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- May 2021 (Revised September 2021)
- Case
Headspace vs. Calm: A Mindful Competition
By: Ayelet Israeli and Anne Wilson
By 2021, the mindfulness app wars reached their apex. Over 2,000 meditation apps were available to consumers, but two apps, Headspace and Calm, dominated the space, jointly holding about 70% of the total market. Headspace had established itself as the approachable...
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Keywords:
Marketing Communication;
Integrated Strategy;
Brand;
Brand ＆ Product Management;
Brand Communication;
Brand Differentiation;
Brand Building;
Brand Management;
E-commerce;
E-Commerce Strategy;
Ecommerce;
App;
App Development;
Applications;
COVID;
COVID-19;
Pandemic;
Pricing;
Pricing Strategy;
Subscription Model;
Subscription;
Partnerships;
Strategic Partnerships;
B2B Vs. B2C;
B2B;
Health ＆ Wellness;
Wellbeing;
Digitization;
Commoditization;
Mobile App;
Mobile App Industry;
Mobile Healthcare;
Mobile Marketing;
Digital Brand;
Digital Health;
Digital Marketing;
Consumer Health;
Apps;
Online Business;
Online Competition;
Online Community;
Online Entertainment;
Entertainment And Leisure;
Meditation;
Marketing;
Marketing Communications;
Brands and Branding;
Price;
Strategy;
Competition;
Competitive Strategy;
Competitive Advantage;
Partners and Partnerships;
Health;
Well-being;
Mobile Technology;
Communication;
Communication Strategy;
Disruption;
Consumer Behavior;
Online Advertising;
Health Industry;
Technology Industry;
Communications Industry;
United States;
North America;
United Kingdom
- May–June 2021
- Article
Eliminate Strategic Overload
As companies respond to intensifying competitive pressures and challenges, they ask more and more of their employees. But organizations often have very little to show for the efforts of their talented and engaged workers. By selecting fewer initiatives with greater...
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- February 2021 (Revised May 2021)
- Case
SafeGraph: Selling Data as a Service
By: Ramana Nanda, Abhishek Nagaraj and Allison Ciechanover
Set in January 2021, the CEO of SafeGraph, a four-year-old startup that sold Data as a Service, looked to the future. His aim was to become the most trusted source for data about a physical place. The company provided points of interest (POI) and foot traffic data on...
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- 2020
- Working Paper
Aggregate Advertising Expenditure in the U.S. Economy: What's Up? Is It Real?
By: Alvin J. Silk and Ernst R. Berndt
The two components of the advertising industry—the creative sector that develops and produces messages, and the communications sector that transmits messages via various media—have each been greatly affected by advances in creative design and communications...
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- 2020
- Working Paper
The Value of Descriptive Analytics: Evidence from Online Retailers
By: Ron Berman and Ayelet Israeli
Does the adoption of descriptive analytics impact online retailer performance, and if so, how? We use the synthetic control method to analyze the staggered adoption of a retail analytics dashboard by more than 1,000 e-commerce websites, and find an increase of 13–20%...
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- September 2020
- Technical Note
Algorithmic Bias in Marketing
By: Ayelet Israeli and Eva Ascarza
This note focuses on algorithmic bias in marketing. First, it presents a variety of marketing examples in which algorithmic bias may occur. The examples are organized around the 4 P’s of marketing – promotion, price, place and product—characterizing the marketing...
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Keywords:
Algorithmic Data;
Race And Ethnicity;
Promotion;
＂Marketing Analytics＂;
Marketing And Society;
Big Data;
Privacy;
Data-driven Management;
Data Analysis;
Data Analytics;
E-Commerce Strategy;
E-commerce;
Discrimination;
Targeting;
Targeted Advertising;
Pricing Algorithms;
Ethical Decision Making;
Customer Heterogeneity;
Marketing;
Race;
Ethnicity;
Gender;
Diversity;
Prejudice and Bias;
Marketing Communications;
Data and Data Sets;
Analysis;
Decision Making;
Ethics;
Customer Relationship Management;
Retail Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
United States
- September 2020 (Revised April 2021)
- Exercise
Artea: Designing Targeting Strategies
By: Eva Ascarza and Ayelet Israeli
This collection of exercises aims to teach students about 1)Targeting Policies; and 2)Algorithmic bias in marketing—implications, causes, and possible solutions. Part (A) focuses on A/B testing analysis and targeting. Parts (B),(C),(D) Introduce algorithmic bias. The...
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Keywords:
Algorithmic Data;
Race And Ethnicity;
Experimentation;
Promotion;
＂Marketing Analytics＂;
Marketing And Society;
Big Data;
Privacy;
Data-driven Management;
Data Analytics;
Data Analysis;
E-commerce;
E-Commerce Strategy;
Discrimination;
Targeted Advertising;
Targeted Policies;
Targeting;
Pricing Algorithms;
A/B Testing;
Ethical Decision Making;
Customer Base Analysis;
Customer Heterogeneity;
Coupons;
Marketing;
Race;
Gender;
Diversity;
Customer Relationship Management;
Marketing Communications;
Advertising;
Decision Making;
Ethics;
Retail Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
United States
- June 2020
- Teaching Note
Brand Storytelling at Shinola
By: Jill Avery, Giana M. Eckhardt and Michael Beverland
Detroit, Michigan, aka “The Motor City,” is known as the birthplace of most of the American classic automotive brands. It is a city filled with the rich history of the industrial age, the pride of American manufacturing, and of the soulful sounds of Motown music. It is...
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- May 2020 (Revised August 2020)
- Case
Brand Storytelling at Shinola
By: Jill Avery, Giana M. Eckhardt and Michael B. Beverland
Detroit, Michigan, aka “The Motor City,” is most known as the birthplace of most of the American classic automotive brands. It is a city filled with the rich history of the industrial age, the pride of American manufacturing, and of the soulful sounds of Motown music....
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- March–April 2020
- Article
Pricing Policies that Protect your Brand
By: Ayelet Israeli and Eugene F. Zelek Jr.
When customers seek out online deals, it seems like a win for everybody: Brands, retailers, dealers, and distributors sell more goods, and buyers get a bargain. What's not to like? Here's the problem: Lured by rock-bottom online prices, customers often end up dealing...
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- January–February 2020
- Article
Consumer Reactions to Drip Pricing
By: Shelle Santana, Steven Dallas and Vicki Morwitz
This research examines how drip pricing—a strategy whereby a firm advertises only part of a product’s price upfront and then reveals additional mandatory or optional fees/surcharges as the consumer proceeds through the buying process—affects consumer choice and...
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Keywords:
Drip Pricing;
Pricing;
Consumer Protection;
Hidden Fees;
Price;
Consumer Behavior;
Perception
- January 2020 (Revised July 2020)
- Supplement
MoviePass: The 'Get Big Fast' Strategy
By: Benjamin C. Esty and Daniel Fisher
In August 2017, MoviePass dramatically lowered its subscription price from $50 per month to just $10 for up to one movie per day. The idea was to rapidly scale the business to the point where they could generate incremental revenue streams form related businesses...
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Keywords:
Market Entry;
Growth Strategy;
Profit Vs. Growth;
Subscription Business;
Cash Burn;
Data Analytics;
Get-big-fast;
Buyer Power;
Strategy Implementation;
Movie Industry;
Racing;
Business Strategy;
Value Creation;
Consolidation;
Cash Flow;
Growth Management;
Business Startups;
Entrepreneurship;
Disruptive Innovation;
Mobile Technology;
Advertising Industry;
Advertising Industry;
Advertising Industry;
Advertising Industry;
United States
- August 2019 (Revised April 2021)
- Case
Zillow Offers: Winning Online Real Estate 2.0
By: Luis Viceira, Marco Di Maggio and Allison Ciechanover
Founded in 2005, Zillow had become the leading online real estate and home-related marketplace. The brand was recognized as a trusted resource for players in the real estate market, providing information and transparency on home prices. Revenue, which was historically...
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- April 2019 (Revised October 2020)
- Case
Kraft Heinz: The $8 Billion Brand Write-Down
By: Jill Avery
On Friday, February 22, 2019, following an unexpected and disappointing earnings report, The Kraft Heinz Company’s stock price fell 27%, wiping out $16 billion in market value. CEO Bernardo Hees had announced that the company had taken a $15.4 billion asset write-down,...
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Keywords:
Brand Management;
Brand Value;
Brand Equity;
Marketing ROI;
Brand Storytelling;
Intangible Assets;
Brand Valuation;
Marketing;
Marketing Strategy;
Brands and Branding;
Management;
Corporate Strategy;
Consumer Behavior;
Food;
Marketing Communications;
Advertising;
Private Equity;
Consumer Products Industry;
Food and Beverage Industry;
United States;
North America
- March 2019 (Revised July 2020)
- Case
MoviePass: The 'Get Big Fast' Strategy
By: Benjamin C. Esty and Daniel W. Fisher
In August 2017, MoviePass dramatically lowered its subscription price from $50 per month to just $10 for up to one movie per day. The idea was to rapidly scale the business to the point where they could generate incremental revenue streams from related businesses...
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Keywords:
Market Entry;
Growth Strategy;
Profit Vs. Growth;
Subscription Business;
Cash Burn;
Data Analytics;
Get-big-fast;
Buyer Power;
Strategy Implementation;
Movie Industry;
Racing;
Entrepreneurship;
Market Entry and Exit;
Growth and Development Strategy;
Business Strategy;
Value Creation;
Disruption;
Motion Pictures and Video Industry;
United States
- March 2019 (Revised April 2021)
- Case
The DivaCup: Navigating Distribution and Growth
By: Ayelet Israeli
When the mother-daughter founders of DivaCup set out with a mission to disrupt the menstrual care industry with an innovative product form, they initially struggled to gain legitimacy and convince retailers to carry their unique product. Fifteen years later, the...
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Keywords:
Female;
Female Ceo;
Female Entrepreneur;
Female Protagonist;
Health ＆ Wellness;
Healthcare;
Price Policies;
Minimum Advertised Price;
Differentiation;
Positioning;
Growth;
Health;
Health Care and Treatment;
Price;
Disruption;
Distribution;
Distribution Channels;
Competitive Strategy;
Competition;
Growth Management;
Mission and Purpose;
Product Development;
Product Marketing;
Product Launch;
Product Positioning;
Advertising;
Business Startups;
Internet;
Entrepreneurship;
Social Entrepreneurship;
Social Issues;
Social Enterprise;
Retail Industry;
Medical Devices and Supplies Industry;
Manufacturing Industry;
Health Industry;
Green Technology Industry;
Education Industry;
Distribution Industry;
Consumer Products Industry;
Canada;
United States;
United Kingdom
- September–October 2018
- Article
Online MAP Enforcement: Evidence from a Quasi-Experiment
By: Ayelet Israeli
This paper investigates a manufacturer’s ability to influence compliance rates among its authorized online retailers by exploiting changes in the Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) policy and in dealer agreements. MAP is a pricing policy widely used by manufacturers to...
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- June 2018 (Revised April 2021)
- Case
Valuing Snap After the IPO Quiet Period (A)
By: Marco Di Maggio, Benjamin C. Esty and Gregory Saldutte
Snap, the disappearing message app, went public at $17 per share on March 2, 2017, making its two 20-something founders the youngest self-made billionaires in the country. Over the next three weeks, 14 analysts made investment recommendations on Snap: two with buy...
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Keywords:
Sell-side Analysts;
Underwriters;
Investment Banking;
Social Network;
Discounted Cash Flow;
Cost Of Capital;
Conflicts Of Interest;
Corporate Governance;
Advertising;
Quiet Period;
＂DCF Valuation,＂;
Business Startups;
Online Advertising;
Initial Public Offering;
Technology Networks;
Valuation;
Venture Capital;
Forecasting and Prediction;
Advertising Industry;
Advertising Industry;
Advertising Industry;
United States;
California
- December 2017 (Revised January 2018)
- Case
NatureSweet
By: Jose Alvarez, Forest Reinhardt and Natalie Kindred
This case describes the business model and workplace philosophy of NatureSweet, a privately owned, vertically integrated greenhouse grower and marketer of fresh tomatoes with sales across the United States and $329 million in 2016 revenues. CEO Bryant Ambelang treated...
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Keywords:
NatureSweet;
Tomatoes;
Agriculture;
Greenhouse;
Ambelang;
Cherry Tomatoes;
Incentives;
Worker Empowerment;
Empowerment;
Toyota Production System;
Leadership;
Branding;
Produce;
Manufacturing;
Organizational Change;
Agribusiness;
Business Model;
Employee Relationship Management;
Working Conditions;
Organizational Culture;
Success;
Problems and Challenges;
Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry;
Manufacturing Industry;
United States;
Mexico;
North America
- June 2017
- Teaching Note
The De Beers Group: Exploring the Diamond Reselling Opportunity
By: Benjamin C. Esty, Daniel P. Gross and Lauren G. Pickle
In September 2014, Tom Montgomery (SVP of strategic initiatives at the De Beers Group) and his team launched a pilot program in the United States to explore $1 billion diamond market for pre-owned (recycled) diamonds. According to Montgomery, the motivation for the...
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Keywords:
Diamonds;
Go-to-market Strategy;
Secondary Market;
Willingness To Pay;
Pilot Program;
Strategy Development;
Strategy Execution;
Scope;
Marketing;
Advertising;
Branding;
Customer Value;
Pawn Shops;
Jewelry;
Supply And Demand;
Corporate Strategy;
Business Strategy;
Vertical Integration;
Advertising Campaigns;
Value Creation;
Advertising Industry;
Advertising Industry;
Advertising Industry;
Advertising Industry;
United States;
United Kingdom;
Africa;
Botswana;
South Africa;
Namibia