Strategic Marketing Management
Instructions:
1. Choose a case below and undertake research to learn more about it.
2. Produce a report that addresses the issues presented in the case in relation to marketing
strategy:
a. Provide a concise overview of the current market situation.
b. Provide a statement of the main problem with explanation , and offer an analysis of
macro and micro level issues that are relevant.
c. Id entify and justify all critical factors , and explain which are most important .
d. Provide a set of realistic alternatives, with justification, and outline possible
advantages/disadvantages.
e. Make recommendations for addressing the problem, giving your rationale with
justification.
f. You will need to consult the popular and business press in researching your case. You
should also review the academic peer-reviewed literature, particularly when developing
your solutions and recommendations. These literatures must be cited in your work and
appropriately referenced.
Topic (choose one): Growth via new products
Growth strategies can include developing new offerings for either new or existing markets. The
following represent two such cases that were not as successful as might have initially been
expected . Choose one case only for your report.
a) Virgin Cola
The Virgin Group extended into the soft drink market in 1994 with the launch of Virgin Cola. Using
the strong Virgin name, founder Richard Branson hoped to compete against market giants Coke and
Pepsi. Virgin Cola launched in a number of countries
using flamboyant marketing campaigns (e.g., the US
launch involved Branson driving an army tank into
Times Square in New York). Ultimately however, Virgin
Cola failed to gain t he market share it had hoped to
achieve, and this culminated with the collapse of Virgin
Cola in the UK. What went wrong, and what
recommendations would you make if planning for a new
introduction into a market such as Australia?
You will need to do your own research on this case, however, as a starting point, take a look at the
markets where Virgin operates successfully, and those where it has been unsuccessful.
Link: http://www.virgin.com/company
Link: http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/oct/06/sir – richard – branson- failures – vigin – cola -brides
b) Google Glass
In 2013 Google began selling its inno vative Google Glass product to a select group of customers. It
became more readily available to the US and UK publics in 2014, costing around US$1500. Google
Glass represents a new development in the wearable technology sector , providing users with
hands- f ree smart – phone type features in a device that is
worn as a headset. Despite considerable hype and
excitement, Google Glass was not well- received by
consumers. Besides hardware problems like short battery
life, it seems people simply found it too intrusive and a little
creepy. In January 2015, Google announced it was halting
sales (this was a beta version) . What went wrong, and what
recommendations would you make if planning for a new
introduction into a market such as Australia?
You will need to do your own research on this case, however, as a starting point, take a look at a
review by Umair Haque for the Harvard Business Review, and this story from the ABC.
Link: https://hbr.org/2015/01/google – glass – failed- because- it – just -wasnt- cool
Link: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-01-16/google- glass – sales – halted – removed – from -labs/ 6021992