team debates marketing strategies for 2018, they recognize the opportunities and challenges associated with managing Glossier’s rapidly scaling brand community. While the community’s support had emerged organically in the past, the team was now debating whether the company’s next phase of growth would need to be fueled by a greater emphasis on paid peer-to-peer sales representatives, professional influencer marketing, paid media, and a physical market presence.

Keywords: Brands; brand management; brand communication; retailing; e-commerce; DTC; influencer; digital marketing; social media; Startup; internet marketing; big data; crowdsourcing; Marketing; Marketing Channels; Marketing Communications; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Consumer Behavior; Distribution; Growth and Development Strategy; Consumer Products Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Retail Industry; United States; North America;

Citation:
Avery, Jill. "Glossier: Co-Creating a Cult Brand with a Digital Community." Harvard Business School Case 519-022, January 2019. View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | August 2018

Tailor Brands: Artificial Intelligence-Driven Branding

Jill Avery

Using proprietary artificial intelligence technology, startup Tailor Brands set out to democratize branding by allowing small businesses to create their brand identities by automatically generating logos in just minutes at minimal cost with no branding or design skills required. As it sets out to raise its Series B, the founders make some critical changes to their business model, moving to a subscription model and adding additional products and services to automate other parts of the branding and marketing process. Can algorithms, machine learning, and artificial intelligence help Tailor Brands outperform graphic designers and branding agencies in developing brand identities? And, can Tailor Brands differentiate itself from the many other logo generators popping up in the market?

Keywords: Startup; services; artificial intelligence; Machine learning; digital marketing; brand management; big data; internet marketing; analytics; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Brands and Branding; Technology; Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Business Model; Consumer Behavior; Advertising Industry; Service Industry; Technology Industry; United States; North America; Israel;

Citation:
Avery, Jill. "Tailor Brands: Artificial Intelligence-Driven Branding." Harvard Business School Case 519-017, August 2018. View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | August 2018 (Revised November 2018)

Hubble Contact Lenses: Data Driven Direct-to-Consumer Marketing

Jill Avery and Ayelet Israeli

As its Series A extension round approaches, the founders of Hubble, a subscription-based, social-media fueled, direct-to-consumer (DTC) brand of contact lenses, are reflecting on the marketing strategies that have taken them to a valuation of $200 million and debating changes to them that will allow them to grow their business. Ensuring that their marketing dollars were being spent efficiently was critical to the data-driven management team and proving to be complicated as the company moved spending from digital marketing to offline media, which made attribution modeling more difficult. Decisions pertaining to product extensions, channel expansion beyond DTC e-commerce, and geographic expansion were also on the table to prove that Hubble's customer value proposition and operations could profitably scale.

Keywords: advertising; DTC; direct to consumer marketing; health care; e-commerce; mobile; digital marketing; attribution; experimentation; experiments; churn/retention; customer lifetime value; internet marketing; big data; analytics; consumer behavior; social media; A/B Testing; CRM; Marketing; Marketing Channels; Marketing Strategy; Media; Brands and Branding; Marketing Communications; Online Advertising; Acquisition; Growth and Development Strategy; Customer Focus and Relationships; Health Industry; Consumer Products Industry; United States; North America; Europe;

Citation:
Avery, Jill, and Ayelet Israeli. "Hubble Contact Lenses: Data Driven Direct-to-Consumer Marketing." Harvard Business School Case 519-011, August 2018. (Revised November 2018.) View Details

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Technical Note | HBS Case Collection | February 2018 (Revised June 2018)

The Art and Science of Brand Valuation

Jill Avery

Brand valuation, the art and science of calculating the economic value accruing to a firm from its use of an intangible brand asset, yields frustratingly inconsistent, discrepant, and, therefore, controversial results. While it is widely accepted that brands are long-lived assets that can contribute significant value to firms over time, there is no consensus on how to value them. This note outlines several different methods for valuing brands and exposes readers to the commercial methods most used by firms. It discusses the opportunities associated with valuing brands as well as the challenges.

Keywords: brand valuation; Brand Value; brand; brands and branding; brand management; marketing ROI; Brand equity; analytics; Return on investment; Brands and Branding; Valuation; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Investment Return; Consumer Behavior; Advertising Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Auto Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Electronics Industry; Fashion Industry; Food and Beverage Industry;

Citation:
Avery, Jill. "The Art and Science of Brand Valuation." Harvard Business School Technical Note 518-086, February 2018. (Revised June 2018.) View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | June 2018

Global Brand Management of Anheuser Busch InBev's Budweiser

Jill Avery

Brian Perkins, chief architect of the $6 billion Budweiser brand, was excited about 2018, in which the company would launch Budweiser into several new markets in Africa and Latin America. He was also feeling the pressure to finalize a global brand strategy that would define Budweiser’s value proposition and guide its development and execution around the world. The problem was that Budweiser actually had two distinct brand realities that differed across geographies and that often interfered with each other. He worried whether the company could keep selling a premium brand proposition abroad as the brand's reputation faced challenges at home in the U.S. and whether he needed to force a monolithic global brand strategy everywhere or allow for local market customization. Could Budweiser simultaneously accommodate two or more brand realities?

Keywords: brand management; global brands; brand positioning; brand extension; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Brands and Branding; Advertising; Global Strategy; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Consumer Behavior; Marketing Communications; Consumer Products Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Advertising Industry; Africa; China; United States; North America; South Africa; Nigeria; Kenya; Cameroon; Canada;

Citation:
Avery, Jill. "Global Brand Management of Anheuser Busch InBev's Budweiser." Harvard Business School Case 518-105, June 2018. View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | February 2018 (Revised April 2018)

The Marriott-Starwood Merger: Navigating Brand Portfolio Strategy and Brand Architecture

Jill Avery, Chekitan S. Dev and Laure Mougeot Stroock

In September 2016, Marriott completed its $13.3 billion acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, which added 11 brands to its already robust 19 hotel brand portfolio. Tina Edmundson, Marriott's global brand officer, was charged with making sense of the brand portfolio and designing a strategy that would clearly differentiate each brand from the others and a brand architecture system to communicate to consumers how to navigate among them. She would need to decide whether and how to prune brands from the portfolio, whether and how to combine brands through dual-branding and or sub-branding strategies, and whether, where, and how to use the Marriott parent brand to endorse the remaining brands.

Keywords: brand management; brand architecture; brand portfolio; Merger; Hospitality Industry; services marketing; branded house; house of brands; sub-branding; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Brands and Branding; Mergers and Acquisitions; Consumer Behavior; Advertising; Travel Industry; Accommodations Industry; Tourism Industry; United States; North America; Europe; Asia;

Citation:
Avery, Jill, Chekitan S. Dev, and Laure Mougeot Stroock. "The Marriott-Starwood Merger: Navigating Brand Portfolio Strategy and Brand Architecture." Harvard Business School Case 518-081, February 2018. (Revised April 2018.) View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | January 2018 (Revised June 2018)

Christie's and Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi: The Value of a Brand

Jill Avery

A 16th century Renaissance masterpiece, missing for 137 years, believed by many to have been destroyed and then rediscovered less than a decade ago, becomes the most expensive painting ever sold, all the while surrounded by controversy. Did the buyer of Leonardo da Vinci's painting pay too much? Was it real? Did it matter? The sale of Leonardo's painting allows students to reengineer brand equity to understand from what it is derived and how marketing actions influence changes in it. Methods for brand valuation can be discussed and issues related to branding in contemporary times, such as authenticity, legitimacy, authorship, craftsmanship, and storytelling can be used to show how brand value is built and destroyed. Brand partnerships, particularly between and among Leonardo, Christie's auction house, the sellers, the experts who attributed the painting to Leonardo, and the celebrities used to market it, are dissected to understand how brand meaning and value transfer from one partner to another.

Keywords: marketing; Brands; brands and branding; marketing strategy; brand valuation; art collector; arts marketing; value; auction house; auctions; luxury brand; luxury consumers; Luxury Goods; Marketing; Valuation; Marketing Strategy; Arts; Luxury; Value; Brands and Branding; Fine Arts Industry; Italy; United Kingdom; Europe; United States; United Arab Emirates;

Citation:
Avery, Jill. "Christie's and Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi: The Value of a Brand." Harvard Business School Case 518-066, January 2018. (Revised June 2018.) View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | February 2018 (Revised October 2018)

HubSpot and Motion AI: Chatbot-Enabled CRM

Jill Avery and Thomas Steenburgh

HubSpot, an inbound marketing, sales, and customer relationship management (CRM) software provider, announced that it had acquired Motion AI, a software platform that enabled companies to easily build and deploy chatbots, fueled by artificial intelligence, to interact with their customers. Before unleashing bot-building technology to its B2B customers, HubSpot first needed to develop some best practices for the use of chatbots for CRM. First, the team had to clearly assess the trade-offs between effectiveness and efficiency associated with the use of bots versus humans to create, nurture, and manage customer relationships. Second, they had to decide to what extent to anthropomorphize the chatbots. How human-like should they be? Was a conversational user interface (UI) the desired solution for B2B CRM, or would a stripped down, more functional UI produce more efficiency for the customers who interacted with the bot? Historically, HubSpot had “practiced what it preached,” using its own products to build its business. The team had to consider whether to use chatbots to nurture and service its own customer relationships and manage the effectiveness and efficiency of its sales funnel. Currently, a team of chat representatives worked with marketing to qualify and prime prospects for HubSpot’s sales team. Could they and should they be replaced with chatbots? Was HubSpot ready for bots to become the face of its brand to its prospective customers?

Keywords: marketing; customer relationship management; CRM; marketing strategy; Sales; sales management; customer service; brands and branding; artificial intelligence; B2B vs. B2C; business marketing; software; SaaS; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Brands and Branding; Customer Focus and Relationships; Sales; Salesforce Management; Technological Innovation; Customer Relationship Management; Technology Industry; Service Industry; United States; North America;

Citation:
Avery, Jill, and Thomas Steenburgh. "HubSpot and Motion AI: Chatbot-Enabled CRM." Harvard Business School Case 518-067, February 2018. (Revised October 2018.) View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | January 2018 (Revised April 2018)

Adeo Health Science: Turning a Product into a Brand

Elizabeth A. Keenan and Jill Avery

For decades, American parents were warned to avoid introducing potential allergens to their babies prior to their first birthday. But two influential clinical studies caused the medical establishment to radically reverse its position. Parents were now warned that delaying the introduction of these types of foods increased a baby's risk of food allergies. Adeo Health Science was ready, with patents filed for a baby food that made it simple for parents to introduce allergens. Now, the new company had to turn its product into a brand and map its go-to-market strategy, including creating a compelling value proposition, choosing a path to market that was either direct-to-consumer, through grocery retailers, or via the physician channel, and planning its marketing communications and sales strategy. As a new startup with constrained resources, the company knew its marketing decisions would make or break the new product.

Keywords: marketing; Startup; entrepreneurship; health care; consumer; consumer products; branding; brands and branding; marketing strategy; Marketing communications; Distribution; retailing; go to market strategy; Marketing; Marketing Channels; Marketing Communications; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Entrepreneurship; Health Care and Treatment; Consumer Products Industry; Health Industry; United States; North America;

Citation:
Keenan, Elizabeth A., and Jill Avery. "Adeo Health Science: Turning a Product into a Brand." Harvard Business School Case 518-065, January 2018. (Revised April 2018.) View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | September 2017 (Revised November 2018)

Chase Sapphire: Creating a Millennial Cult Brand

Shelle Santana, Jill Avery and Christine Snively

The launch of the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card was enthusiastically received by millennial consumers, a cohort that had previously eluded JPMorgan Chase and its competitors. With the one-year anniversary of the launch approaching, managers are focused on retaining customers attracted by a one-time signup bonus of 100,000 reward points and on acquiring new customers now that the bonus had been reduced to 50,000 points. They were also refocusing on the remainder of the Chase Sapphire product portfolio to assess differentiation among the products and to identify white space in the market that could support additional new product launches.

Keywords: Brand ＆ product management; Product Strategy; New Product Development; credit card; customer acquisition; CRM; millennials; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Brands and Branding; Product Development; Product Launch; Customer Relationship Management; Consumer Behavior; Demographics; Financial Services Industry; Service Industry; Banking Industry; United States; North America;

Citation:
Santana, Shelle, Jill Avery, and Christine Snively. "Chase Sapphire: Creating a Millennial Cult Brand." Harvard Business School Case 518-024, September 2017. (Revised November 2018.) View Details

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Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | February 2018

Chase Sapphire: Creating a Millennial Cult Brand

Shelle Santana, Jill Avery and Christine Snively

Teaching Note for HBS No. 518-024.

Citation:
Santana, Shelle, Jill Avery, and Christine Snively. "Chase Sapphire: Creating a Millennial Cult Brand." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 518-068, February 2018. View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | December 2017 (Revised March 2019)

Armarium: Luxury Fashion Brands for Rent

Jill Avery, David Fubini, Natasha Dossa and Devon Stewart

Armarium, a two-sided online platform that offered consumers the opportunity to rent the most coveted, current season high fashion clothing and accessories from the top global luxury brands, had emerged from its first sales season with two distinct customer segments: the High Net Worth (HNW) woman and the High Earner, Not Rich Yet (HENRY) woman. As it began to scale its operations, it had to decide which customer segment was the more desirable target market and how to refine the company's value proposition to maximize value creation for both consumers and the luxury brands that supported the business model. The jury was still out on whether a rental model could attract higher income women who could afford to buy luxury brands and whether it could support the $400 rental price points Armarium would need to charge for its one-of-a-kind pieces with retail values that could reach as high as $15,000. The two founders faced significant scaling challenges, from how to establish guardrails around curation of the collection to go-to-market distribution channel strategy and customer acquisition strategy.

Keywords: brand management; retailing; sharing economy; luxury brand; ecommerce; e-commerce; Startup; fashion; brand positioning; customer acquisition; internet marketing; social media; Marketing; Marketing Channels; Marketing Strategy; Brands and Branding; Business Startups; Luxury; Consumer Behavior; Growth and Development Strategy; Fashion Industry; Retail Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; United States; North America;

Citation:
Avery, Jill, David Fubini, Natasha Dossa, and Devon Stewart. "Armarium: Luxury Fashion Brands for Rent." Harvard Business School Case 518-047, December 2017. (Revised March 2019.) View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | November 2017 (Revised October 2018)

Brandless: Disrupting Consumer Packaged Goods

Jill Avery

Brandless, an online direct-to-consumer seller of upscale private-label consumer packaged goods, offered consumers a limited assortment of values-conscious products delivered directly to their homes with the simplicity of one fixed $3 price point that promised an average savings of 40% versus national brands through the elimination of the BrandTax, the hidden costs the company claimed consumers paid for a national brand. As the venture-funded startup entered the fiercely competitive CPG industry, it was simultaneously taking on both the world's greatest brands and the world's most dominant retailers. Could Brandless change the way consumers bought the essential items that filled their pantries and medicine cabinets? Industry pundits had long predicted both the death of brands and the death of brick and mortar retailing in the contemporary marketplace. Would Brandless be the final nail in the coffin?

Keywords: brand; brand management; retailing; Retailing Industry; private label; direct to consumer marketing; ecommerce; digital marketing; consumer packaged goods; Startup; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Disruption; Food; Product Marketing; Marketing Channels; Consumer Behavior; Brands and Branding; Venture Capital; Consumer Products Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Retail Industry; United States; North America;

Citation:
Avery, Jill. "Brandless: Disrupting Consumer Packaged Goods." Harvard Business School Case 518-044, November 2017. (Revised October 2018.) View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | May 2017 (Revised March 2018)

Predicting Consumer Tastes with Big Data at Gap

Ayelet Israeli and Jill Avery

CEO Art Peck was eliminating his creative directors for The Gap, Old Navy, and Banana Republic brands and promoting a collective creative ecosystem fueled by the input of big data. Rather than relying on artistic vision, Peck wanted the company to use the mining of big data obtained from Google Analytics and the company’s own sales and customer databases to select the next season’s assortment. Peck was betting that intelligence fueled by big data could outperform a fashion industry creative director at predicting the future fashion trends and tastes of consumers.

Keywords: marketing; marketing strategy; retailing; brands and branding; consumer behavior; Preference elicitation; big data; predictive analytics; artificial intelligence; e-commerce; fashion; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Marketing Channels; Brands and Branding; Consumer Behavior; Demand and Consumers; Data and Data Sets; Forecasting and Prediction; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Fashion Industry; Retail Industry; United States; Canada; North America;

Citation:
Israeli, Ayelet, and Jill Avery. "Predicting Consumer Tastes with Big Data at Gap." Harvard Business School Case 517-115, May 2017. (Revised March 2018.) View Details

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Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | November 2017

Predicting Consumer Tastes with Big Data at Gap

Ayelet Israeli and Jill Avery

CEO Art Peck was eliminating his creative directors for The Gap, Old Navy, and Banana Republic brands and promoting a collective creative ecosystem fueled by the input of big data. Rather than relying on artistic vision, Peck wanted the company to use the mining of big data obtained from Google Analytics and the company's own sales and customer databases to select the next season's assortment. Peck was betting that intelligence fueled by big data could outperform a fashion industry creative director at predicting the future fashion trends and tastes of consumers.

Keywords: marketing; marketing strategy; Brands; Brand ＆ product management; big data; ＂marketing analytics＂; consumer behavior; predictive analytics; Forecasting; preferences; Marketing channels; operation management; Distribution Channels; Marketing; Marketing Channels; Marketing Strategy; Brands and Branding; Forecasting and Prediction; Data and Data Sets; Retail Industry; Fashion Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; United States; North America;

Citation:
Israeli, Ayelet, and Jill Avery. "Predicting Consumer Tastes with Big Data at Gap." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 518-053, November 2017. View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | May 2017 (Revised November 2018)

Mavi: Fashioning a Path to Brand Growth

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 of $419 million, up 20% from the previous year. Growth rates like these were becoming routine at Mavi. But, the path to growth was getting more challenging, and Turkven, Mavi’s private equity partner, was planning its options after seven years of investment. There were three growth levers Mavi could pull, but each involved selecting one growth path while neglecting another. Should the company invest in growth domestically or internationally? Should they change the price positioning of the brand to move upmarket or down market? Which value proposition offered the most future promise: functional differentiation, lifestyle differentiation, or celebrity endorsement? Managers realized that these choices would not only determine the company’s short-term growth trajectory, but also shape the longer-term value of the Mavi brand.

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;

Citation:
Avery, Jill, and Gamze Yucaoglu. "Mavi: Fashioning a Path to Brand Growth." Harvard Business School Case 517-075, May 2017. (Revised November 2018.) View Details

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Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | March 2018

Mavi: Fashioning a Path to Brand Growth

Jill Avery and Gamze Yucaoglu

Mavi, a leading Turkish apparel retailer, had sales of $419 million in 2015, up 20%. Growth rates like these were becoming routine at Mavi. But, its path to growth was getting more challenging, and Turkven, Mavi’s private equity partner, was planning its exit options after seven years of investment. There were three growth levers Mavi could pull, but each involved selecting one growth path while neglecting another. Should the company invest in growth domestically or internationally? Should they change the price positioning of its brand to move up-market and/or down-market? Which type of brand value proposition offered the most future promise for brand extension: functional differentiation, lifestyle differentiation, or celebrity endorsement? Managers realized that these choices would not only determine the company’s short term growth trajectory but also shape the longer term value of the Mavi brand as it was extended into new areas. Teaching Note for HBS No. 517-075.

Keywords: marketing; marketing strategy; retailing; fashion; brand; brands and branding; brand management; brand extension; Brand equity; private equity; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Brands and Branding; Growth and Development Strategy; Decision Choices and Conditions; Retail Industry; Fashion Industry; Turkey; Europe;

Citation:
Avery, Jill, and Gamze Yucaoglu. "Mavi: Fashioning a Path to Brand Growth." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 518-094, March 2018. View Details

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Background Note | HBS Case Collection | August 2016 (Revised July 2017)

Brand Portfolio Strategy and Brand Architecture

Jill Avery

While companies choose to brand their products and services in many different ways, there are some central tenets that help define an optimal brand portfolio and associated brand architecture. Brand portfolio strategy involves the design, deployment, and management of multiple brands as a coordinated portfolio of meaning-based assets that address the needs of diverse customers in a marketplace and maximize return while minimizing risk. It specifies the optimal portfolio of brands a company should maintain for comprehensive market coverage with minimal overlap, determines the role and scope of each brand in the portfolio, and designs a strategic, logical, and efficient brand architecture that knits the brands together into an interdependent system. Done well, it informs the allocation of investment across brands, identifies underperforming brands as candidates for pruning or revitalization, and pinpoints gaps in the portfolio that indicate growth opportunities for new brands.

Keywords: marketing; marketing strategy; brands and branding; brand management; brand portfolio; brand extension; brand portfolio strategy; brand architecture; consumer behavior; Marketing; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy;

Citation:
Avery, Jill. "Brand Portfolio Strategy and Brand Architecture." Harvard Business School Background Note 517-021, August 2016. (Revised July 2017.) View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | June 2016 (Revised July 2017)

Longchamp

Jill Avery, Tonia Junker and Daniela Beyersdorfer

Longchamp’s Le Pliage is one of the fashion world’s most successful products, a cultural icon across the globe. But managing the low priced, nylon handbag is challenging as Longchamp tries to move its brand upmarket into higher priced, luxury leather goods. How much should Longchamp focus on Le Pliage versus its leather handbags? How should the subbrand be distributed, merchandised, priced, and promoted? How does Le Pliage both contribute to and detract from Longchamp’s brand equity?

Keywords: marketing; brands and branding; brand management; luxury brand; marketing strategy; brand positioning; Product Strategy; retailing; family business; Pricing strategy; Marketing; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Luxury; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Retail Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Fashion Industry; France; Europe;

Citation:
Avery, Jill, Tonia Junker, and Daniela Beyersdorfer. "Longchamp." Harvard Business School Case 316-086, June 2016. (Revised July 2017.) View Details

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Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | October 2016

Longchamp

Jill Avery

Teaching Note for HBS No. 316-086.

Keywords: marketing; brands and branding; marketing strategy; brand positioning; luxury brand; luxury; retailing; Product Strategy; Marketing; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Retail Industry; France; Europe;

Citation:
Avery, Jill. "Longchamp." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 517-046, October 2016. View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | January 2016 (Revised July 2017)

HourlyNerd

Jill Avery and Joseph Fuller

HourlyNerd, a two-sided marketplace platform for matching freelance consultants with small companies looking for help, struggles to define a growth plan for the future. The company, started as a class project in HBS' FIELD 3 course, is assessing three growth paths: shifting its target from small- and medium-sized businesses to enterprise customers, expanding into new verticals to become the Amazon of freelance labor, and transforming its business model from a marketplace to software-as-a-service (SaaS). Each of the three paths was risky and required financial and human resource investment. Could and should the fledgling startup change its business model? Could it fundamentally change the way companies purchased consulting services? Or, should the founders play it safe by remaining focused on executing their original business model—a proven winner?

Keywords: entrepreneurship; Startup; lean startup; two sided markets; venture capital; Entrepreneurship; Strategy; Business Startups; Venture Capital; Consulting Industry; United States;

Citation:
Avery, Jill, and Joseph Fuller. "HourlyNerd." Harvard Business School Case 316-134, January 2016. (Revised July 2017.) View Details

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Technical Note | HBS Case Collection | March 2016

FIELD 3: Demonstrating Demand

Jill Avery

Citation:
Avery, Jill. "FIELD 3: Demonstrating Demand." Harvard Business School Technical Note 316-147, March 2016. View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | October 2015 (Revised October 2016)

Paez

Jill Avery, Maria Fernanda Miguel and Laura Urdapilleta

Paez, an Argentine start-up fashion brand, sold traditional alpargatas, a sleepy shoe category that suddenly woke up when U.S. company TOMS borrowed the traditional alpargata design, covered it with fashionable colors and prints, and tied it to a social cause. Paez's founders were keenly aware of the present and future challenges they faced due to the resources and capabilities of their well-capitalized and marketing-savvy competitor. How could a small brand compete against a company that had captured the hearts and minds of consumers? Which brand positioning concept should Paez choose to best capture consumers' attention and interest and compete against TOMS? How would the choice of positioning affect the rollout of Paez' distribution strategy and its product line strategy?

Keywords: marketing; brands and branding; Brands; brand management; brand positioning; entrepreneurship; Entrepreneurship in emerging markets; marketing strategy; retailing; fashion; competition; competitive strategy; Marketing; Advertising; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Entrepreneurship; Competition; Fashion Industry; Retail Industry; Argentina; Spain;

Citation:
Avery, Jill, Maria Fernanda Miguel, and Laura Urdapilleta. "Paez." Harvard Business School Case 316-085, October 2015. (Revised October 2016.) View Details

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Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | February 2017

Paez

Jill Avery

Paez, an Argentine start-up fashion brand, sold traditional alpargatas, a sleepy category that suddenly woke up when TOMS, a U.S. company, appropriated the traditional alpargata design, covered it with fashionable colors and prints, and tied it to a social cause. Paez’s founders were keenly aware of the present and future challenges they faced due to the resources and capabilities of their well-capitalized and marketing-savvy competitor. How could a small brand compete against a company that had captured the hearts and minds of consumers? Which brand positioning concept should Paez choose to best capture consumers’ attention and interest and compete against TOMS? How would the choice of positioning affect the rollout of Paez’s distribution strategy and its product line strategy? Teaching Note for HBS No. 316-085.

Keywords: marketing; brands and branding; brand management; brand positioning; competitive positioning; marketing strategy; competitive strategy; retailing; go to market strategy; Marketing; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Retail Industry; Fashion Industry; Argentina; Latin America; South America; Europe;

Citation:
Avery, Jill. "Paez." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 517-092, February 2017. View Details

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Technical Note | HBS Case Collection | September 2015 (Revised March 2017)

FIELD Global Immersion: Developing Customer Empathy

Jill Avery

The Design Thinking process begins with empathizing with potential customers. Empathizing, being aware of, interpreting, and understanding the thoughts of others, as well as being able to vicariously experience them oneself, requires the careful and deliberate study of consumers. Extensive use of qualitative methods, such as observation, interviews, and focus groups, that provide rich, thick descriptions of consumer behavior can be essential for building this understanding. Once product or service prototypes are developed, quantitative methods, such as surveys, experiments, and in-market tests, can help assess their viability in the market.

Keywords: marketing; Market research; design thinking; customer behavior; consumer behavior; ethnography; interviews; Surveys; A/B Testing; experimentation; Marketing; Customer Focus and Relationships; Consumer Behavior; Demand and Consumers;

Citation:
Avery, Jill. "FIELD Global Immersion: Developing Customer Empathy." Harvard Business School Technical Note 316-082, September 2015. (Revised March 2017.) View Details

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Technical Note | HBS Case Collection | September 2015

FIELD 2: Situation Analysis

Jill Avery

In this note, we present a method, the 5 C's Analysis, for collecting and analyzing information about the internal and external environments that firms face. This analysis will enable you to develop design ideas for a new product or service for your Global Partner that meet the needs of local customers, take into account the local context, leverage the capabilities of the company and its collaborators, and provide a sustainable advantage versus competitors.

Keywords: marketing; design thinking; innovation; Market research; Marketing; Customers;

Citation:
Avery, Jill. "FIELD 2: Situation Analysis." Harvard Business School Technical Note 316-081, September 2015. View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | June 2015 (Revised October 2016)

Denver Museum of Nature & Science

Jill Avery and Jim Rosenberg

Digital was on Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Programs Bridget Coughlin's mind these days. DMNS had been dabbling in digital for the past few years, but had never fully committed to it. The time had come to establish a strategic vision, and to decide whether to designate serious human and financial resources. It was time to make some decisions about the DMNS' digital future. The digital discussion was taking place within a larger strategic conversation about the primacy of the onsite experience of the Museum and the need to get outside of its walls to reach new constituents. How should she balance onsite programming, offsite programming, and online programming to maximize attendance and deliver against the Museum's mission? Was digital the magic pill that would allow the Museum to reach new audiences or was DMNS better off delivering a face-to-face museum experience within its own four walls or out on the streets of the Denver community?

Keywords: marketing; digital; social media; marketing strategy; nonprofit; Arts; Education; Marketing; Marketing Communications; Marketing Strategy; Nonprofit Organizations; Education Industry; North America; United States;

Citation:
Avery, Jill, and Jim Rosenberg. "Denver Museum of Nature & Science." Harvard Business School Case 315-081, June 2015. (Revised October 2016.) View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | June 2015 (Revised January 2017)

Accor: Strengthening the Brand with Digital Marketing

Jill Avery, Chekitan S. Dev and Peter O'Connor

Accor, the world's leading hotel operator with a portfolio of fourteen hospitality brands (including Sofitel and Novotel) in 92 countries, prided itself on living up to its motto, "To open new frontiers in hospitality." Accor was indeed contemplating how to do just that—but not by tackling a new frontier of the geographic variety. Rather, the firm was further exploring the digital frontier via a new distribution channel that would allow it to better compete in the online marketing space for travel reservations.

Keywords: marketing; digital; e-commerce; hospitality; branding; brand management; Marketing; Brands and Branding; Marketing Channels; Marketing Communications; Marketing Strategy; Accommodations Industry; Travel Industry; Tourism Industry; Europe; France;

Citation:
Avery, Jill, Chekitan S. Dev, and Peter O'Connor. "Accor: Strengthening the Brand with Digital Marketing." Harvard Business School Case 315-138, June 2015. (Revised January 2017.) View Details

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Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | January 2016

Accor: Strengthening the Brand with Digital Marketing

Jill Avery, Chekitan S. Dev and Peter O'Connor

Teaching Note for Accor: Strengthening the Brand with Digital Marketing case

Keywords: marketing; marketing strategy; Distribution Channels; digital; hospitality; Marketing; Marketing Channels; Marketing Strategy; Distribution Channels; Distribution; Travel Industry; France; Europe;

Citation:
Avery, Jill, Chekitan S. Dev, and Peter O'Connor. "Accor: Strengthening the Brand with Digital Marketing." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 316-103, January 2016. View Details

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Other Teaching and Training Material | 2015

Competitive Strategies Marketing Reading

Jill Avery and Sunil Gupta

Core Curriculum Readings in Marketing cover the fundamental concepts, theories, and frameworks that business students must study.
This Reading illuminates the dynamics of companies in competition and offers a process for planning and executing marketing strategies to compete in a rapidly changing marketplace. It will also enable marketers to make decisions that account for competitors' likely responses. The Reading delineates processes for understanding the opportunities and challenges of competitive play, providing guidance for choosing contexts that enable success while avoiding those in which profitability will be elusive. It then examines how marketers can create opportunities by alleviating constraining competitive forces and by opening up new ways to compete that are more conducive to growth. The Reading concludes with insights into how consumers respond to marketplace competition and examines how companies can frame competitive games to their advantage in brand positioning and marketing communications.
This Reading includes an Interactive Illustration that explains how the prisoner's dilemma theory applies to pricing issues in industries with two dominant competitors (Pepsi and Coke). It also includes 3 video clips: (1) "The Two Choices to Make in Strategy," which distills strategy into two basic questions: "Where will you play?" and "How will you win there?"; (2) "Marketing Myopia," an animation presenting Theodore Levitt's concept of marketing myopia and identifying ways to avoid it; and (3) "Porter's Six Forces," which explains the key elements of Michael Porter's strategy model.

Keywords: Competitive Strategy;

Citation:
Avery, Jill, and Sunil Gupta. "Competitive Strategies Marketing Reading." Core Curriculum Readings Series. Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing 8158, 2015. View Details

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Other Teaching and Training Material | 2014

Marketing Reading: Brand Positioning

Jill Avery and Sunil Gupta

This Reading addresses the principles of brand positioning and demonstrates how companies can strategically craft powerful, resonant, and unique brand positions to help products stand out amidst the cacophony of the marketplace. Strategic brand positioning provides consumers with the answer to the all-important question, "Why should I buy?" The Reading discusses how to craft a brand's value proposition for competitive advantage, through analysis and synthesis of consumer, company, and competitive factors. It highlights the types of brand positions that companies can stake out in the minds of consumers, providing insight into the many creative ways brands can be differentiated from one another. It provides guidance for defending a market position through illumination of the competitive dynamics of brand positioning. Finally, it presents the challenges associated with repositioning brands and the tension that exists between maintaining consistency in a brand's meaning and adjusting to changing consumer preferences.

Keywords: brand positioning; branding; consumer research; defensive strategies; market positioning; marketing; product differentiation; Product positioning; strategic positioning; value proposition; Customer Relationship Management; Organizational Structure; Customer Satisfaction; Brands and Branding;

Citation:
Avery, Jill, and Sunil Gupta. "Marketing Reading: Brand Positioning." Core Curriculum Readings Series. Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing 8197, 2014. View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | January 2015 (Revised October 2016)

onefinestay: Building a Luxury Experience in the Sharing Economy

Jill Avery, Anat Keinan and Liz Kind

Miranda Cresswell, marketing director, and Greg Marsh, founder and CEO of onefinestay, were grappling with branding and positioning dilemmas. onefinestay offered high-end home rentals to travelers who sought a more authentic and local experience than a typical upscale hotel might provide. onefinestay's brand had been "hacked" together quickly during the company's early years. After five years of rapid growth, Marsh brought Cresswell on board to do a comprehensive analysis of the company's brand and its positioning in the marketplace. Cresswell had spent several months gathering data and insights, and was starting to experiment with use case scenarios that took a crack at segmenting the company's customers. The preliminary results were interesting, but raised more questions than they answered, and Cresswell wondered if this was the best way to segment the market. While segmenting in this way was intriguing, it led to a branding challenge—as a start-up, it was difficult for onefinestay to have the resources to support multiple brand messages in the marketplace and different segments wanted different things from their travel experience. She pondered whether there were other ways to group customers that would allow for a more universal positioning for the brand or whether the company needed to focus on one or two segments to serve. Positioning the fledgling brand was a challenge. Who was the company competing against and how could it carve out a unique value proposition that would appeal to travelers and be differentiated from what was offered by other hospitality options? Was its current moniker "the unhotel" working for or against it?

Keywords: Luxury Goods; brand building; brand management; brands and branding; marketing; marketing strategy; hospitality; hotels; digital marketing; e-commerce; brand positioning; luxury service; Airbnb; sharing economy; collaborative consumption; disruption; disruptive business model; entrepreneurship; travel; alternatives to hotel; branding; customer service; exceeding consumer expectations; client acquisition; reputation management; word of mouth; 2-way business model; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Brands and Branding; Accommodations Industry; Tourism Industry; Travel Industry; United Kingdom;

Citation:
Avery, Jill, Anat Keinan, and Liz Kind. "onefinestay: Building a Luxury Experience in the Sharing Economy." Harvard Business School Case 515-072, January 2015. (Revised October 2016.) View Details

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Technical Note | HBS Case Collection | January 2015 (Revised February 2017)

FIELD Global Immersion: Orchestrating a Compelling Presentation

Jill Avery

This note was written to help you organize and orchestrate your FIELD Global Immersion final project presentation to your global partner. It is designed to illustrate ways to make your final presentation persuasive, inspiring, and powerful — a presentation with presence. Orchestrating a compelling presentation involves a three stage process of conceiving, visualizing, and presenting that begins with understanding and empathizing with your audience, leveraging your emotional intelligence to craft a persuasive message that addresses their needs. Developing an engaging story using storytelling techniques can help you design a presentation that will resonate with your audience. Translating your story into visuals with impact and delivering it with presence is critical to connecting with your audience in an authentic and powerful way.

Keywords: communication; presentation skills; Communication; Communication Intention and Meaning; Communication Strategy; Interpersonal Communication; Management Skills;

Citation:
Avery, Jill. "FIELD Global Immersion: Orchestrating a Compelling Presentation." Harvard Business School Technical Note 315-085, January 2015. (Revised February 2017.) View Details

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Exercise | September 2014 (Revised September 2015)

Project Planning

Willy Shih, Pian Shu and Jill Avery

This exercise introduces the basic tools of project management: the project timeline, the task list, and the Gantt chart. It is an exercise for the FIELD 2 course.

Keywords: project management; Management Practices and Processes; Manufacturing Industry; Service Industry; United States;

Citation:
Shih, Willy, Pian Shu, and Jill Avery. "Project Planning." Harvard Business School Exercise 615-030, September 2014. (Revised September 2015.) View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | June 2014 (Revised March 2016)

Relating to Peapod

Susan Fournier and Jill Avery

Explores the relationships formed between consumers and the Peapod consumer-direct grocery delivery service, as revealed through an ethnographic study of Boston-area Peapod shoppers conducted between the Summer of 1997 and the Fall of 1999. Three representative case histories are brought to life using extensive quotes from these selected longitudinal interviews. Closes with short vignettes describing the experiences of four additional service users so that students can offer relationship predictions using process insights derived from the detailed case studies. Together, the data-driven exercises are designed to deepen students' understanding of the development processes characterizing consumer-firm/brand interactions over time, toward the goal of more informed relationship marketing strategies and sharper brand relationship executions.

Keywords: Brands and Branding; Customer Relationship Management; Marketing Strategy; Service Industry; Boston;

Citation:
Fournier, Susan, and Jill Avery. "Relating to Peapod." Harvard Business School Case 314-142, June 2014. (Revised March 2016.) View Details

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Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | June 2016

Relating to Peapod

Jill Avery and Susan Fournier

This case concerns the topics of relationship marketing, customer acquisition and retention, brand loyalty, service failure and recovery, new product introduction, and the use of consumer ethnography to study consumer behavior. Specifically, the case explores the relationships formed between consumers and the Peapod consumer-direct grocery delivery service, as revealed through an ethnographic study of Boston-area Peapod shoppers conducted between summer of 1997 and fall of 1999. Three representative case histories are brought to life using extensive quotes from these selected longitudinal case history interviews. The cases are constructed to allow insights into the factors prompting relationship formation between consumers and service brands, the types of relationship contracts that are formed, and the dynamics that work to strengthen, weaken, and rupture consumer/brand contracts over time.

Keywords: marketing; brands and branding; brand management; customer relationship management; CRM; e-commerce; customer behavior; consumer behavior; retailing; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Brands and Branding; Marketing Channels; Retail Industry; United States;

Citation:
Avery, Jill, and Susan Fournier. "Relating to Peapod." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 316-175, June 2016. View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | September 2014 (Revised September 2015)

Doing Business in Morocco

Jill Avery, Tonia Junker and Daniela Beyersdorfer

This case examines the challenges and opportunities of doing business in Morocco. It highlights Morocco's ongoing economic transformation in the decades leading up to 2014 in the context of its historical, political, and cultural background. The case summarizes some of the main obstacles faced by businesses operating in the country—changing regulations and insufficient access to credit, infrastructure and talent constraints, and a large informal sector—contrasting these with the benefits of operating in a market that provides access to the African continent and proximity to Europe, has relatively low labor costs, and has created a series of investment incentives. Some of these challenges are illustrated through the discussion of an investment decision by French car maker Renault, which opened a new manufacturing facility in Morocco's free trade zone near Tangier. Now a few years into operating the facility, the case zooms in on some of the obstacles that Renault encountered, such as scarcity of trained staff and of local suppliers, and on the progress that was made, in order to evaluate the potential of the investment going forward.

Keywords: emerging market; emerging economies; Africa; business history; strategy; global strategy; operations management; Development Economics; Geographic Scope; Globalization; Business History; Emerging Markets; Market Entry and Exit; Operations; Strategy; Auto Industry; Africa; Morocco;

Citation:
Avery, Jill, Tonia Junker, and Daniela Beyersdorfer. "Doing Business in Morocco." Harvard Business School Case 315-007, September 2014. (Revised September 2015.) View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | April 2014 (Revised July 2017)

The Tate's Digital Transformation

Jill Avery

John Stack was the visionary Head of Digital Transformation at the Tate, a collection of four major art galleries in the UK, including Tate Modern, the most visited gallery devoted to modern and contemporary art in the world. Stack was the architect of the Tate's "fifth gallery," its online presence. Stack had guided the Tate through two digital strategy planning processes and his team had experienced much success in developing the Tate's fifth gallery into a virtual place filled with immersive and engaging content, activities, experiences, and communities. Looking to the future, Stack was working to execute a new digital strategy, one that included digital as a dimension of everything the Tate did, both physically and virtually. This effort was raising important questions about organizational structure, marketing strategy, product and service design, and return on investment. What would it take to be a truly digital organization where digital was the norm?

Keywords: marketing; digital; social media; marketing strategy; marketing communication; non-profit management; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Nonprofit Organizations; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Tourism Industry; United Kingdom;

Citation:
Avery, Jill. "The Tate's Digital Transformation." Harvard Business School Case 314-122, April 2014. (Revised July 2017.) View Details

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Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | February 2017

The Tate's Digital Transformation

Jill Avery

John Stack was the visionary Head of Digital Transformation at the Tate, a collection of four major art galleries in the UK, including Tate Modern, the most visited gallery devoted to modern and contemporary art in the world. Stack was the architect of the Tate’s “fifth gallery,” its online presence. Stack had guided the Tate through two digital strategy planning processes, and his team had experienced much success in developing the Tate’s fifth gallery into a virtual place filled with immersive and engaging content, activities, experiences, and communities. Looking into the future, Stack was working to execute a new digital strategy, one that included digital as a dimension of everything the Tate did, both physically and virtually. This effort was raising important questions about organizational structure, marketing strategy, product and service design, and return on investment. What would it take to be a truly digital organization where digital was the norm? Teaching Note for HBS No. 314-122.

Keywords: marketing; marketing strategy; digital; digital strategy; digital marketing; social media; ecommerce; experience; customer experience; customer relationship management; channel management; museums; arts marketing; nonprofit; Marketing; Marketing Channels; Marketing Strategy; Customer Focus and Relationships; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Fine Arts Industry; England; United Kingdom; Europe;

Citation:
Avery, Jill. "The Tate's Digital Transformation." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 517-098, February 2017. View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | April 2014 (Revised July 2017)

The Park Hotels: Revitalizing an Iconic Indian Brand

Jill Avery and Chekitan S. Dev

Priya Paul, chairperson of The Park Hotels, an award-winning portfolio of thirteen boutique hotels scattered across India, was in the midst of a brand revitalization program. Landor Associates, a leading brand consultancy had identified three areas of concern: the shrinking differentiation opportunity provided by the boutique hotel positioning, consumers' negative perceptions of The Park's properties, and a lack of consistency across the hotel properties in the brand portfolio. Competition was heating up and Paul had a goal to expand her hotel portfolio to twenty properties in the next ten years. Paul knew that she had to make some major changes to her brand, including changing her positioning, choosing a new logo, and selecting the right products and services that enhanced her revitalized brand. And, she had to decide where to site the new hotel properties to best compete against global behemoths, Starwood, Marriott, Hyatt and Intercontinental. How could she best revitalize her brand to stand out in a crowded marketplace, while preserving its rich heritage? Which changes would best propel The Park Hotels into the future?

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Product Positioning; Competition; Brands and Branding; Accommodations Industry; India;

Citation:
Avery, Jill, and Chekitan S. Dev. "The Park Hotels: Revitalizing an Iconic Indian Brand." Harvard Business School Case 314-114, April 2014. (Revised July 2017.) View Details

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Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | January 2017

The Park Hotels: Revitalizing an Iconic Indian Brand

Jill Avery and Chekitan S. Dev

Priya Paul, chairwoman of The Park Hotels, an award-winning portfolio of thirteen boutique hotels scattered across India, was in the midst of a brand revitalization program. Landor Associates, a leading brand consultancy, had identified three areas of concern: the shrinking differentiation opportunity provided by a boutique hotel positioning, consumers’ negative perceptions of some of The Park Hotels properties, and a lack of consistency across the properties in the brand portfolio. Competition was heating up, and Paul had a goal to expand to 20 hotels in the next 10 years. She knew that she had to make some major changes to her brand, including reconsidering her value proposition, choosing a new logo, and selecting the right products and services to revitalize the brand. Additionally, she had to decide where to site the 7 new hotel properties to best compete against global behemoths Starwood, Marriott, Hyatt, and Intercontinental that were aggressively entering India. How could she best revitalize her brand to stand out in a crowded marketplace while preserving its rich heritage? Which changes would best propel The Park Hotels into the future? Teaching Note for HBS No. 314-114.

Keywords: marketing; brands and branding; brand management; brand positioning; brand portfolio strategy; brand architecture; brand repositioning; target market; hospitality; hotel industry; Marketing; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Service Delivery; Travel Industry; Service Industry; India; Asia;

Citation:
Avery, Jill, and Chekitan S. Dev. "The Park Hotels: Revitalizing an Iconic Indian Brand." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 517-076, January 2017. View Details

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Technical Note | HBS Case Collection | January 2014

Learning From Extreme Consumers

Jill Avery and Michael Norton

Traditional market research methods focus on understanding the average experiences of average consumers. This focus leads to gaps in our knowledge of consumer behavior and often fails to uncover insights that can drive revolutionary, rather than evolutionary innovation. This note outlines a process for studying extreme consumers—consumers who fall in both tails of a normal distribution of customers—with needs, behaviors, attitudes, and emotions atypical of the average customer. Different tactics for leveraging the power of the fringe, product category virgins, customers with constraints, and lovers, haters, and opt-outers are presented.

Keywords: Market research; marketing; consumer behavior; ethnography; design thinking; innovation; New Product Development; Research; Marketing; Consumer Behavior; Innovation and Invention;

Citation:
Avery, Jill, and Michael Norton. "Learning From Extreme Consumers." Harvard Business School Technical Note 314-086, January 2014. View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | September 2012 (Revised January 2013)

J.C. Penney's 'Fair and Square' Pricing Strategy

Elie Ofek and Jill Avery

As a he gets ready to release 2nd quarter 2012 results, Ron Johnson, the new CEO of department store J.C. Penney, is reconsidering the dramatic changes he initiated for the business model and brand image of his company. A new pricing scheme he put in place in February, dubbed "Fair and square" was a central component of the new strategy. The scheme initially had three pricing tiers and eliminated typical sales promotions in an attempt to simplify the shopping experience for consumers; thus moving J.C. Penney off its previous high-low pricing practice. Other components of the new strategy included a new store layout, the inclusion of several well-known brands, and having special lines designed by well-known designers. However, troubling first quarter results that continued into the summer months seemed to indicate that J.C. Penney shoppers, accustomed to receiving JCP Cash coupons and circulars advertising the week's specials, were slow to embrace the new pricing format and began leaving the retailer in droves. Under enormous pressure to turn things around as the all-important back-to-school and holiday shopping seasons were imminent, Johnson decided to make adjustments to the initial pricing scheme that were set to go into effect August 1st. Were these changes enough to turn things around? Should Johnson stay the course on the other elements of his repositioning efforts? Is Johnson's experience in setting up Apple stores helping or hurting him as he tries to achieve his goal of making J.C. Penney "America's favorite store?"

Keywords: Change Management; Consumer Behavior; Management Teams; Business Model; Marketing Strategy; Price; Brands and Branding; Decision Making; Retail Industry; United States;

Citation:
Ofek, Elie, and Jill Avery. "J.C. Penney's 'Fair and Square' Pricing Strategy." Harvard Business School Case 513-036, September 2012. (Revised January 2013.) View Details

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Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | April 2013 (Revised October 2014)

J.C. Penney's 'Fair and Square' Pricing Strategy

Elie Ofek and Jill Avery

Citation:
Ofek, Elie, and Jill Avery. "J.C. Penney's 'Fair and Square' Pricing Strategy." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 513-099, April 2013. (Revised October 2014.) View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | October 2013 (Revised January 2016)

J.C. Penney's 'Fair and Square' Strategy (Abridged)

Elie Ofek and Jill Avery

As he gets ready to release 2nd quarter 2012 results, Ron Johnson, the new CEO of department store J.C. Penney, is reconsidering the dramatic changes he initiated for the business model and brand image of his company. A new pricing scheme he put in place in February, dubbed "Fair and Square," was a central component of the new strategy. The scheme initially had three pricing tiers and eliminated typical sales promotions in an attempt to simplify the shopping experience for consumers, thus moving J.C. Penney off its previous high-low pricing practice. Other components of the new strategy included a new store layout, the inclusion of several well-known brands, and having special lines designed by well-known designers. However, troubling first quarter results that continued into the summer months seemed to indicate that J.C. Penney shoppers, accustomed to receiving JCP Cash coupons and circulars advertising the week's specials, were slow to embrace the new pricing format and began leaving the retailer in droves. Under enormous pressure to turn things around as the all-important back-to-school and holiday shopping seasons were imminent, Johnson decided to make adjustments to the initial pricing scheme that were set to go into effect August 1st. Were these changes enough to turn things around? Should Johnson stay the course on the other elements of his repositioning efforts? Is Johnson's experience in setting up Apple stores helping or hurting him as he tries to achieve his goal of making J.C. Penney "America's favorite store"? (This is an abridged version of the original case, "J.C. Penney’s "Fair and Square" Pricing Strategy," 513-036.)

Keywords: Business Model; Change Management; Marketing Strategy; Price; Consumer Behavior; Decision Making; Management Teams; Brands and Branding; Retail Industry; United States;

Citation:
Ofek, Elie, and Jill Avery. "J.C. Penney's 'Fair and Square' Strategy (Abridged)." Harvard Business School Case 514-063, October 2013. (Revised January 2016.) View Details

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Supplement | HBS Case Collection | January 2014

J.C. Penney's 'Fair and Square' Strategy (B): Out with the New, In with the Old

Elie Ofek, Jill Avery and Jose B. Alvarez

In his August 2012 earnings call, CEO Ron Johnson urged investors to be patient and stay the course with the revised JC Penney marketing strategy despite mounting negative financial indicators. The heart of the strategy was the "Fair and Square" approach to pricing. This was a switch from J.C. Penney's previous high-low pricing program to a new everyday low pricing policy that aimed to fit with a radical repositioning of the JC Penney business model and brand. However, with sales continuing to decline the Board fired Johnson in April 2013 and appointed Johnson's predecessor Myron E. "Mike" Ullman III as his successor. What would Ullman do to stop JC Penney's losses? Would he push forward with Johnson's "Fair and Square" vision; would he return to the former strategy; could he manage a hybrid strategy; or would he define a new path for the retailer to follow?

Keywords: Decisions; Marketing Strategy; Retail Industry;

Citation:
Ofek, Elie, Jill Avery, and Jose B. Alvarez. "J.C. Penney's 'Fair and Square' Strategy (B): Out with the New, In with the Old." Harvard Business School Supplement 514-085, January 2014. View Details

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Supplement | HBS Case Collection | January 2014

J.C. Penney's 'Fair and Square' Strategy (C): Back to the Future

Elie Ofek, Jill Avery and Jose B. Alvarez

Rehired in April 2013, Myron E. "Mike" Ullman III was brought back to stabilize the retailer's business. Under Ron Johnson's "Fair and Square" program, sales had declined rapidly and quarterly losses and expensive capital investments had put severe pressure on cash reserves. Ullman decided to combine "Fair and Square" everyday low pricing and high/low pricing to reverse the negative trend. For example, to welcome people back to its stores, J.C. Penney ran deep discount sales for Mother's Day and Veteran's Day. By November 2013 the retail stores posted positive sales comparisons year over year, the first time since December 2011. However, margins remained low and Wall Street was wondering if J.C. Penney was sacrificing margin to drive store traffic. Would 2013 holiday sales be strong enough for J.C. Penney to begin building stronger margins? Would another strategy have been more effective? Did the board dispose of Johnson too quickly? Was it wise to bring back Ullman? Can J.C. Penney get back on its feet?

Keywords: Decisions; Marketing Strategy; Retail Industry;

Citation:
Ofek, Elie, Jill Avery, and Jose B. Alvarez. "J.C. Penney's 'Fair and Square' Strategy (C): Back to the Future." Harvard Business School Supplement 514-073, January 2014. View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | January 2014 (Revised October 2016)

Filene's Basement: Inside a Fired Customer's Relationship

Jill Avery and Susan Fournier

How, in a business climate in which building relationships with customers has dominated both managerial thought and marketing budgets, could Filene's Basement have fired a loyal customer, one who was formally and informally recognized as a best customer? This case allows students to reverse-engineer a fired customer's relationship with discount retailer Filene's Basement, from her perspective, to uncover the critical incidents and behaviors of each party that shaped their relationship trajectory. The company's customer relationship management (CRM) programs are analyzed to show how they influenced and encouraged unprofitable customer behavior.

Keywords: marketing; CRM; consumer behavior; retailing; customer relationship management; marketing strategy; Customer Focus and Relationships; Customer Satisfaction; Marketing Strategy; Retail Industry; United States;

Citation:
Avery, Jill, and Susan Fournier. "Filene's Basement: Inside a Fired Customer's Relationship." Harvard Business School Case 314-076, January 2014. (Revised October 2016.) View Details

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Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | June 2016

Filene's Basement: Inside a Fired Customer's Relationship

Jill Avery and Susan Fournier

How, in a business climate in which building relationships with customers has dominated both managerial thought and marketing budgets, could Filene's Basement have fired a loyal customer, one who was formally and informally recognized as a best customer? This case allows students to reverse-engineer a fired customer's relationship with discount retailer Filene's Basement, from her perspective, to uncover the critical incidents and behaviors of each party that shaped their relationship trajectory. The company's customer relationship management (CRM) programs can be analyzed to show how they influenced and encouraged unprofitable customer behavior.

Keywords: marketing; CRM; customer relationship management; marketing strategy; brands and branding; customer profitability analysis; customer lifetime value; consumer behavior; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Customer Focus and Relationships; Brands and Branding; Customer Relationship Management; Retail Industry; United States;

Citation:
Avery, Jill, and Susan Fournier. "Filene's Basement: Inside a Fired Customer's Relationship." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 316-184, June 2016. View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | April 2012 (Revised May 2012)

EILEEN FISHER: Repositioning the Brand

Anat Keinan, Jill Avery, Fiona Wilson and Michael Norton

Well-established fashion brand Eileen Fisher has traditionally appealed to older women. However, to drive growth, Eileen Fisher's management team wants to target a younger demographic and has revamped its Fall product line to offer more fashionable styles to appeal to younger women. But, repositioning the brand has proven to be harder than expected. This case explores the challenges of appealing to new target markets, without alienating existing customers. The case follows Eileen Fisher's initial forays into social media as they chase a younger demographic, and demonstrates the opportunities and pitfalls that await big brands when they enter the world of Web 2.0.

Keywords: marketing; brand management; brand positioning; market segmentation and target market selection; retailing; fashion; corporate social responsibility; social media; Brands and Branding; Product Positioning; Segmentation; Social and Collaborative Networks; Growth and Development Strategy; Retail Industry; Fashion Industry;

Citation:
Keinan, Anat, Jill Avery, Fiona Wilson, and Michael Norton. "EILEEN FISHER: Repositioning the Brand." Harvard Business School Case 512-085, April 2012. (Revised May 2012.) View Details

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Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | March 2013

EILEEN FISHER: Repositioning the Brand (TN)

Anat Keinan and Jill Avery

Citation:
Keinan, Anat, and Jill Avery. "EILEEN FISHER: Repositioning the Brand (TN)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 513-095, March 2013. View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | September 2011 (Revised August 2013)

The Pepsi Refresh Project: A Thirst for Change

Michael I. Norton and Jill Avery

In 2010, for the first time in 23 years, PepsiCo did not invest in Superbowl advertising for its iconic brand. Instead, the company diverted this $20 million to the social media-fueled Pepsi Refresh Project: PepsiCo's innovative cause-marketing program in which consumers submitted ideas for grants for health, environmental, social, educational, and cultural causes. Consumers voted for their favorite ideas, and PepsiCo funded the winners in grants ranging from $5,000 to $250,000. The case highlights the benefits and risks of traditional branding and social media branding, including a discussion of how the Pepsi Refresh Project fits with Pepsi's previous brand positioning. The case discussion focuses on how the brand team should evaluate the initiative's return on investment (from sales to social media engagement), whether they should continue the initiative for 2011, and whether Pepsi is the right brand for this kind of initiative.

Keywords: Risk Management; Marketing Strategy; Customer Focus and Relationships; Advertising Campaigns; Investment Return; Brands and Branding; Marketing Communications; Social Marketing; Cost vs Benefits; Food and Beverage Industry;

Citation:
Norton, Michael I., and Jill Avery. "The Pepsi Refresh Project: A Thirst for Change." Harvard Business School Case 512-018, September 2011. (Revised August 2013.) View Details

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Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | March 2013

The Pepsi Refresh Project: A Thirst for Change (TN)

Michael Norton and Jill Avery

Citation:
Norton, Michael, and Jill Avery. "The Pepsi Refresh Project: A Thirst for Change (TN)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 513-087, March 2013. View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | May 2011 (Revised March 2012)

Nanda Home: Preparing for Life after Clocky

Elie Ofek and Jill Avery

Gauri Nanda, the inventor of Clocky, the alarm clock that rolls off the bed stand and forces its owner to find it, has to make critical decisions regarding the future of her nascent company. As sales of Clocky show signs of declining, she must decide whether to continue her focus on the alarm clock category or to branch out into new categories. If the former, the question is which segments to pursue and what features to develop, and, if the latter, the question is whether the concept of "humanizing technology" is something consumers would value in other domains. In addition, Nanda must decide how to continue marketing Clocky and its successors, given the potential for cannibalization. Clocky's success was largely attributable to the media's intense interest and coverage, and it is not clear such attention would carry over to other new product endeavors. Students are presented with a number of new product concepts and the findings from both qualitative and quantitative market research. This allows for a rich discussion of how managers can think creatively about consumer experiences to inform their innovation strategies.

Keywords: Brands and Branding; Management; Electronics Industry;

Citation:
Ofek, Elie, and Jill Avery. "Nanda Home: Preparing for Life after Clocky." Harvard Business School Case 511-134, May 2011. (Revised March 2012.) View Details

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Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | May 2012

Nanda Home: Preparing for Life after Clocky (TN)

Elie Ofek and Jill Avery

Citation:
Ofek, Elie, and Jill Avery. "Nanda Home: Preparing for Life after Clocky (TN)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 512-098, May 2012. View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | April 2011 (Revised May 2011)

EMC2: Delivering Customer Centricity

Thomas Steenburgh and Jill Avery

This case introduces the concept of customer centricity and traces its development at EMC, the world's leading data storage hardware and information management software company. EMC's customers had historically relied on EMC salespeople to guide them through the complex, consultative buying process. However, with the rise of social media, prospective customers are getting more of the information they require earlier in the purchase process online. As they do so, their physical interactions with EMC salespeople are decreasing, while their digital interactions are increasing. Given the changing business environment, BJ Jenkins, senior vice president of Global Marketing, faces significant challenges as he tries to maintain EMC's culture of customer centricity. These include 1) translating EMC's platinum service levels, designed to appeal to the world's largest companies, to small businesses and B2C customers, 2) understanding how the replacement of physical interaction with digital interaction in the consultative selling process affects EMC's business, and 3) managing a VAR sales model that distances EMC from its customers.

Keywords: Business Model; Interpersonal Communication; Customer Relationship Management; Knowledge Acquisition; Marketing Strategy; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Salesforce Management; Social and Collaborative Networks; Internet; Information Technology Industry;

Citation:
Steenburgh, Thomas, and Jill Avery. "EMC2: Delivering Customer Centricity." Harvard Business School Case 511-124, April 2011. (Revised May 2011.) View Details

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Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | April 2012

EMC2: Delivering Customer Centricity (TN)

Thomas Steenburgh and Jill Avery

Citation:
Steenburgh, Thomas, and Jill Avery. "EMC2: Delivering Customer Centricity (TN)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 512-068, April 2012. View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | September 2010 (Revised April 2012)

Better World Books

Michael I. Norton, Fiona Wilson, Jill Avery and Thomas J. Steenburgh

Better World Books, a young start-up, provides a socially conscious alternative to Amazon, collecting and selling used books to keep them out of the waste stream, while donating a portion of their profits to support global literacy efforts. The case presents an emerging new business model: the for-profit "B corporation" designed to combine profits and mission. Founder Xavier Helgesen struggles with how to price his products to capture the value of their social good; how to manage multiple channels of distribution, including selling direct to consumers; and managing the social impact of negative public perceptions on the business once the company turns profitable.

Keywords: Business Model; For-Profit Firms; Marketing Strategy; Social Marketing; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Public Opinion; Social Issues; Online Technology; Retail Industry;

Citation:
Norton, Michael I., Fiona Wilson, Jill Avery, and Thomas J. Steenburgh. "Better World Books." Harvard Business School Case 511-057, September 2010. (Revised April 2012.) View Details

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Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | June 2012

Better World Books (TN)

Michael I. Norton, Jill Avery, Fiona Wilson and Thomas Steenburgh

Citation:
Norton, Michael I., Jill Avery, Fiona Wilson, and Thomas Steenburgh. "Better World Books (TN) ." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 512-106, June 2012. View Details

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Supplement | HBS Case Collection | August 2011

Better World Books Video

Michael I. Norton, Fiona Wilson, Jill Avery and Thomas Steenburgh

This video contains an interview with David Murphy, CEO of Better World Books. Topics discussed include: the opportunities and constraints offered by having a social mission, an update on the company, and the future of Better World Books.

Keywords: Growth and Development; Management Teams; Business Model; Social Enterprise; Publishing Industry;

Citation:
Norton, Michael I., Fiona Wilson, Jill Avery, and Thomas Steenburgh. "Better World Books Video." Harvard Business School Video Supplement 512-701, August 2011. View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | February 2011 (Revised December 2012)

Porsche: The Cayenne Launch

John Deighton, Jill Avery and Jeffrey Fear

Can an online discussion forum supply insight into the evolution of brand meaning? In 2003 Porsche launched a sport utility vehicle, dividing Porsche purists from newcomers to the brand. Vocal members of online and offline Porsche communities ridiculed the Cayenne SUV and disapproved of the new breed of driver. Some opposed offering Porsche club membership to them, and some even refused to extend the fraternal Porsche 'wave' or headlight flicking to them on the road. Porsche's values of speed, luxury, and a certain masculine zeal resonated strongly with its devotees, while drivers of the Cayenne (which came to be known as 'the SUV for soccer moms') tended to be safety-conscious, family-oriented, and conservative. Evolving debates on forums allow a class to debate whether the brand had strayed too far from its core values and was at risk.

Keywords: Knowledge Sharing; Knowledge Use and Leverage; Risk Management; Brands and Branding; Product Launch; Product Positioning; Social and Collaborative Networks; Auto Industry;

Citation:
Deighton, John, Jill Avery, and Jeffrey Fear. "Porsche: The Cayenne Launch." Harvard Business School Case 511-068, February 2011. (Revised December 2012.) (request a courtesy copy.) View Details

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Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | February 2011

Porsche: The Cayenne Launch (TN)

John Deighton and Jill Avery

Teaching Note for 511-068.

Keywords: Brands and Branding; Sports; Product Development; Value; Safety; Online Technology; Communication Technology; Auto Industry;

Citation:
Deighton, John, and Jill Avery. "Porsche: The Cayenne Launch (TN)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 511-069, February 2011. View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | January 2010 (Revised March 2013)

HubSpot: Lower Churn through Greater CHI

F. Asis Martinez Jerez, Thomas Steenburgh, Jill Avery and Lisa Brem

HubSpot, a web marketing startup is under pressure from VCs to rapidly acquire new customers and to maintain a low level of customer churn. In the case, students explore the drivers of customer churn and uncover opportunities to increase customer retention across the customer selection, selling, and training processes. Students assess a metric, CHI (Customer Happiness Index) which HubSpot uses to predict which customers will churn, and suggest alternatives to improve the firm's predictions. Students develop programs to reduce churn post-hoc and then reengineer the company's marketing, selling, and customer relationship management processes to manage churn proactively through market segmentation and targeting, product design, and customer interactions.

Keywords: Business Startups; Customer Relationship Management; Customer Satisfaction; Customer Value and Value Chain; Forecasting and Prediction; Consumer Behavior; Happiness; Consulting Industry;

Citation:
Martinez Jerez, F. Asis, Thomas Steenburgh, Jill Avery, and Lisa Brem. "HubSpot: Lower Churn through Greater CHI." Harvard Business School Case 110-052, January 2010. (Revised March 2013.) View Details

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Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | June 2016

HubSpot: Lower Churn through Greater CHI

Jill Avery, Asis Martinez Jerez and Thomas Steenburgh

HubSpot, a web marketing startup selling inbound marketing software to small- and medium-sized businesses, is under pressure from its venture capital partners to rapidly acquire new customers and to maintain a low level of customer churn. The B2B SaaS company is in the midst of pursuing a Series C round of funding. To do so requires them to bring their business metrics into line with VC expectations and peer companies’ performance. In the case, students use big data about their customers’ demographics and usage behaviors to explore the drivers of customer churn and uncover opportunities to increase customer retention via the customer selection, selling, and training processes. Students assess an algorithm that yields a metric, CHI (Customer Happiness Index), that HubSpot uses to predict which of its customers will churn and suggest alternatives to improve the firm’s predictions. Students develop action plans to reduce churn post-hoc and then reengineer the company’s marketing, selling, and customer relationship management processes to preempt churn proactively through market segmentation and targeting, product design, and customer interactions. Decisions are critical at this stage of HubSpot’s development, as its continued growth hangs in the balance.

Keywords: marketing; customer relationship management; CRM; customer acquisition; customer retention; Churn Management; SaaS business models; customer lifetime value; marketing strategy; venture capital; Startup; software; accounting; monitoring and control; Marketing; Customer Relationship Management; Marketing Strategy; Accounting; Technology Industry; United States;

Citation:
Avery, Jill, Asis Martinez Jerez, and Thomas Steenburgh. "HubSpot: Lower Churn through Greater CHI." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 116-051, June 2016. View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | May 2009 (Revised January 2011)

HubSpot: Inbound Marketing and Web 2.0

Thomas J. Steenburgh, Jill Avery and Naseem Ashraf Dahod

This case introduces the concept of inbound marketing, pulling customer prospects toward a business through the use of Web 2.0 tools and applications like blogging, search engine optimization, and social media. Students follow the growth of HubSpot, an entrepreneurial venture which, in its quest for growth, faces significant challenges including the following: developing market segmentation and targeting strategies to decide which customers to serve and which to turn away, configuring pricing strategies to align with the value delivery stream customers experience, and determining whether inbound marketing programs can generate enough scale or whether traditional outbound marketing methods need to be employed to accelerate growth.

Keywords: Customer Relationship Management; Entrepreneurship; Price; Growth and Development Strategy; Marketing Communications; Social and Collaborative Networks; Segmentation; Web;

Citation:
Steenburgh, Thomas J., Jill Avery, and Naseem Ashraf Dahod. "HubSpot: Inbound Marketing and Web 2.0." Harvard Business School Case 509-049, May 2009. (Revised January 2011.) View Details

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Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | September 2009

HubSpot: Inbound Marketing and Web 2.0 (TN)

Thomas J. Steenburgh and Jill Avery

Teaching Note for 509-049.

Keywords: Customer Satisfaction; Technology Adoption; Search Technology; Blogs; Media; Markets; Segmentation; Price; Decision Choices and Conditions; Marketing Strategy; Information Technology Industry;

Citation:
Steenburgh, Thomas J., and Jill Avery. "HubSpot: Inbound Marketing and Web 2.0 (TN)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 510-043, September 2009. View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | November 2008 (Revised August 2011)

UnME Jeans: Branding in Web 2.0

Thomas J. Steenburgh and Jill Avery

This case introduces emerging Web 2.0 social media in virtual worlds, social networking sites, and video-sharing sites and encourages students to explore the opportunities and risks they present for brands. The case allows students to grapple with the strategic and tactical decisions that accompany marketing communications strategy and to combine information on consumer behavior with an understanding of brand objectives in order to assess and evaluate new social media options. Brand manager Margaret Foley is facing an increasingly complex media environment in which her traditional media plan, focused on television, print, and radio advertising, has become less effective due to declining audiences, increased advertising clutter, and consumers tuning out. She is exploring emerging Web 2.0 social media options to determine if they can better achieve her branding and advertising objectives. Her challenge is to cut through all of the hype surrounding Web 2.0 and to analyze the social media's potential for her brand by delving into the consumer needs and behaviors underpinning Web 2.0 technologies.

Keywords: Online Advertising; Brands and Branding; Marketing Communications; Marketing Strategy; Consumer Behavior; Risk and Uncertainty; Social and Collaborative Networks; Web; Apparel and Accessories Industry;

Citation:
Steenburgh, Thomas J., and Jill Avery. "UnME Jeans: Branding in Web 2.0." Harvard Business School Case 509-035, November 2008. (Revised August 2011.) View Details

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Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | July 2007 (Revised March 2012)

Clocky: The Runaway Alarm Clock (TN)

Elie Ofek and Jill Avery

Citation:
Ofek, Elie, and Jill Avery. "Clocky: The Runaway Alarm Clock (TN)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 508-022, July 2007. (Revised March 2012.) View Details

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Module Note | November 2008 (Revised September 2018)

Understanding Brands

Anat Keinan and Jill Avery

For many firms, the brands associated with their products and/or services are their most valuable assets, and, hence, much management attention is given to designing, communicating, nurturing, and protecting them. This note is designed to provide an understanding of brand management strategies firms use to build, sustain, and leverage their brands.

Keywords: Brands and Branding; Management; Marketing Strategy; Value;

Citation:
Keinan, Anat, and Jill Avery. "Understanding Brands." Harvard Business School Module Note 509-041, November 2008. (Revised September 2018.) View Details

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Background Note | HBS Case Collection | February 2010

Marketing Analysis Toolkit: Situation Analysis

Thomas J. Steenburgh and Jill Avery

Before managers can begin to formulate marketing strategies for their businesses, they must have a strong understanding of the internal and external marketing environments in which they are operating. In this note, we present three methods for collecting and analyzing information about the internal and external marketing environments firms face: Five C's Analysis, Porter's Five Forces Industry Analysis, and SWOT Analysis. These analyses help students understand the analytical processes by which managers understand themselves, their consumers, and the marketplaces in which they compete. The note gives students a foundation for analyzing marketing cases, as well as providing an analytical structure and process for completing the situation analysis section of a marketing plan.

Keywords: Five Forces Framework; SWOT Analysis; Marketing Strategy; Demand and Consumers; Industry Structures; Strategic Planning;

Citation:
Steenburgh, Thomas J., and Jill Avery. "Marketing Analysis Toolkit: Situation Analysis." Harvard Business School Background Note 510-079, February 2010. View Details

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Background Note | HBS Case Collection | July 2010 (Revised January 2017)

Marketing Analysis Toolkit: Customer Lifetime Value Analysis

Thomas Steenburgh and Jill Avery

Customers are increasingly being viewed as assets that bring value to the firm. Customer lifetime value is a metric that allows managers to understand the overall value of their customer base and relate it to three customer strategies firms employ: asset acquisition—attracting new customers to the firm; asset maximization—maximizing the value the firm extracts from each customer; and asset retention—retaining existing customers for the long-term. The note gives students a foundation for analyzing marketing cases, as well as providing an analytical structure and process for completing a marketing plan. The note is accompanied by a free Excel worksheet that contains sample problems, prebuilt Excel models to calculate customer lifetime value, and charts and graphs that help visualize the results.

Keywords: customer lifetime value; Return on investment; customer acquisition; customer retention; customer churn; ＂marketing analytics＂; marketing; customer relationship management; Customer Focus and Relationships; Customer Value and Value Chain; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Marketing Strategy; Measurement and Metrics; Strategic Planning; Value;

Citation:
Steenburgh, Thomas, and Jill Avery. "Marketing Analysis Toolkit: Customer Lifetime Value Analysis." Harvard Business School Background Note 511-029, July 2010. (Revised January 2017.) View Details

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Supplement | HBS Case Collection | July 2010

Marketing Analysis Toolkit: Customer Lifetime Value Analysis (CW)

Thomas J. Steenburgh and Jill Avery

Customers are increasingly being viewed as assets that bring value to the firm. Customer lifetime value is a metric which allows managers to understand the overall value of their customer base and relate it to three customer strategies firms employ: asset acquisition - attracting new customers to the firm, asset maximization - maximizing the value the firm extracts from each customer, and asset retention - retaining existing customers for the long term. The note gives students a foundation for analyzing marketing cases, as well as providing an analytical structure and process for completing a marketing plan. The note is accompanied by a free Excel worksheet which contains sample problems, prebuilt Excel models to calculate customer lifetime value, and charts and graphs which help visualize the results.

Keywords: Competency and Skills; Customer Relationship Management; Customer Value and Value Chain; Decisions; Framework; Management Practices and Processes; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Strategic Planning; Mathematical Methods; Value;

Citation:
Steenburgh, Thomas J., and Jill Avery. "Marketing Analysis Toolkit: Customer Lifetime Value Analysis (CW)." Harvard Business School Spreadsheet Supplement 511-702, July 2010. View Details

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Background Note | HBS Case Collection | July 2010 (Revised December 2011)

Marketing Analysis Toolkit: Pricing and Profitability Analysis

Thomas J. Steenburgh and Jill Avery

Pricing is one of the most difficult decisions marketers make and the one with the most direct and immediate impact on the firm's financial position. This toolkit will introduce the fundamental terminology and calculations associated with pricing and profitability analysis. Users will learn how to produce and interpret demand curves and calculate the price elasticity of demand. The concepts of revenue, costs, contribution margin, gross margin, and net income will be introduced to inform profitability analyses. Finally, retailer profitability metrics including retailer margin and penny profit are discussed. The note gives students a foundation for analyzing marketing cases, as well as providing an analytical structure and process for completing a marketing plan. The note is accompanied by a free Excel worksheet that contains sample problems; prebuilt Excel models to calculate demand curves, price elasticity, and profitability metrics for firms and their channel partners; and charts and graphs that help visualize the results.

Keywords: Forecasting and Prediction; Price; Profit; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Marketing Strategy; Demand and Consumers; Measurement and Metrics; Strategic Planning; Mathematical Methods; Retail Industry;

Citation:
Steenburgh, Thomas J., and Jill Avery. "Marketing Analysis Toolkit: Pricing and Profitability Analysis." Harvard Business School Background Note 511-028, July 2010. (Revised December 2011.) View Details

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Supplement | HBS Case Collection | July 2010

Marketing Analysis Toolkit: Pricing and Profitability Analysis (CW)

Thomas J. Steenburgh and Jill Avery

Pricing is one of the most difficult decisions marketers make and the one with the most direct and immediate impact on the firm's financial position. This toolkit will introduce the fundamental terminology and calculations associated with pricing and profitability analysis. Users will learn how to produce and interpret demand curves and calculate the price elasticity of demand. The concepts of revenue, costs, and contribution margin, gross margin, and net income will be introduced to inform profitability analyses. Finally, retailer profitability metrics including retailer margin and penny profit are discussed. The note gives students a foundation for analyzing marketing cases, as well as providing an analytical structure and process for completing a marketing plan. The note is accompanied by a free Excel worksheet which contains sample problems, prebuilt Excel models to calculate demand curves, price elasticity, and profitability metrics for firms and their channel partners, and charts and graphs which help visualize the results.

Keywords: Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Marketing Strategy; Decisions; Strategic Planning; Price; Partners and Partnerships; Cost; Demand and Consumers; Revenue; Profit; Mathematical Methods; Measurement and Metrics;

Citation:
Steenburgh, Thomas J., and Jill Avery. "Marketing Analysis Toolkit: Pricing and Profitability Analysis (CW)." Harvard Business School Spreadsheet Supplement 511-701, July 2010. View Details

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Background Note | HBS Case Collection | February 2010

Marketing Analysis Toolkit: Market Size and Market Share Analysis

Thomas J. Steenburgh and Jill Avery

Marketers frequently need to estimate the size of their markets—both for existing products so that sales forecasts can be developed and for new products so that market opportunities can be assessed. This toolkit enables students to size a market and generate a sales forecast using a market build-up methodology. Students learn to measure market demand and company demand and calculate market and product penetration rates and market share. The note gives students a foundation for analyzing marketing cases, as well as providing an analytical structure and process for completing a marketing plan. The note is accompanied by a free Excel worksheet that contains sample problems, pre-built Excel models to calculate market size, market penetration, and market share, and charts and graphs that help visualize the results.

Keywords: Forecasting and Prediction; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Marketing Strategy; Markets; Demand and Consumers; Size; Strategic Planning; Sales;

Citation:
Steenburgh, Thomas J., and Jill Avery. "Marketing Analysis Toolkit: Market Size and Market Share Analysis." Harvard Business School Background Note 510-081, February 2010. View Details

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Supplement | HBS Case Collection | February 2010

Marketing Analysis Toolkit: Market Size and Market Share Analysis (CW)

Thomas J. Steenburgh and Jill Avery

This Excel worksheet contains sample problems, prebuilt Excel models to run market sizing and market share analyses, and charts and graphs which help visualize the results. It is designed to accompany Marketing Analysis Tookit: Market Size and Market Share Analysis. The toolkit enables students to size a market and generate a sales forecast using a market build-up methodology. Students measure market demand and company demand and calculate market and product penetration rates and merket share.

Keywords: Mathematical Methods; Marketing Strategy; Decisions; Strategic Planning; Market Participation; Sales; Forecasting and Prediction; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques;

Citation:
Steenburgh, Thomas J., and Jill Avery. "Marketing Analysis Toolkit: Market Size and Market Share Analysis (CW)." Harvard Business School Spreadsheet Supplement 510-714, February 2010. View Details

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Background Note | HBS Case Collection | February 2010 (Revised March 2016)

Marketing Analysis Toolkit: Break-even Analysis

Thomas J. Steenburgh and Jill Avery

Marketing managers are often called upon to make recommendations for or against programs that cost money to implement. Before expenditures are made, managers want to be sure that they will be getting a return on their investment. One way of assessing this is by calculating the breakeven point. In this note, we introduce the concept of breakeven analysis and show how it is used to guide marketing decision making. This analysis helps students assess the feasibility of proposed fixed and variable marketing expenditures, the feasibility of permanent pricing changes, and the feasibility of a new product introduction. The note gives students a foundation for analyzing marketing cases, as well as providing an analytical structure and process for completing a marketing plan. The note is accompanied by a free Excel worksheet that contains sample problems, pre-built Excel models to calculate breakeven, and charts and graphs that help visualize the results.

Keywords: Decision Making; Investment Return; Spending; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Marketing Strategy; Strategic Planning; Mathematical Methods;

Citation:
Steenburgh, Thomas J., and Jill Avery. "Marketing Analysis Toolkit: Break-even Analysis." Harvard Business School Background Note 510-080, February 2010. (Revised March 2016.) View Details

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Supplement | HBS Case Collection | February 2010

Marketing Analysis Toolkit: Breakeven Analysis (CW)

Thomas J. Steenburgh and Jill Avery

This Excel worksheet contains sample problems, prebuilt Excel models to run breakeven analyses, and charts and graphs which help visualize the results. It is designed to accompany "Marketing Analysis Toolkit: Breakeven Analysis."

Keywords: Mathematical Methods; Marketing; Decisions; Planning; Marketing Strategy; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques;

Citation:
Steenburgh, Thomas J., and Jill Avery. "Marketing Analysis Toolkit: Breakeven Analysis (CW)." Harvard Business School Spreadsheet Supplement 510-713, February 2010. View Details

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Other Publications and Materials

Article | GfK Marketing Intelligence Review

Adding Bricks to Clicks: On the Role of Physical Stores in a World of Online Shopping

Jill Avery, Thomas Steenburgh, John A. Deighton and Mary Caravella

Buying a product has never been easier. Consumers can shop online, over the phone or via mail order, from home or on the go, and if they want to experience touch and feel, they can also visit a "real" store. Often, one and the same retailer offers several of these options, and multichannel retailing has become common in most product categories. By offering several channels, retailers are trying to reach more consumer segments and create synergies, with stores acting as billboards for the brand, catalogs providing enticing reminders to buy and the Internet providing an ever-present storefront. But synergies do not arise automatically. Different channels can also cannibalize one another, and it is not always easy to predict which effects will prevail. A recent study took a closer look at the interplay among different retail channels and showed that the short-term effects of store openings can be very different from the long-term sales impact.

Keywords: marketing; marketing strategy; Marketing channels; channel management; retailing; e-commerce; Marketing; Marketing Channels; Marketing Strategy; Retail Industry; United States;

Citation:

Avery, Jill, Thomas Steenburgh, John A. Deighton, and Mary Caravella. "Adding Bricks to Clicks: On the Role of Physical Stores in a World of Online Shopping." GfK Marketing Intelligence Review 5, no. 2 (November 2013). View Details

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Tool | 2013

Harvard Business Review's Go to Market Tools: Customer Lifetime Value

Thomas Steenburgh and Jill Avery

How much are your customers worth? Has your marketing budget been slashed? Need to figure out the best place to invest your time and effort to reach your growth target? HBR's Go to Market Tool helps calculate your customer's lifetime value, allowing you to prioritize your marketing and product development resources on the customers that will provide the biggest returns. This tool allows you to play around with the levers that determine a customer's lifetime value—providing insight into how to maximize the value each type of customer delivers to your company. The relationships a company has with its customers are one of its most valuable assets, and understanding the value of those customer relationships is key to managing them well over time. But not all customers are created equally, and figuring out how much value each customer adds to your bottom line allows you to be most efficient with your marketing and product development investment. Enter your own data into HBR's Customer Lifetime Value tool to figure out: (1) How much to spend to acquire a new customer, or retain an existing one, (2) What levers you could pull to increase a customer's lifetime value, and by how much, (3) Which customer segments you should target to maximize profits, (4) Which customer segments are dragging down your profitability, and (5) How to increase the value of the customers you already have. HBR's Customer Lifetime Value tool includes: a brief tutorial that walks you through the concepts and calculations; guidance for gathering your own data to plug into the tool; and a pre-designed, yet fully customizable PowerPoint presentation to share your results with your colleagues.

Keywords: marketing; Quantitative analysis; Tools; customer lifetime value; customer defection; CRM; customer relationship management; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Customer Focus and Relationships;

Citation:
Steenburgh, Thomas, and Jill Avery. Harvard Business Review's Go to Market Tools: Customer Lifetime Value. Tool. Harvard Business Review Press, 2013. Electronic. View Details

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Tool | 2013

Harvard Business Review's Go to Market Tools: Pricing for Profit

Thomas Steenburgh and Jill Avery

What price is right? Figuring out the best price for your product or service can be nerve-wracking. Your new product launch or marketing campaign's success—perhaps even your career advancement—may hinge on the price you choose. So how do you select a price that's attractive to customers and profitable for your company? This tool will help you confidently arrive at the most profitable price—by guiding you through a series of questions: How much does it cost to produce each product you sell? How are your competitors' products priced, and how valuable is your product or service relative to those competitors? How many customers will buy your product at various price points? What price maximizes your profitability? HBR's Pricing for Profit will help you turn your raw data into a clear analysis that will inform your pricing decisions. HBR's Pricing for Profit tool includes: a brief tutorial that walks you through the process and calculations; instructions for gathering your own pricing data to plug into the tool; and the results of your data analysis in a PowerPoint to share with your colleagues. The tool provides a systematic approach to determining the most profitable price for your product or service.

Keywords: marketing; Quantitative analysis; Tools; pricing; Profitability analysis; Pricing strategy; Marketing Strategy; Marketing;

Citation:
Steenburgh, Thomas, and Jill Avery. Harvard Business Review's Go to Market Tools: Pricing for Profit. Tool. Harvard Business Review Press, 2013. Electronic. View Details

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Tool | 2013

Harvard Business Review's Go to Market Tools: Market Sizing

Jill Avery and Thomas Steenburgh

Market size matters. On the hook to launch your division's next great product or service? Need to convince higher ups that your product will fit that gaping revenue hole—and is worth the team's scarce marketing and product development resources? You need hard data to make your case: How many customers will buy it? How much will they pay? What are your competitors' strategies? We can help. Use HBR's Market Sizing tool again and again, to turn your raw market data into a clear analysis that will inform your product development and marketing plans. It will help you (1) gather the data you need to size your own market, (2) use your data to make confident projections, (3) turn your results into a game plan. HBR's Market Sizing tool includes: a brief tutorial that walks you through the process and calculations; instructions for gathering your own market data to plug into the tool; and the results of your data analysis in a PowerPoint to share with your colleagues. The tool will help you turn your own market data into a compelling business case for your great idea.

Keywords: marketing; Quantitative analysis; Tools; go to market strategy; marketing strategy; Marketing Strategy; Marketing;

Citation:
Avery, Jill, and Thomas Steenburgh. Harvard Business Review's Go to Market Tools: Market Sizing. Tool. Boston, MA, USA: Harvard Business Review Press, 2013. Electronic. View Details

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White Paper | 2011

Brands Are People Too! Harnessing the Power of Brand Warmth and Competence

Chris Malone, Jill Avery and S. T. Fiske

Research in customer behavior has revealed that the way humans respond to brands is simply an extension of the way they instinctively perceive, judge, and behave towards one another. Understanding how consumers judge brands using social processes akin to those used in human interaction allows us to unlock the social psychological power of our brands, making them more compelling and attractive as relationship partners for consumers.

Keywords: marketing; Brands; brands and branding; brand management; customer relationship management; CRM; brand positioning; Brand equity; Customers; Customer Focus and Relationships; Customer Satisfaction; Brands and Branding; Marketing; Marketing Communications; Marketing Strategy; Consumer Products Industry;

Citation:
Malone, Chris, Jill Avery, and S. T. Fiske. "Brands Are People Too! Harnessing the Power of Brand Warmth and Competence." White Paper Series, Relational Capital Group, Newtowne Square, PA, 2011. View Details

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Article | Simmons Magazine, SOM Edition

Marketing in the Age of Web 2.0

Jill Avery

Web 2.0 technologies empower consumers to create their own personalized experiences on the web, and to share them with others. Hence, web content is democratized and consumers' experiences online are largely social rather than individualistic.

Keywords: marketing; digital marketing; social media; brands and branding; internet; Brands and Branding; Marketing; Marketing Communications; Internet; Consumer Products Industry; Technology Industry;

Citation:
Avery, Jill. "Marketing in the Age of Web 2.0." Simmons Magazine, SOM Edition 90, no. 3 (Fall 2008): 21. View Details

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