Marketing

Accounting for almost 30% of world GDP, the United States is the world’s largest and most demanding market for almost everything from oil to microprocessors to premium coffee. Companies around the world aspire to do business in the US, or at least with US companies in their home markets. By doing so, they learn much […]

An aging workforce will compel businesses to change how they operate and could even threaten some companies’ viability. How vulnerable is your business?

Companies that boast of their authenticity confront challenges that more faceless firms don’t even have to consider.

It's about more than corralling apostrophes run amok.

Surprised by a gender stereotype? React calmly, directly, and move on.

Research shows that when firms reallocate it, they have more success.

Context is key.

Now that providing services is more lucrative than making products, the old foundations for success in manufacturing are crumbling. Smart manufacturers are creating new business models to capture profits at the customer’s end of the value chain.

When productivity is a problem in manufacturing, managers turn to the R&D department or operations for help. In services, however, especially ones where there is a lot of contact with the customer, such in-house groups cannot by themselves improve productivity. Because services involve the customer in production, are labor intensive, and are time-bound, consumer behavior […]

What if the thing that gets online shoppers to buy a product is also the thing that makes them dissatisfied with the product when it arrives? In a recent research project, I tested this hypothesis using the pictures of products that accompany the online shopping experience. Images are the crux of online shopping. Good pictures […]

When to rely on algorithms and when to trust your gut

Many companies could persuade big spenders to buy even more.

It's the busiest time of year for North Pole Workshops. Production is in high gear, and the elves are on overtime in the sprint toward Christmas. But...

Brand builders everywhere think they want global brands. But global brand leadership, not global brands, should be the priority. Successful companies follow four principles to meet that goal.

How analytics can mislead marketers.

We all remember the SunChips Episode of 2010. Frito-Lay introduced bio-degradable packaging for SunChips in March, and was surprised to see sales of the...

Some of us actually like seeing Santa in September.

Anti-American sentiment poses a challenge to companies seeking to export to some regions of the world, most notably parts of Asia and the Middle East. At the same time, segments within those regions keenly identify with U.S. urban youth culture—the world of hip-hop and rap. Research I conducted among Chinese undergraduates suggests that this identification […]

It’s a lot different from getting them to buy your products and services.

Can we trick ourselves into making smarter choices?

In May 2015 Paulo Campos, Co-Founder and CEO of Zalora Philippines, found himself at a crucial turning point in his young company's development. In just...

February 2011: O.P. Bhatt reflected contentedly on his five-year term as Chairman of State Bank of India (SBI), India's largest commercial bank. He had...

AstraZeneca is preparing for the launch of Crestor, the company's first entrant in the enormous and fast-growing statin category. The team responsible...

The soup division at Brannigan Foods contributes over 40% of the firm's revenue. The general manager is concerned that the soup industry is declining...

Hong Kong Telecommunications Limited (HKT) is a member firm of the PCCW conglomerate and Hong Kong's largest telecommunications company. With its core...

Nobel Ilac was a Turkish generic pharmaceutical company marketing more than 100 drugs in 20 countries and, as of 2017, had over 2,500 employees worldwide....

In October 2007, the British band Radiohead caused a stir when it announced it would allow customers to decide how much to pay for its new album, released...

An abstract is not available for this product.

The purpose of the venture viability research process is to identify the key questions underlying the viability of a venture, to facilitate reframing...

A new political appointee with years of volunteer experience takes over a highly responsible job in the state government and is met with bureaucratic...

In 1995, before people "googled" or "yelped," Angela Hicks (HBS, 2000) was establishing her Angie's List as a pioneer in the accumulation and dissemination...

In November of 2006, senior executives at Culinarian Cookware were debating the merits of price promotions for the company's premium cookware products....

Describes the history of General Motor's attempts to develop a hydrogen fuel-cell powered car. As of 2003, GM developed several prototypes of such a vehicle...

In 2014, Dr. Michael Dulin, chief clinical officer for analytics and outcomes research and head of the Dickson Advanced Analytics (DA2) group at Carolinas...

The case follows Erica Mackey, CEO of early childhood education impact venture MyVillage, as she determines the growth path of the company after a recent...

Microsoft launched the Xbox gaming console on November 15, 2001. For years, Microsoft used the "razor-razorblade" business model for Xbox by subsidizing...

Avaya's top management wants to improve demand generation. This requires an improvement in the relationship between Sales and Marketing. This case series...

Serial social entrepreneur Andreas Souvaliotis is looking at new ways to achieve his lifelong mission: to improve the health and wellness of his Canadian...

"We're in business together, and whether we lose a few million dollars or make a few million dollars, let's do this. If you think you can pull it off,...

Value Retail PLC owned and managed a number of premium shopping destinations (Villages) across Europe. Soon the company would be moving into an entirely...

Accounting for almost 30% of world GDP, the United States is the world’s largest and most demanding market for almost everything from oil to microprocessors to premium coffee. Companies around the world aspire to do business in the US, or at least with US companies in their home markets. By doing so, they learn much […]

An aging workforce will compel businesses to change how they operate and could even threaten some companies’ viability. How vulnerable is your business?

Companies that boast of their authenticity confront challenges that more faceless firms don’t even have to consider.

In May 2015 Paulo Campos, Co-Founder and CEO of Zalora Philippines, found himself at a crucial turning point in his young company's development. In just...

It's about more than corralling apostrophes run amok.

Surprised by a gender stereotype? React calmly, directly, and move on.

Research shows that when firms reallocate it, they have more success.

February 2011: O.P. Bhatt reflected contentedly on his five-year term as Chairman of State Bank of India (SBI), India's largest commercial bank. He had...

Context is key.

Now that providing services is more lucrative than making products, the old foundations for success in manufacturing are crumbling. Smart manufacturers are creating new business models to capture profits at the customer’s end of the value chain.