Download Integrating Marketer`s Showdown into Your Course

Marketer’s Showdown – Overview Materials
Marketer’s Showdown
McGraw-Hill/Irwin
About Marketer’s Showdown
Marketer’s Showdown: Offering more experiential learning opportunities, this online,
interactive video case program puts students in the middle of dynamic marketing strategy
decision-making with real marketers. Nine cases focus on up-to-the-minute issues in the
music, automotive, and soft drink industries. Within Marketer’s Showdown cases,
students will be able to analyze the marketing problem, choose a proposed solution, and
then watch their proposal debated by marketing professionals. After the debate, students
have the opportunity to change their plan or stick to their guns, then see the outcome of
their decisions. As in real marketing situations, not every good marketing decision leads
to a good outcome!
About This Supplement Package
We have developed these materials to help you use Marketer’s Showdown both
effectively and efficiently. Ultimately, Marketer’s Showdown is a tool designed to help
you enhance student learning. Each case brings together a variety of Marketing concepts
for discussion. Consider, for example, the Vix Records: Coffee Bandwagon case which
addresses Strategic Planning Inputs, Channels of Distribution, Consumer and Trade
Promotion, New Product Growth Strategies, and other concepts. You have the flexibility
of including each case into the flow of your specific course based on your preferences
and professional judgment. So, you might use the Coffee Bandwagon case in at least
four different areas of your course (Strategic Planning, Channels of Distribution,
Promotion, or Product Planning) depending how you choose to focus or ‘channel’ the
case. So, even though the cases are numbered 1 to 9, you are not compelled to use them
in sequential order.
We have developed Instructor resources to assist you. First, we offer some suggested
objective questions (multiple choice and true/false) and discussion questions for your use.
The first five objective questions for each case are designed for use as ‘checks’ to see if
your students have completed the case prior to coming to class. Assuming they engaged
with the Marketer’s Showdown, they should be able to successfully answer these
questions. The remaining ten questions for each case are more integrative. So, for
example, a case may include decisions about growth possibilities. While the ProductMarket Growth Matrix or the Boston Consulting Group Portfolio Model may not be
included in Marketer’s Showdown presentation of that case, you will likely bring these
models into your class. We’ve anticipated you doing so and provided such questions for
your possible use.
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Marketer’s Showdown – Overview Materials
We know that you’ll develop your own discussion questions to guide your classroom
discussion of each case. Your questions will reflect your teaching style. And, your
positioning of the case in your course will influence your questions as well. To further
support your efforts, we’ve developed seven additional integrative discussion questions
for your possible use.
We have also developed “User’s Guide” resources for quick reference. Your students
will likely assume that you are the expert in navigating the Marketer’s Showdown. To be
sure, the computer platform used to deliver Marketer’s Showdown is very user-friendly.
However, it is linear. You cannot simply jump to the latter stages of a case to see how
things worked out. So, we’ve developed a sequential presentation for each case to guide
you. That way, you’ll know exactly the information presented to your students. Each
case can be viewed in approximately 15-30 minutes. But, we know you’re busy. So, you
can jump around in each case with the print materials provided.
Teaching Tips
Marketer’s Showdown was designed to provide a value-added experience for your
students. You’ve likely heard the old adage:
“Give someone a fish and they’ll eat today. Teach someone to fish and they’ll
eat for a lifetime.”
That’s the logic behind the active learning experience provided by Marketer’s
Showdown. In essence, we want to help you teach your students how to fish! Seriously,
your students will confront real-world marketing problems in product categories they are
somewhat familiar with (recorded music, energy drinks, and automobiles). They will
work through background information to determine what they believe to be an
appropriate course of action for a firm to follow if faced with a certain fact set. They will
select an advocate from one of three Stand-in character options who best represents their
worldview. They will evaluate the performance of that character in advocating their
position relative to others. They will suggest a recommended solution. Finally, they will
reflect on the ultimate resolution of the case.
Integrating Marketer’s Showdown into Your Course
You have committed to using Marketer’s Showdown to provide an active learning
experience for your students. Thank you for trusting our product. Now, keep that trust.
The system itself was developed to provide an active learning experience. Let it do so.
Marketer’s Showdown will enhance your coverage of course materials. It will allow your
students to apply the concepts developed within your course. For example, you may talk
about Push and Pull promotion. In the Marketer’s Showdown, your students will have to
decide how to direct a promotional effort during a market re-entry. And, it will provide
you with case examples you can continually refer to as your course develops.
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Marketer’s Showdown – Overview Materials
Design your course so your students engage with the Showdown. Make sure you assign
points to various activities or, quite frankly, they may not get done. Here are a couple of
templates for using Marketer’s Showdown. As someone who has used Marketer’s
Showdown in my Marketing Strategy course, I prefer the first option presented. But, you
are a professional. It is your course. They are your students. You’ll make that call.
Prepare Outside of Class to Discuss in Class – students must complete a case prior
to coming to class. Cases are spread evenly over the academic period (semester,
quarter, etc). You can ensure your students are ready for class in a variety of ways:

You can require your students to print and submit (in paper or email form)
their responses to various questions posed in Marketer’s Showdown.

You can administer online quizzes in Blackboard or similar course
management system to ensure your students have worked through each case
prior to the assigned date.

You can work through each case with your students and ask them to defend
their solutions and discuss the three positions advanced.
NOTE: The author of these materials uses the above two strategies in his
Marketing course. Students must complete a case prior to a scheduled
class period. They print their responses to the discussion questions and
assemble a portfolio of all 9 cases over the life of the semester. Further,
students must complete an online quiz for each case (given in Blackboard)
prior to that assigned date. This quizzing process ensures their readiness to
discuss each case in detail together in class. We spend class time working
through each case from start to finish.
An example daily schedule from my Marketing Strategy course in Fall 2008
is provided in Appendix A at the end of these overview materials.

You can administer in-class quizzes before you begin in-class discussion of a
case to ensure student readiness.

You can run through the case in class with your students. You can start and
stop Marketer’s Showdown as you choose to emphasize certain points or
ponder alternative strategies being discussed.
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Marketer’s Showdown – Overview Materials
Simultaneous Class Discussion of Case – students will participate in the case
analysis during the class period acting independently or in small groups or teams.

You can run through the case in class with your students. Start and stop the
Showdown as you choose to emphasis certain points or ponder alternative
strategies being discussed.

You can administer a quiz at the end of the class meeting. Or, you can choose
to put questions pertaining to the case on class quizzes or exams.

You may elect to assign discussion questions to be completed outside of class
pertaining to the case.

You may elect to give take-home exams with discussion questions. Students
would need to re-visit the case in Marketer’s Showdown to perform
effectively.
Course Introduction Event – students could be required to complete all cases in a
concentrated period (say, one or two weeks) at the beginning of the semester.
Students could review the core Marketing Concepts included in each case and apply
them independently. Then, as you develop material in your course, you will be able
to refer to each case with your students and show how the firms profiled used the
strategies and tactics discussed in class.
Course Capstone Event – students could be required to complete all cases in a
concentrated period (say, one or two weeks) at the end of the semester. You will
have covered all course content. They will see course content evident in the flow of
each case in Marketer’s Showdown thus providing another example to help them
understand and retain course information.
Placing Each Case in Your Course
Marketer’s Showdown was designed for integration into multiple Marketing courses
without regard to a specific textbook or its organization. You may choose to use the
Showdown in an introductory Principles of Marketing course or a capstone Marketing
Strategy course. As noted above, each case typically has 3-5 focal points. You decide
where each case can best be used in your course.
The sequencing of your course and the placement of each case within your specific
course framework will influence your selection of quiz, exam, and discussion questions.
For example, early course presentations of Portfolio Models, the Product-Market Growth
Matrix, Porter’s Five-Forces Model and other strategic planning models may allow you
to include such questions for a case whereas a colleague with either a different course or
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Marketer’s Showdown – Overview Materials
organization of materials may opt for entirely different questions. Consider the
following:

Each case includes 15 suggested objective questions (multiple choice, true/false).

Questions 1-5 are ‘prove it’ questions designed to ensure your students can
demonstrate (prove) they’ve engaged with the case prior to class.

Questions 6-15 are more integrative types of questions that require the students to
go beyond recognition of events and to apply common marketing models or
concepts. The organization of your course will influence the student’s readiness
for some of these questions.

Each case includes 7 suggested discussion questions. These may be used to guide
class discussions, take-home exams, or as simply an out-of-class assignment.
From the table that follows, you can see where you could elect to use each case in your
specific course using your specific book.
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Marketer’s Showdown – Overview Materials
Case
Vix Records: Fidelity Freefall
Vix Records: Coffee Bandwagon
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Vix Records: Something for Everyone?
Yuma Puma: Category Crowd Control
Yuma Puma: The Price is Heating Up
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Focal Points
Buyer Motivation
Branding
Brand Equity
Ethics
Piracy
Changing Technology Environment
Intellectual Property Rights
Consumer and Trade Promotions
Channels of Distribution
Retailer Mix
Cross-Functional Efforts in Strategic
Planning
Strategic Planning
Growth Strategies

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New Product Development
Market Segmentation and Selection
Strategies
Promotional Mix
Versioning
Product Positioning and Re-Positioning
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Competition
Product Life Cycle
Integrated Marketing Communications
Branding
Brand Equity
Competitive Response
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Pricing
Ethics
Technology
Public Relations
Acting on Marketing Information
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Marketer’s Showdown – Overview Materials
Case
Yuma Puma: Stock Shock
Zuna Motors: Target Practice
Focal Points
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Retailing
Channels
Global Marketing
Buyer Information Search
Market Entry Strategies
Product/Promotion Planning
Relationship Marketing
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Market Segmentation
Marketing Research
Product Positioning
Target Market Aggregation
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Buyer Behavior and Cognitive
Response
Marketing Information Systems
Consumer Decision-Making Processes
Product Management
New Product Introductions
Translating Research into Strategies
New Product Adoption and Diffusion
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Retailing
Channels of Distribution
Supply Chain Management
Logistics Management
Sales Force Management
E-commerce, E-tailing
Changing Technology
Zuna Motors: Feature Frenzy Freak-Out
Zuna Motors: Missing the Online Boat
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Marketer’s Showdown – Overview Materials
Pattern of the Three Stand-In Characters
Each case in Marketer’s Showdown presents three Stand-In characters for your students
to consider. Each Stand-In character presents his/her suggested response strategic
response to the central marketing question driving the case. As you use the Marketer’s
Showdown, you will see a pattern to each case. Typically, you will see: (1) an advocate
of big or bold change, (2) an advocate of selective implementation or smaller change, and
(3) an advocate suggesting we not implement the underlying strategic response under
discussion. Below is an overview of the “Vix Coffee Company: Something for
Everyone?” case.
Something for Everyone?
Do we introduce compilation CD’s
(collections of songs by individual artists)?
And, if so, how should we segment the
market?
Linda – Yes. We selectively develop
compilations of songs after their peak
popularity has passed and sell such
compilations only during non-peak periods
of demand (outside of the holiday shopping
season)
Erik – Absolutely! Compilations will
expand the sales potential for our artists
and draw more listeners to their music. We
must be in the compilation business as part
of our foundation business strategy.
Sharon – No. Compilations are not
healthy for the long-term interest of the
record industry. Short-term gain will be
bad for the industry.
Quick glance summary tables such as the one above have been presented for all nine
cases in the Marketer’s Showdown. They are presented in the pages that follow.
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Marketer’s Showdown – Overview Materials
Quick Glance Table - Vix Records Cases
Fidelity Freefall
Do we develop a very public and
aggressive campaign to correct the
problems created for our customers by
including anti-piracy software on CD’s
sold?
Linda – Yes. Address the issue directly
and publicly. Apologize to consumers.
Seek to minimize damage.
Erik – Absolutely! Embrace this
opportunity to turn a negative into a
positive and reposition the record
company.
Sharon – No. Consumers move on. We
should, too.
Coffee Bandwagon
Do we enter into a new distribution
partnership with Java Wheels (a coffee
retailer) to expand the distribution of
recorded music beyond traditional
retailers?
Linda – Yes. We should try to develop a
relationship with Java Wheels while
concurrently strengthening our relationship
with Frankie’s Café (a sister company).
Erik – No. Focus on strengthen existing
relationships.
Sharon – Absolutely! We must redefine
the marketing channel for recorded music.
Something for Everyone?
Do we introduce compilation CD’s
(collections of songs by individual artists)?
And, if so, how should we segment the
market?
Linda – Yes. We selectively develop
compilations of songs after their peak
popularity has passed and sell such
compilations only during non-peak periods
of demand (outside of the holiday shopping
season)
Erik – Absolutely! Compilations will
expand the sales potential for our artists
and draw more listeners to their music. We
must be in the compilation business as part
of our foundation business strategy.
Sharon – No. Compilations are not
healthy for the long-term interest of the
record industry. Short-term gain will be
bad for the industry.
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Marketer’s Showdown – Overview Materials
Quick Glance Table – Yuma Puma Cases
Emily – We are/were the innovator. Keep
doing what we’re doing. Our brand is
How do we respond to the possibility of the strong enough to withstand new
market entry of large beverage companies
competition.
(such as Coke and Pepsi) into our niche
product category of energy drinks?
Eric – We must develop new products and
strengthen the promotion and distribution
of our existing product. This will mean a
shift in our promotional strategy.
Category Crowd Control
Greg – Do not change our product. We
must expand the distribution of our
product.
The Price is Heating Up
Do we implement the use of a computer
chip in our vending machines which
changes the price according to time of day
and/or outside temperature?
Emily – Absolutely! Introduce chip to all
vend locations. Consumers are accepting
of differential pricing in other industries.
Eric – No. This is not ethical. Focus on
strengthening our existing distribution
channel.
Greg – Yes. We can selectively use the
chip in pass-through vend locations such as
airports, train stations, or sports venues.
Stock Shock
Following the successful introduction of
our product into a new market, we had a
six month absence due to manufacturing
capacity issues. How do we successfully
re-enter the market?
Emily – Our brand is strong. Simply get
product back on shelves. Consumers and
retailers will respond favorably given the
strength of our brand.
Eric – We must be aggressive with both
retailers and end consumers into order to
re-secure a position in the market.
Greg – Focus on securing the support of
retailers. Assure them we are back to stay.
Don’t worry about end consumers. They’ll
come back on their own given the strength
of our brand.
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Marketer’s Showdown – Overview Materials
Quick Glance Table – Zuna Motors Cases
Target Practice
Our newly introduced model is reaching an
unintended target market (Baby Boomers).
But, it is under-performing in the intended
target market (Generation Y). How do we
respond?
Duke – Maintain current vehicle and
promotion to appeal to Baby Boomers.
Develop new product and promotional
program for Generation Y buyers.
Janeen – Maintain current vehicle but vary
the promotional program for separate
positioning for two market segments:
Baby Boomers and Generation Y.
Michael – Change the marketing plan to
better reach Generation Y. Baby Boomers
will continue to be attracted to product with
no specialized marketing effort. Product
sells itself to these buyers.
Feature Frenzy Freak Out
Duke – Get rid of LuxGo. It did not work.
Our newly introduced navigational system
(LuxGo) is confusing drivers and causing
dissatisfaction. How do we respond?
Janeen – We are ahead of the industry
with LuxGo. Be patient. We must educate
buyers about LuxGo. We got this right.
Michael – Reposition LuxGo for use as a
pre-trip device and not something for use
while driving. And, focus on small subset
of LuxGo features to minimize confusion.
Missing the Online Boat
We are considering the online sale of
automobiles. Doing so would by-pass our
dealer network. Should we proceed with
the online sale of automobiles?
Duke – Work collectively with our dealers
to transform the marketing channel to
include the online sales option.
Janeen – Develop online channel to
support luxury car sales. Display vehicle
in dealer showrooms to drive foot traffic to
dealer. Selective use is recommended.
Michael – No way! We need our dealer
network. They will not support the online
sale of vehicles.
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Marketer’s Showdown – Overview Materials
Save, Print, and/or Email Deliverables in Marketer’s Showdown
Section
Strategy Generator
Output
Students are given six multiple choice questions.
Their responses are not graded by Marketer’s
Showdown. Students are then asked to elaborate on
their specific responses to these six questions.
Output comes in two parts:


Stand-In Evaluator
Students are given six multiple choice questions
during the Marketer Meeting. Their responses are
graded by Marketer’s Showdown. In the Stand-In
Evaluator module, students are asked to elaborate
by answering such questions as, “Was this the best
approach? Explain why or why not.” For each
question, the following information is presented:



Final Evaluator
The student’s answers to the six multiple choice
questions are presented in sentence form.
The student’s answers to the elaboration
questions are presented as entered by the
student.
You Answered …
Marketing Pro Answered …
Your Response …
Students are given six multiple choice questions
during the Outcome Predictor module. Their
responses are graded by Marketer’s Showdown as
the Outcome Newsbrief is presented in video form.
The following information is presented:


You Answered …
Marketing Pro Answered …
The Final Evaluator module provides four
elaboration questions to encourage the students to
reflect on the case.
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Did the outcome meet your expectations?
Pinpoint where in the process things went offtrack or excelled?
What are the new Marketing goals?
What strategy would you implement now?
The student’s answers to the elaboration questions
are presented as entered by the student.
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Marketer’s Showdown – Overview Materials
Appendix A
Example Integration of Marketer’s Showdown into a Marketing Strategy Course
Date
Chapter
Aug. 21 (Thur)
-----
Set Up Course and Review Action Plan
Demo MARKETER’S SHOWDOWN = Vix Records: Fidelity Freefall
Aug. 26 (Tue)
Aug. 28 (Thur)
Ch. 1
Ch. 1
Strategic Planning and the Marketing Management Process
Strategic Planning and the Marketing Management Process
Sept. 2 (Tue)
Sept. 4 (Thur)
Ch. 2
Ch. 2
Marketing Information, Research, and Target Markets
Marketing Information, Research, and Target Markets
SHOWDOWN = Vix Records: Coffee Bandwagon
Sept. 9 (Tue)
Sept. 11 (Thur)
Ch. 3
Ch. 3
Consumer Behavior
Consumer Behavior
SHOWDOWN = Zuna Motors: Feature Frenzy Freak-Out
Sept. 16 (Tue)
Sept. 18 (Thur)
Exam 1
Ch. 4
Sept. 23 (Tue)
Ch. 4
Sept. 25 (Thur)
Ch. 5
Sept. 30 (Tue)
Oct. 2 (Thur)
Ch. 5
Ch. 12
Topic of Discussion
Chapters 1, 2, 3
Organizational Buyers
Organizational Buyers
SHOWDOWN = Zuna Motors: Missing the Online Boat
Market Segmentation
Market Segmentation
SHOWDOWN = Zuna Motors: Target Practice
The Marketing of Services
Oct. 7 (Tue)
Oct. 9 (Thur)
Ch. 12
Exam 2
The Marketing of Services
Chapters 4, 5, 12
Oct. 14 (Tue)
Oct. 16 (Thur)
Ch. 6
Ch. 6
Product Strategy
Product Strategy
SHOWDOWN = Vix Records: Something for Everyone
Oct. 21 (Tue)
Oct. 23 (Thur)
Ch. 7
Ch. 7
New Product Planning and Development
New Product Planning and Development
Oct. 28 (Tue)
Oct. 30 (Thur)
Ch. 11
Ch. 11
Pricing
Pricing
SHOWDOWN = Yuma Puma: The Price in Heating Up
Nov. 4 (Tue)
Nov. 6 (Thur)
No Class
Exam 3
Nov. 11 (Tue)
Nov. 13 (Thur)
Ch. 8
Ch. 8
Election Day Holiday
Chapters 6, 7, 11
IMC: Advertising, Sales Promotion, PR, Direct Marketing
IMC: Advertising, Sales Promotion, PR, Direct Marketing
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Marketer’s Showdown – Overview Materials
Date
Chapter
Nov. 18 (Tue)
Topic of Discussion
SHOWDOWN = Yuma Puma: Crowd Control
IMC: Personal Selling and Sales Management
IMC: Personal Selling and Sales Management
Nov. 20 (Thur)
Ch. 9
Ch. 9
Nov. 25 (Tue)
Nov. 27 (Thur)
No Class
No Class
Dec. 2 (Tue)
Ch. 10
Dec. 4 (Thur)
Ch. 10
Distribution Strategy
SHOWDOWN = Yuma Puma: Stock Shock
Distribution Strategy
Exam 4
Administered during the final exam period.
Dec. 8-12
Thanksgiving Break
Thanksgiving Break
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