Essentials of Marketing YouTube Links, part 2

One of the features in the Essentials of Marketing Instructor’s Manual is our YouTube Video Links. These were previously called YouTube PowerPoints because each link was embedded on an individual PowerPoint slide with the notes section providing ideas about how to use the video in your class lectures. The most recent edition, being finalized this month, is a set of 131 PowerPoint links. The Instructor’s Manual includes a table with each of these and a section that includes descriptions (see below). Over the next few weeks, I will share some of these with readers of Teach the 4 Ps.

Note that these are examples of short case studies, perfect for embedding in lectures or into online classes. Easy to add discussion questions.

Today, we are featuring two companies that are new case studies in the 2026 release of Essentials of Marketing. Dyson kicks off the new-product development chapter (9) and Duolingo is featured in our chapter on earned and owned media (16). These videos are a bit longer and might serve as case studies you assign, perhaps with some discussion questions, before class.

11. Why Dyson New Products Look So Weird and Cost So Much

• URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-B-t3_wZ7_U
• Time: 7:33
• Category: Case study, opener
• Summary: This video explores how Dyson transformed mundane household appliances into high-status luxury goods through relentless innovation and clever engineering. It traces the company’s history from James Dyson’s frustration with vacuum suction to the development of the bagless product and eventual expansion into hand dryers, fans, and wearable tech. By focusing on superior customer value and aesthetic design, Dyson successfully charges a significant markup for items like the Air Multiplier and Supersonic hair tools. The narrative emphasizes a business model built on R&D, total ownership, and creating customer desire for expensive, reimagined versions of everyday objects.
• Teaching Notes: This video serves as the perfect companion to Chapter 8, as Dyson is the featured case opener company for that chapter. It illustrates the core definition of a product as a total need-satisfying offering that can include both physical goods and intangible status. The story of the DC01 and subsequent products highlights new-product development and the innovation process discussed in Chapter 9, particularly how a firm manages products over their life cycles and navigates the high risks of failure, such as Dyson’s scrapped electric vehicle project. Additionally, the video is an excellent resource for Chapter 17 and Chapter 18, as it demonstrates skimming price policies where a firm sets a high price to target price sensitive (or in this case, design-conscious) consumers who perceive high customer value in premium engineering. Finally, it touches on Chapter 3 by showing how company resources and a founder’s unique objectives can limit or enable the pursuit of specific global opportunities.

10. How Duolingo Turned a Free Language App Into a $7.7B Business

• URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KqrnBiyBQ8
• Time: 7:34
• Category: Case study, opener
• Summary: This video explores Duolingo’s business model and marketing strategy. It explains how they use a “freemium” model (free access with ads, paid subscription for perks) and gamification (streaks, leaderboards) to keep users addicted. Crucially, it highlights their unhinged social media strategy featuring their owl mascot, Duo, who threatens users to do their lessons. This viral, personality-driven content on TikTok allows them to acquire users organically without spending heavily on traditional advertising.
• Teaching Notes: This connects directly to the Chapter 16 opening case study on Duolingo. It illustrates the use of owned media (the app and social channels) to generate earned media (viral shares). It also covers experiments/A/B testing (Chapter 7).It covers Pricing Strategies like the freemium and subscription models (Chapter 18). It also touches on product design regarding gamification elements (Chapter 8/9). The video is an excellent resource for discussing the AIDA model (Chapter 13) in the digital age: using TikTok for Attention and Interest, and the app’s gamification for Desire and Action.