Spring+2010+Section+09-SS+Week+1

** GSMPR 604 - **** Creating and Implementing Market-Driven Strategies **
"Marketing Myopia" in action - HP has redefined and broadened its business several times from printers to printing to pages. We still track printer market share, but now also measure what percent of total pages are printed on HP systems. So what if people don't print their blogs, tweets and emails? Overall, printable pages are expected to triple from 2009 to 2012. We've responded by getting into businesses like book publishing, labels, packaging and marketing collateral - all of which are "tipping" from analog to digital.

//__ Reading-Related Joke of the Day: __// A man walks into the toy store to get a Barbie doll for his daughter. So he asks the assistant, as you would, "How much is Barbie?"

"Well," she says, "we have Barbie Goes to the Gym for $19.95, Barbie Goes to the Ball for $19.95, Barbie Goes Shopping for $19.95, Barbie Goes to the Beach for $19.95, Barbie Goes Nightclubbing for $19.95, and Divorced Barbie for $265.00."

"Hey, hang on," the guy asks, "why is Divorced Barbie $265.00 when all the others are only $19.95?"

"Yeah, well, it's like this ... Divorced Barbie comes with Ken's house, Ken's car, Ken's boat, Ken's furniture ..." ** Available: ** Jokes 4 All! 1)  ** Introduction: ** Welcome Back to Class!    2)   ** Major Projects to Look Out for: ** a.  Three 3-Page Case Write Ups - (40%) b.  Class Participation – (10%) c.  Wiki Participation – (10%)
 * Nature of the Problem (and why)
 * Proposed Solution (and why)
 * The Assumptions that underlie your solution.
 * What has to go right for success?
 * What could go wrong?
 * Remember: If using "I feel" or intuition in writing, make sure to provide support.
 * Read all assigned articles and cases and be prepared to actively discuss and contribute to the class.
 * Every week a different group will create the bare bones of the weekly page, with other individuals filling in their thoughts and further detail by the next class.

d.  MarketStrat Individual Paper – (10%) e.  MarketStrat Team Performance – (20%) f.  MarketStrat Group Presentation – (10%) 3)  ** Course Overview:

**  4)   ** Eras in Marketing: **   a.   Engineering Orientation (1910 – 1955)
 * People bought products because there wasn't much else available. The general mindset among businesses was "Make it and they will come."

b.  Sales Orientation (1955 – 1975)
 * Proactively try to sell products and services to customers. The general mindset was "Shove products down consumer's throats."

c.  Market Orientation (1975 – Now)
 * Try to understand what customers' needs and wants are. The general mindset was, "Learn what jobs a customers is trying to accomplish with a product, then market that product(s) as the best available for the job."

d.  Participation Orientation (2001 - ????)
 * Get customers, suppliers, and manufacturers all collaborating together to make a product that fits the needs of everyone. The general mindset is "Collaborate together to make a product that serves everyone's needs the best."

5)  ** Analyzing Cases Visually – “Back of the Napkin” **
 * People are born with the innate ability to comprehend and understand pictures. By using simple-to-understand pictures, powerful and complex messages can quickly and effectively be conveyed to a large audience.

VIDEO: []  media type="youtube" key="kuA_yz7aTo0" height="344" width="425"

6)  ** The “GI Joe” Case: ** From Hasbro media type="googlemap" key="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=1027+Newport+Avenue+PO+Box+1059+Pawtucket,+RI+02862-1059&sll=35.769405,-75.748905&sspn=62.676342,171.035156&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=1027+Newport+Ave,+Pawtucket,+Providence,+Rhode+Island+02861&ll=41.883631,-71.353007&spn=0.007189,0.020878&t=h&z=16&output=embed" width="425" height="350"

The A-Team **

a.  What was/were the problem(s)?
 * 1) How to expand the GI Joe franchise
 * 2) Increase revenues from this property
 * 3) To determine the 2004 marketing plan for G.I. Joe brand (although they had to take long-term strategy into consideration).

b.  What’s the Solution(s)? Billy Lagor, the one ultimately responsible for the decision, was considering three ways to market the action figure:
 * 1) Traditional media - rely heavily on advertising and, in particular, during the weekend cartoon hours
 * 2) Traditional supplemented media - traditional media with supplements in the form of a short animated DVD or perhaps bundled products with GI Joe merchandise
 * 3) Non-traditional marketing - DVD movies, video games, books, and other non-standard ways to get the GI Joe brand out

Team D: Marketing Magicians
"Marketing Myopia" by Theodore Levitt explained that, in order to ensure future growth, organizations need to define their industries as broadly as possible to take advantage of growth opportunities that arise. Team D, the Marketing Magicians, applied this idea by describing the GI Joe brand as a member of the entertainment industry or, as the picture shows, falling under the "umbrella" of entertainment. Close attention was given to the need to have a clearly defined job that would allow for continued expansion. Saying that Hasbro was simply in the "toy making business" or made "dolls for boys" would have restricted the long-term product development. Under the entertainment "umbrella" Hasbro can have many products, tell stories, use different platforms and engage more individuals.

Team C: G.I. Joe 2004 Marketing Plan
To address decreasing sales as a result of age compression, variable cyclical sales and entertainment substitutions Bill Lagor should adopt a mix of a traditional and non-traditional marketing mix. To confront age compression we recommend expending the G.I. Joe target audience to include an age range of 3 years to 100 years of age. Each age grouping will be a unique target audience for age appropriate entertainment. The bar graph above represents age grouping on the x-axis and the product offerings on the y-axis. As a person ages they will be exposed to an increased number of G.I. Joe entertainment options that is age appropriate. The continuous product offering and multi-media exposure should smooth the variable cyclical sales.

c.  What are you assuming?

A key assumption in the GI Joe case is that GI Joe (which is a figure and image based on a soldier) still has appeal in this day and age of politics and treaties. Can GI Joe be modified to not only portray the rugged Marine but also the intelligent individual for the more "modern" buyer? Or at least the more enlightened parent. Personally I hope he gets to stay the way he is.