teachthe4ps.com - For instructors of marketing.

Last year we posted about Puma’s efforts to re-position itself in the highly competitive athletic shoe market, “Puma is no longer a sneaker, it’s a lifestyle” (Teach the 4 Ps, May 22, 2011).  I recently ran across a 3 minute case study that provides an update on Puma.  I used this video (Puma | Social Case Study – this YouTube video is restricted from embedding in my blog or in your PowerPoints, but you can link and show it in class)  as a “hook” for my students as we started the first of three chapters on Promotion.

The video and article allow you to walk through the marketing strategy planning process with your students.  Here are some ideas:

• Customers: You can highlight customer needs – many don’t really need the high performance promoted by Nike and Under Armour.  Puma figured they could address the needs of the “after hours athlete.”
• Company:  You can briefly highlight some of Puma’s strengths (solid brand, good distribution, design reputation) and weaknesses (not as much money or strong a brand as major competitors)
• Competitors:  Nike, Under Armour, Adidas — all strong brands with deep pockets.  Each of these competitors also focuses on the hard core weekend warrior (or wannabe).
• Segmentation:  the video gives you an idea about how Puma segments and who they target.
• Differentiation and Positioning:  Puma clearly chooses to position itself as a fun fashion accessory.
• The video gives some examples of product and place decisions — but the focus is on promotion.  The brief highlighting of TV, print, outdoor, and online efforts provides a nice example of integrated marketing communications.

All that — plus a market my students can relate to — this is a winning video clip.  I hope you and your students enjoy it as much as we did.

Who better to tell us about the keys to getting videos to go viral than YouTube’s own trends manager — Kevin Allocca.  While Allocca’s doesn’t specifically reference advertising videos, his three lessons would certainly have application.  You might show this in class and ask students how marketing managers can use Alloca’s lessons to enhance the spread of viral promotions.

The title of this article from Adweek says it all “The 10 Most Watched Ads of 2011 on YouTube” (December 21, 2011).  We featured several of these on Teach the 4 Ps. This might give you something entertaining to watch over break.  I am sure you will find something new and interesting to entertain your class next semester.  Also posted at Learn the 4 Ps.

It is nice to have examples from around the world — especially when they are good examples.  This short video describes a campaign by Russian window maker Rehau.  The advertising told Russians how their poor quality windows let heat escape — it was like throwing money out the window.  The ads show money flying out the window, but Rehau then literally threw money out the window, which generated lots of publicity and media coverage.  This video describes the program.  Just in time for winter weather, this could be a ice example to use for publicity, promotion, or international marketing.

VW’s new side assist technology is a nice safety feature — though a bit complicated to explain to your target market.  To get the point across, VW created a website that demonstrates the “idea” in an office environment.  This one is easier to show than tell — so take a look.

This video clip might be useful when you cover marketing communications.  You could set this up by saying that VW has developed this new technology.  You could explain the technology — but then ask how you could make this point in a concise manner.  Suggest that the class consider the promotion objective be to communicate the value of the new side assist technology.  Then show them what VW did — and ask if it worked.  Also posted at Learn the 4 Ps.

Here are two very powerful examples of how marketing that helps make the world a better place.  The first one (an ad created by Ogilvy, Dublin, Ireland) is especially hard to watch — but as you will see that is the point.  I don’t want to say anymore, because the ad and video explain themselves, and need no further introduction.  Also posted at Learn the 4 Ps.

My students love Nike — when I survey them about their favorite brands it consistently ranks #1.  My point – Nike examples play well in class.  Of course any example should be relevant to marketing and this one could work well with a discussion of segmentation, new product development or advertising.

Nike is aggressively going after youth action sports like skateboarding, snowboarding, surfing, trick-bicycling and others – see “Nike Tries to Enter the Niche Sports It Has Missed” (New York Times, June 1, 2011).  Nike’s tactics in these markets are in many ways similar to those it has used in other markets — employing top athletes in each sport to endorse the brand and support it ith dynamite advertising that appeals to its target market.  The video below was released on Facebook (where Nike has specialty pages for various sports) even before it launched on network TV (during the NBA finals).  Nike created the Nike 6.0 sub-brand (see its Facebook page here) just for the action sports market.  Also posted at Learn the 4 Ps.

Brain researchers at Emory University have found that brain scans can help predict the future success of new music.  Oh what is the world coming to?  This would be fun to show as an example of market research or new product development.  It might be fun to ask students what they think of the approach?  The article “Songs Stick in Teens’ Heads” (Wall Street Journal, June 13, 2011, non-subscribers click here) and companion video should be of interest to our student — many of whom have an interest (if only as consumers) in the music industry. We have also posted this over at Learn the 4 Ps.

Here is a nice case study you could show in class as an example of creative promotion. The Swedish Post wanted to increase awareness and educate its customers on one of its products — pre-stamped parcels that allowed them to send almost anything overnight with the green boxes. The clever campaign generated online buzz and awareness across Sweden.  Also posted at Learn the 4 Ps.

Volkswagen’s global market share is about 11% — but it sits at only 3% in the world’s largest auto market — the United States.  Volksagen’s managers hope to change that, so they are re-doubling marketing efforts.  This article, “Volkswagen Rediscovers America” (Bloomberg Businessweek, May 19, 2011), offers some insights into its strategy — but mostly gives a few interesting nuggets of information.  For example, I was surprised to read that as compared to its European counterpart, the U.S. Passat has more legroom, larger control buttons, and a better air conditioning system.  And the U.S. customer gets these extras for for a price of about $8000 courtesy of lower U.S. wages and simplified product design.  VW has just opened its first U.S. manufacturing plant since 1988.

The article offers some examples that can be used when you teach international marketing (product adaptation) and the local factory turns a weakness into a strength.

VW’s 2011 Super Bowl commercial (“The Force” see below)  was one of the most popular — though I must confess I was not a fan.  While I found the ad cute, I didn’t think it said anything relevant about the brand.