Marketing 567

Marketing Strategy (Hybrid Course) Every Other Wednesday 7-9:50pm

Melville LIBR – Room W4535

Fall 2017

Instructor: Stacey R. Finkelstein, PhD, MBA

Office: XX-XXXX E-mail: Stacey.Finkelstein@stonybrook.edu

Office hours: By Appointment Coursepack (contains all course readings) can be purchased at:

http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cbmp/access/64759594

Course description: Strategic marketing involves determining which customers your organization should

serve, which products and services it should offer them, and how. This course is intended to develop an

analytical framework for these decisions that permits managers to maximize their organization’s return on

marketing expenditures. Emphasis will be placed on developing a position in the marketplace that provides

value to customers that is not readily duplicated by competitors. As a result, the first half of the course will

develop models for understanding customers, competitors, and collaborators (e.g., suppliers and

intermediaries). The second half of the course will examine tools available to marketers to execute strategic

decisions. Thus, this course brings together all of the fields of marketing in order to optimize the strategies

and profitability of a firm.

What is a hybrid course?

A hybrid course combines F2F (Face to Face) sessions with online instruction and learning

activities. For this course, F2F sessions will typically be held every other week in our as-

signed classroom for 3 hours – please read the schedule carefully for dates of class meet-

ings). On days when we do not meet F2F, you should plan on completing online assign-

ments. You will need to spend significant time, anywhere from 3 to 5 hours a week, outside

the F2F sessions working on your own.

The main website for the class will be Blackboard.

Lectures will be in the form of short videos, grouped around topics, posted on the website. I

will expect you to come to the F2F sessions having done all the required work for the

class, including viewing the lectures and tutorials and completing the assigned readings,

cases, and quizzes. We will use the F2F sessions to discuss your questions, cases, and as-

signments.

Learning Goals

After completing this course, students will be able to:

1) Analyze consumer behavior and identify strong and weak target segments

2) Analyze positioning strategies and create effective positioning statements

3) Analyze company resources and competitive activity

4) Analyze the 4P’s and create appropriate marketing mixes for a given situation

5) Evaluate sources of brand equity

6) Criticize existing strategic plans and synthesize content material to design effective marketing

strategies

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I suggest students re-familiarize themselves with basic micro-economic principles including supply, demand,

determining optimal prices (p*), profit and break-even analysis, economies of scale, and efficiencies of

learning.

Student evaluation: Student performance will be evaluated in the following areas:

Individual Buzzfeed Assignment & Presentation 30%

Class Participation 30%

Quizzes 40%

Buzzfeed Assignment:

What Buzzfeed does exceptionally well is something I want you to be able to do as a marketer –

make compelling promises based on a strategic decision and keep your promise. Buzzfeed gets users

to click with compelling headlines, gets a significant share of the “news” market by delivering on

that promise, and garners consumer attention in hopes of spurring action. These skills are

fundamental for marketers. To refine these skills, you will have to engage in hyper-targeting

(focusing on niche audiences), an underappreciated skill. I will post to Blackboard specific

instructions and deadlines for this project.

Quizzes: Quizzes will be conducted through Blackboard and are time-limited – they must be completed by

12:01am the day of the relevant F2F class. There will be a mix of multiple choice and open-ended

questions, all of which will be related to the week’s lecture. I know that life gets hectic. As there are

7 quizzes throughout the semester, I will drop your 2 lowest quiz scores.

Participation:

You are expected to attend class regularly and participate in class discussion. You must be prepared

to discuss the assigned chapter readings, articles and cases at all times. In my lectures, I will assume

you have completed the relevant reading and will not focus on spending lecture time summarizing

the text. Rather, I will use lectures to delve deeper into key concepts.

However, please feel free to use participation as a way of getting any questions answered or sharing

an insight or comment. It’s likely that if you’re wondering about something, others in the class feel

the same way. Participation should be enjoyable and also help you to learn. Class participation and

attendance count for 30% of your grade, so take them seriously.

A word on the use of laptops, smart phones etc. Students will be allowed to use laptops in class to

facilitate note-taking. However, many students find themselves tempted to use their laptops, phones,

etc. for other reasons (e.g., surfing Facebook). Not only is this unprofessional for business students

(you wouldn’t dare surf the web in an important meeting), but every emotion and expression you

have is easily conveyed to other students and to faculty. My goal as your professor is to convey and

promote enthusiasm in the course material, not to police you. Please, be respectful and use

technology to further your learning (not hinder yours or others).

A Word on Email...

I will typically respond to email within 1 business day. As I have a toddler at home, I am unable to check

email at all hours of the night. If you have questions about any assignments or course work, please plan ahead

and email me before the due-date. However, know that the answers to many of your questions can be found in

this syllabus. If this is the case, I will simply refer you to the syllabus.

Please follow rules of proper email etiquette. Don't send emails that start with “Yo Prof” or that are riddled

with typos from dashing off a quick thought on your smart-phone. Please treat our communications the way

you would when you are communicating in the business world.

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Tips on Analyzing Cases (you will be quizzed on case material)

Write for yourself the:

1. Purpose: State the purpose of the report/presentation. What problems do you need to address?

2. Recommendations: State the manner in which problems you have identified should be resolved. In

this section, only your recommendations should be given.

3. Analysis: Include reasoning for your recommendations here.

Common Errors:

1. Stating the purpose of the report in terms of what recommendation you will make without indicating

what problem you are trying to solve in the first place. For example, putting “to segment and target the

market” is a poor purpose. It tells the reader the type of recommendation but not what problem segmenting

and targeting is meant to address. (The type of problem that these efforts could address is low return on

marketing expenditures, lack of focus in the sales force, increased competitive entrants who are taking

marketing share etc.).

2. Describing recommendations in terms of the type of analyses that should be done as opposed to

presenting concrete actions the firm should take. For example, “we recommend that the firm analyze its

competitive position and develop new products not easily copied by competitors” is a poor recommendation.

By contrast, something like “we recommend that the firm target the high education market, focusing on

professors and other education professionals with whom the firm has long-term contracts and ongoing

relationships” is a better recommendation in terms of specificity.

3. Problem and recommendation sections are too long. No more than ½ a page is required for each of

these sections. In the case debates, do not summarize case details – I already know them and so do your

classmates.

4. Analysis centers on minor issues or issues for which there is little or no data. Let the case facts guide

you – if there is little or no data, do not dwell on it.

5. Analysis reads like a mystery novel – big points are left to the end. Business reports, good ones at

least, present key decisions upfront and then support them.

6. Report is biased or one-sided. Do not hide relevant facts – use logic to support the relative superiority

of your choice.

7. If you include figures or other supporting evidence, do so by clearly labeling and discussing why you

include the figures (e.g., figures should have axes clearly labeled). A mistake, however, is to bring in outside

data beyond the case. The case is meant to be a “broad-strokes” tool for education. Not all relevant details are

included and data are sometimes modified to make a pedagogical point (i.e., for teaching purposes).

8. Think about your reader/audience as someone you are trying to help. Make your presentation/write-

up easy to follow. Use the CIC consultant where relevant to help you make your presentations and write-ups

“smooth.”

Course Administration: I am happy to meet to discuss the course. Please send an email to set up an

appointment if you are unable to make scheduled office hours. I will post course updates, documents, and

interesting materials to Blackboard.

Assignment schedule:

Unit/Class

Meeting

Topic Assignments Due Date

*Note* Quizzes

Cover all

Assignment

Material

1 / Aug

30

What is a “Hybrid”

Course and How to

Succeed in one

Introduction to

Marketing Strategy

Watch relevant videos on course web

page

Read

1. BMW Case

2. Marketing Strategy: An

Overview – Corey

3. Basic Quantitative Analysis for

Marketing – Dolan

Quiz 1 Due by

Aug 30 (12:01

AM)

Discussion BMW

Case (in class)

2/ Sept 13 The 3 C’s Pt 1:

Consumer Analysis –

Segmentation

Watch relevant videos on course web

page

Read:

1. Calyx and Corolla Case

2. Note on Consumer

Segmentation – Urban

3. Marketing Reading:

Segmentation and Targeting –

Gupta

Quiz 2 Due by

Sept 13 (12:01

AM)

Discussion Calyx

and Corolla Case

(in class)

3/Sept 27 The 3 C’s Pt 2:

Consumer Analysis –

Targeting and

Positioning

Watch relevant videos on course web

page

Read:

1. Colgate Precision Toothbrush

Case

2. Brand Positioning – Avery and

Gupta

Quiz 3 Due by

Sept 27 (12:01

AM)

Discussion

Colgate Case (in

class)

4/ Oct 11 The 3C’s Pt 2:

Company Analysis and

Competitive Analysis

Watch relevant videos on course web

page

Read:

1. Barco Case

2. Competitive 5 Forces - Porter

3. Right Game – Brandenburger

and Nalebuff

4. Strategy and Society – Porter

and Kramer

Quiz 4 Due by

Oct 11 (12:01

AM)

Discussion Barco

Case (in class)

5/ Oct 25 The 4P’s (Tactics) Pt 1:

Product and Price

Watch relevant videos on course web

page

Quiz 5 Due:

Discussion Case

of the Test

6

Read:

1. Case of the Test Market Toss

Up

2. Extend Profits, Not Product

Lines – Qulech and Kenny

3. Note on Pricing – Corey

4. How do you know when the

price is right - Dolan

Market Toss Up

(in class)

6/ Nov 8 The 4P’s (Tactics) Pt 2:

Promotion and Place

Watch relevant videos on course web

page

Read:

1. Old Spice Case

2. Going to Market – Dolan

3. Getting the most out of

advertising and promotion –

Abraham and Lodish

Quiz 6 Due:

Discussion Old

Spice Case (in

class)

7/ Nov 29 Tactics Pt 3:

Social Media and

Branding

Watch relevant videos on course web

page

Read:

1. Social Media – Gupta,

Armstrong, and Clayton

2. 3 questions you need to ask

about your brand – Keller,

Sternthal, and Tybout

Quiz 7 Due:

Marketing Plan

for Buzzfeed

Assignment Due

Buzzfeed Post

Must Be Live

8/ Dec 13 Buzzfeed Presentations Buzzfeed

Presentations in

class

Results Report

for Buzzfeed Due

Questions to Prepare for Case Analyses:

Unit 1: BMW Case

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW), included in the course packet. While analyzing the case,

assume the time line given in the case (1992). Use the following questions to guide your preparation:

1. What was BMW’s status in the market in 1986? Who was buying BMW? Why? What do you

think of BMW’s advertising?

2. What caused the sales decline from 1986-1991? Could BMW have prevented it given its position

in 1986?

3. Evaluate Gerlinger’s performance. What has he accomplished to date? Can BMW compete effec-

tively against Lexus and Infiniti?

4. What advice would you give Gerlinger to help him achieve his 100,000 sales goal?

Unit 2: Calyx and Corolla Case

We will discuss the Calyx and Corolla (C & C) case. The following questions should be of help in

your case preparation:

What does the market for flower delivery look like?

What would be the appropriate segmentation variables for this market?

How would you then describe the segments?

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the C & C formula?

Given C & C’s strengths and weaknesses, which segments would be the most attractive? How can

C & C develop and maintain it’s competitive advantage for these segments?

How should C & C focus its resources in going after these segments?

Our discussion will not pay much attention to the Minneapolis experiment. Also, don’t get lost in the

details of the direct mail campaign. However, you should consider the effectiveness of the direct

mail effort to help you in choosing segments.

Unit 3: Colgate Case

We will discuss the Colgate Precision Toothbrush case. The following questions should be of help in

your case preparation:

1. What changes are occurring in the toothbrush category? What is Colgate-Palmolive’s competi-

tive position?

2. How is the toothbrush market segmented? It may be instructive to contrast consumer behavior

across the toothpaste and toothbrush categories.

3. This will lead you to the key issue of the case. What should Precision’s positioning be? Should it

be launched as a mainstream brand or a niche product?

4. What marketing recommendation would you make to Steinberg?

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Unit 4: Barco Case

The following questions should be of help in your case preparation:

1. How has the market and the BARCO product line evolved? Evaluate BARCO’s and Sony’s

choice of marketing strategies in the light of their corporate resources and competencies.

2. On page 11 of the case, Dejonghe comments that, “all of our projections, however, were

based on the assumption that Sony would respect our ‘vision’ of the marketplace”. What does

this mean? What was Barco’s vision of the market?

3. Why did Sony choose to reject BARCO’s ‘vision’ of the market in August 1989? How seri-

ous a threat is the Sony 1270? What are Sony’s objectives?

4. Did BARCO make a mistake somewhere along the way – or do things like this ‘just happen’

when a firm competes in a high technology business on a global scale?

5. What should BARCO do now with respect to its pricing and product development plans?

Unit 5: Case of the Test Market Toss Up

1. Imagine that Paradise Foods did not launch any new products in the ice cream

category (neither a line extension of La Treat nor a new product like Sweet Dream). What do

you predict would happen to the current La Treat line if the current marketing tactics were

maintained? In answering this question, consider a) product life cycle issues, b) the

positioning of the product and the benefits offered to consumers, c) the role and effect of

promotions, and d) competitive activity. Consider both outright losses and opportunity costs.

Include your positioning statement in answering this question.

2. Managers at Paradise Foods are worried about cannibalization. Cannibalization

occurs when some proportion of sales of a new product come at the expense of an existing

product by the same firm. Cannibalization can be justified, however, in some circumstances.

Consider the cannibalization risk for Sweet Dream if it positioned much like La Treat, as it

largely was in the Midland/Pittsfield test markets. Would you recommend against Sweet

Dream because of this risk or would you accept this risk? Another way of thinking about this

question is to note that Sweet Dream is largely being killed in the organization because of the

cannibalization argument. Do you think this argument is valid or flawed? As a secondary

question, do you consider a La Treat extension (e.g., a new flavor) to be more or less of a

cannibalization risk?

3. Evaluate the option of positioning Sweet Dream in the ice-cream novelty market,

which it likely reached in the Marion/Corvallis test markets. Do you recommend this course

of action?

Unit 6: Old Spice Case

1. What are the problems Old Spice is facing? Should Old Spice keep the Glacial Falls

scent, discontinue the scent entirely, discontinue the scent and replace it with a new scent,

attempt to reposition the scent, or examine another course of action? What is the rationale for

your recommendation?

2. Should Old Spice change its target? If so, what segment of the market should Old

Spice target? Why?

3. What is the brand’s position in the case? Create a positioning statement, “Old Spice is

the brand of deodorant for [target market] that [point of difference] because [reason to

believe; provides x benefits].

4. How should the brand allocate its advertising dollars with respect to Glacial Falls?

Should it continue to spend at the level of category brand (Old Spice), move to an individual

product (Red Zone), or focus on a specific scent (Glacial Falls)?

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BuzzFeed Holiday Assignment

Creative Content Requirements – Due: Wednesday, November 29

Sign up for a BuzzFeed community account at http://www.buzzfeed.com/community and fill

in your profile details to your comfort level.

Review the guide for how/what to publish: http://www.buzzfeed.com/help/how_to_use

Your post must be published by Wednesday, November 29

Topic: Your content and headline must be linked to fall/winter holidays in some way (Halloween,

Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukah, Ramadan). The word ‘holiday’ alone is insufficient, e.g., “6 Scientific

Reasons People Love Holidays.” Wondering whether your headline qualifies? Send me an e-mail.

You must also target a specific audience—a group of people who care about X. You can choose as broad or as

specific a niche as you want, provided your target audience is not just everybody.

Format: Your content can be any length and format. You can use any combination of text, image, gif, video,

etc. You can choose between making an article, list, quiz, poll, or checklist.

**Plagiarism and attribution are major concerns for this assignment. Your content must be original. It is

critical that you give attribution where possible. If you plagiarize or submit something without attribution,

there will be problems.

Marketing Plan Requirements – Due: Wednesday, December 29 in class

Submit your marketing plan and channel templates to me in class.

Here is a sample:

Marketing Plan Title: “17 X-Men Valentines For The Superhero In Your

Life”

URL: http://www.buzzfeed.com/keelyflaherty/xoxoxmen My inspiration for the post

was…

I loved the most recent X-Men movie and have seen lots of friends

excited about it.

My target audience is… Primary: People who like X-Men or have a significant other who likes

X-Men

Secondary: Comic book lovers, people who hate X-Men, people who

like cheesy humor

My USP is… Multiple unique, funny, visual, X-men-related Valentines

They will find it via… Social media (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest)

Search engines (Optimizing for “x-men valentines”)

Syndication (Comic-related websites, forums)

They will share it

because…

People want visual ways to express affection that aligns with their

preferences; digital images make these easy to e-mail or link to.

They may not share it

because…

It doesn’t have their favorite X-Men, they don’t like X-Men, they dislike

pun-based humor, design quality wasn’t good enough

My strategy to maximize Examples of market research/market testing: audience research, headline

product-market fit

includes…

generation, feedback from target market, identification of similar

successful content, tools and data sources (Be specific)

An example of successful

content targeting the same

target audience is…

http://www.buzzfeed.com/perpetua/94-x-men-members-ranked-from-

worst-to-best (34,042 total shares via Buzzsumo)

Complete a distribution channel planning table that aligns with your marketing plan and campaign objectives

(it will be most useful to you as you go beyond familiar audiences like friends and family)

Sample:

Distribution

Platform/Channel

Specific

Outreach

Target?

Target Justification Audience

Size (est.)

Actual

Traffic

(est.)

Social Media

(Twitter)

Chris Conroy

(@dyfl)

Comic editor, shared X-men related

humor

2,300 60

Results Report Requirements – Due: Wednesday, December 13 in class

You will have two full weeks (November 29 – December 13) to execute your promotion plan and generate as

many shares and views as possible (1,000 views for full credit). Page views can be counted through

Wednesday, December 13. Use the BuzzFeed analytics dashboard and your experience to assess your

outcomes and generate insights to share.

Your report should include the following:

Total visits since publishing (through 2 weeks from when the post is live to when the report

is submitted)

Paragraph executive summary of how the execution of the promotion plan went and overall

outcomes

Thoughtful description of:

o What went most according to plan.

o Anything you didn’t expect (positive or negative).

o How you adjusted your plan during the campaign.

Description of your most important takeaways about marketing strategy during the campaign.

(Could be related to product-market fit, consumer behavior and influence, product lifecycle

management, promotion and distribution, digital media, etc.). Use proper terminology.

Screenshots of the results, including:

1. Traffic history chart

2. Referral breakdown

3. Search breakdown

4. Links breakdown

In Class Presentation – Due: Wednesday, December 13 in class

Tell us about your marketing plan, show us your page, and reflect on your results report.

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You have 5 minutes to present (briefly)

Screenshot Examples

Additional Resources

Media:

Pixabay.com (attribution-free stock photos)

Compfight.com (Flickr Creative Commons photos – attribution required)

Giphy.com (GIF search)

Images.google.com (try to identify original source, if possible)

Content/Outreach Research Tools:

Buzzsumo.com

Opensiteexplorer.org

Followerwonk.com

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Students with Disabilities:

As a faculty member, I am required by law to provide "reasonable accommodation" to students with

disabilities, so as not to discriminate on the basis of that disability. Student responsibility primarily rests with

informing faculty at the beginning of the semester and in providing authorized documentation through

designated administrative channels.

Academic Dishonesty

Students are expected to know and adhere to the Stony Brook Academic Honesty Policy, found at

http://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/academic_integrity/policies.html. It states, inter alia, that

Academic dishonesty includes any act that is designed to obtain fraudulently, either for oneself or for

someone else, academic credit, grades, or other recognition that is not properly earned or that adversely

affects another's grade or misrepresents one's academic status.

The following represents examples of academic dishonesty and does not constitute an exhaustive list:

Cheating on exams or assignments by the use of books, electronic devices, notes, or other aids

when these are not permitted, or by copying from another student.

Collusion: two or more students helping one another on an exam or assignment when it is not

permitted.

Ringers: taking an exam for someone else, or permitting someone else to take one's exam.

Submitting the same paper in more than one course without permission of the instructors.

Plagiarizing: copying someone else's writing or paraphrasing it too closely, even if it constitutes

only some of your written assignment, without proper citation, even instructor notes & presenta-

tion slides.

Falsifying documents or records related to credit, grades, status (e.g., adds and drops, P/NC

grading, transcripts), or other academic matters.

Altering an exam or paper after it has been graded in order to request a grade change.

Stealing, concealing, destroying, or inappropriately modifying classroom or other instructional

material, such as posted exams, library materials, laboratory supplies, or computer programs.

Preventing relevant material from being subjected to academic evaluation.

Presenting fabricated excuses for missed assignments or tests.

Unauthorized clicker use: using someone else's clicker, falsifying attendance roster, signing in

for someone.

I take academic integrity seriously. I am familiar with a lot of the written materials and case write

ups available online that correspond to the cases I’ve assigned in class. Plagiarism is a serious

offense and will earn you an automatic score of “0” for that assignment, no exceptions. Further, you

could fail the course.

If you pull any material from online, you need to put it in quotation marks (“x”) and cite it. If you

have any doubts as to whether what you’ve written is similar to what is online (i.e., you’ve

paraphrased), cite your source. If you have any questions as to what constitutes plagiarism, ask me

BEFORE the assignment is due. Better to be safe.