The key to a good case write-up is to ground your analyses and recommendations on sound strategic principles: take what you learned from your marketing classes and apply it to the analysis of the case (SWOT, Porter’s 5 Forces, Customer Lifetime Value, etc.). You MUST be able to justify your position by using key information provided in the case, not just simply recommend a position. In most organizations, top management has a very short attention span. It is critical for you to be able to make a succinct coherent argument for your ideas to get attention. You may use bullets sparingly to drive home specific points.
Your write-up is to be broken into three distinct parts (please provide headings for each part):
- Problem(s) / Environment / (What is the underlying problem (and what symptoms is it
Analysis causing)? What information in the case is relevant to your
analysis (e.g., trends, current marketing, performance, etc.)?
Discuss analysis) - Reasonable Alternatives (List approximately 2-3)
- Recommendation (Pick best alternative. Provide a supporting argument using information from the case as rationale (convince me that this is the best course of action); please discuss the benefits and consequences of such a strategy.)
Assessment
Among the critical aspects that you will be assessed on are the quality and thoroughness of your review and recommendation and the clarity of your writing. Remember to use data, where necessary, to support your recommendations. “Pie in the sky” recommendations are not tolerated. When possible, be specific in your recommendation and make sure it addresses the problem that you identified. Clear and concise articulation of your thoughts is paramount.
Examples
Examples of both good and poor case write-ups appear on the pages that follow. Please note the structure/formatting used, proper grammar, and the general quality of the write-up. In the good example, statements are backed up with specific information from the case.
Example of a Great Case Write-Up
Squatty Potty Case
Problem and Environment
The Squatty Potty CEO and investors are looking to determine the success of their digital marketing campaign and how to move forward with these results. Based on their marketing KPIs and financial standing at the end of 2016, I would qualify the campaign as an overall success for the following reasons:
• For 2016, promotional costs per Squatty Potty purchase (on SquattyPotty.com and Amazon combined) was $3.39
• The viral video generated 32 million organic views in its first month – and while organic views demonstrated the exponential drop-off typical of viral videos, it still averaged 3.6 million per month from Nov 2015 through the end of 2016
• SquattyPotty.com had a monthly average of 368,641 unique visitors after the launch of the viral video*
However, the campaign faced one significant problem: focusing their targeting on mothers. The argument made by Squatty Potty that the “purchase of these [constipation-related] solutions was typically driven by women—specifically mothers—who accounted for 70–80 per cent of all household purchases” makes sense. Traditionally, women hold significant influence over purchase decisions and may be the one physically shopping for household items. Selecting mothers as their main target audience appeared to be the best strategy prior to the campaign’s launch, but several factors support a shift in target audience:
• Social: Constipation and bowel movements are topics most people have difficulty discussing or admitting to – and this may be heightened with women. It is possible that women feel less open to discussing private, “embarrassing” health matters compared to men. They may not have wanted to admit to liking the video or may have been less likely to share. The embarrassment or discomfort with the product may make them less likely to shop for it. If they are not comfortable shopping for this kind of product and they do the shopping for their household – the Squatty Potty might not get purchased even if a need exists.
• Facebook promotion results: When comparing the number of SquattyPotty.com checkouts and the cost per Squatty Potty (CPA) of the various Facebook targets, many of the male groups outperformed their female counterparts. For example, the company invested an equal $17,260 in targeting each ‘Interest in Yoga, Male’ and ‘Interest in Yoga, Female’ groups – but the male group converted better with 40% (540) more SquattyPotty.com checkouts and cost $3.75 less per conversion. Similar trends of lower CPAs were found when comparing male vs. female interest in veganism and fans of Howard Stern.
While mothers may still be an important audience for Squatty Potty, they are severely underestimating the opportunities that exist for a health-conscious male audience.
Reasonable Alternatives
- Test & refine the targeting of males on Facebook with paid advertisements. Determine what other interests besides yoga, veganism, chiropractic medicine etc. are relevant filters to apply to reach men that would be interested in the Squatty Potty.
- Reactivate Squatty Potty’s earned media campaign using influencers/channels more relevant to a male target audience.
Recommendation
I recommend alternative 2.) Reactivate Squatty Potty’s earned media campaign using influencers/channels more relevant to a male target audience. Offering the product for influencers to promote worked before the company’s widespread awareness and has the potential to be successful again. First, Squatty Potty would benefit from more in-depth research of what this male audience looks like. It would be helpful to develop a customer persona and narrow down the demographics, psychographics, and behaviors they are interested in. The more they understand this audience, the more specific and targeted campaigns they can run. Highly targeted campaigns create the effect that the product is “meant for them.” With new information on their male target audience, the way Squatty Potty approaches an earned media influencer campaign will change. Different channels may appeal to this new audience. The type of influencers they engage may change as well. They would need to determine what influencer qualities would relate to the target.
The earned media approach could be useful in combatting the stigma of talking about digestive issues. It allows for real people to connect with others who have the same problems. It can develop personal credibility for the product. Influencer campaigns are easily trackable through blogs, social media, or other websites. Additionally, the increased funds the company has compared to the first run of their earned media campaign would allow them to layer on incremental tactics. They may benefit from retargeting consumers who interacted with the influencers’ content with a digital display campaign.
*More information on web traffic throughout Squatty Potty’s history would help determine the marginal increases as different campaigns were introduced. They averaged 900 total visits per month prior to any major marketing campaigns. It would be important in the company’s full analysis to track traffic following their earned media/influencer campaign, feature on Dr. Oz, feature on Howard Stern, appearance on Shark Tank etc. to determine if the post-viral video campaign traffic increase is statistically significant.
Example of a Good Case Write-up:
The Upstart’s Assault Case
Problem and Environment:
Meridicom has to decide on how to react to TelZip’s offer of free broadband service to new business customers who were willing to leave their current provider and enter into a long-term contract with TelZip. Meridicom needs to proceed very carefully because TelZip’s bold move may be a “game changer” within the telecommunications industry.
There are 5 aspects of Meridicom that need to be understood and considered carefully before making a decision regarding the strategy that needs to be implemented to counter TelZip’s offer.
• Meridicom is separated in 3 independent divisions: Landline, mobile, and broadband. Each division operates independently. Meridicom customers receive a different bill per service, which can be confusing. Also, the fact that the 3 divisions operate independently does not contribute to minimizing Meridicom’s total operational costs.
• The landlines division represents 70% of the company’s revenues, and Meridicom has an 85% market share in the landlines market. This means that it is important that this division does not lose customers.
• Meridicom has a 60% market share in the broadband market, and the broadband division represents 25% of the company’s revenues. Offering broadband service for free would negatively affect Meridicom’s revenues and would make the broadband division operate at total loss.
• Meridicom’s major business customers complain about the company’s services being expensive.
• TelZip has a much larger mobile phone market share than Meridicom’s 5% market share.
Management at Meridicom needs to understand that whatever strategy they implement will have an important impact on the telecommunications market distribution.
Reasonable Alternatives:
• Quickly develop and implement a strategy to minimize the operational costs, and send individual bills to their business customers instead of one different bill per service. This would decrease the company’s costs and eliminate confusions that customers may have.
• Offer free broadband to their customers because TelZip’s move is a “game changer”. Customers will be expecting to get broadband service for free or change providers.
• Increase prices of the landlines service by 5%. This is the reason why: Offering free broadband would help Meridicom acquire a larger market share in the landlines market, which would increase their revenues and partially cover the losses resulting from offering broadband for free. The 5% price increase in the landlines service is relatively low, and it is very likely that it will not be noticed because it would happen at the same time as the free broadband.
Sample Solution
The United States is home to the absolute generally infamous and productive chronic executioners ever. Names, for example, Ted Bundy, Gary Ridgeway, and the Zodiac Killer have become commonly recognized names because of the terrible idea of their violations. Perhaps the most productive chronic executioners in American history is John Wayne Gacy. Nicknamed the Killer Clown on account of his calling, Gacy assaulted and killed at any rate 33 adolescent young men and young fellows somewhere in the range of 1972 and 1978, which is one of the most elevated realized casualty checks. Gacy's story has become so notable that his wrongdoings have been included in mainstream society and TV shows, for example, American Horror Story: Hotel and Criminal Minds. Criminological science has, and proceeds to, assume a significant part in the addressing of the case and distinguishing proof of the people in question. John Wayne Gacy's set of experiences of sexual and psychological mistreatment was instrumental in arousing examiner's curiosity of him as a suspect. John Wayne Gacy was brought into the world on March 17, 1942, in Chicago, Illinois. Being the lone child out of three kids, Gacy had a stressed relationship with his dad, who drank intensely and was frequently injurious towards the whole family (Sullivan and Maiken 48). In 1949, a worker for hire, who was a family companion, would pet Gacy during rides in his truck; in any case, Gacy never uncovered these experiences to his folks because of a paranoid fear of reprisal from his dad (Foreman 54). His dad's mental maltreatment proceeded into his young grown-up years, and Gacy moved to Las Vegas where he worked momentarily in the emergency vehicle administration prior to turning into a funeral home chaperon (Sullivan and Maiken 50). As a morgue orderly, Gacy was intensely engaged with the treating interaction and conceded that one night, he moved into the final resting place of a perished adolescent kid and stroked the body (Cahill and Ewing 46). Stunned at himself, Gacy gets back to Chicago to live with his family and graduates from Northwestern Business College in 1963, and acknowledges an administration learner position with Nunn-Bush Shoe Company. In 1964, Gacy is moved to Springfield and meets his future spouse, Marlynn Myers. In Springfield, Gacy has his subsequent gay experience when a collaborator unsteadily performed oral sex on him (London 11:7). Gacy moves to Waterloo, Iowa, and starts a family with Myers. In any case, after consistently undermining his better half with whores, Gacy submits his initially known rape in 1967 upon Donald Vorhees. In the coming months, Gacy explicitly mishandles a few different young people and is captured and accused of oral homosexuality (Sullivan and Maiken 60). On December 3, 1968, Gacy is indicted and condemned to ten years at the Anamosa State Penitentiary. Gacy turns into a model detainee at Anamosa and is conceded parole in June of 1970, an only a brief time after his condemning. He had to migrate to Chicago and live with his mom and notice a 10:00PM time limit. Not exactly a year later, Gacy is accused again of explicitly attacking a young kid however the adolescent didn't show up in court, so the charges were dropped. Gacy was known by numerous individuals locally to be an ardent volunteer and being dynamic in local area legislative issues. His job as "Pogo the Clown" the jokester started in 1975 when Gacy joined a nearby "Carefree Joker" comedian club that consistently performed at raising money occasions. On January 3, 1972, Gacy submits his first homicide of Timothy McCoy, a 16-year old kid making a trip from Michigan to Omaha. Asserting that McCoy went into his room employing a kitchen blade, Gacy gets into an actual fight with McCoy prior to cutting him over and over in the chest. In the wake of understanding that McCoy had absentmindedly strolled into the live with the blade while attempting to get ready breakfast, Gacy covers the body in his unfinished plumbing space. Gacy conceded in the meetings following his capture that executing McCoy gave him a "mind-desensitizing climax", expressing that this homicide was the point at which he "understood demise was a definitive rush" (Cahill and Ewing 349). Very nearly 2 years after the fact, Gacy submits his second homicide of a unidentified youngster. Gacy choked the kid prior to stuffing the body in his storeroom prior to covering him (Cahill 349). In 1975, Gacy's business was developing rapidly and his hunger for young fellows developed with it. Gacy frequently attracted youngsters under his work to his home, persuading them to place themselves in cuffs, and assaulting and tormenting them prior to choking them (Cahill 169-170). The majority of Gacy's killings occurred somewhere in the range of 1976 and 1978, the first of this time occurring in April 1976. A large number of the adolescents that were killed during this time were covered in an unfinished plumbing space under Gacy's home. For the rest of the killings, Gacy confessed to losing five bodies the I-55 extension into the Des Plaines River; notwithstanding, just four of the bodies were ever recuperated (Linedecker 152). In December 1978, Gacy meets Robert Jerome Piest, a 15-year old kid working at a drug store and offers him a task at Gacy's firm. Piest educates his mom regarding this and neglects to restore that night. The Piest family documents a missing individual's report and the drug specialist illuminates police that Gacy would undoubtedly be the man that Jerome addressed about a task. When addressed by the police, Gacy denied any association in Piest's vanishing. Nonetheless, the police were not persuaded, and Gacy's set of experiences of sexual maltreatment and battery incited the police to look through his home. Among the things found at Gacy's home were a 1975 secondary school class ring with the initials J.A.S., various driver's licenses, cuffs, garments that was excessively little for Gacy, and a receipt for the drug store that Piest had worked at. Throughout the following not many days, examiners got numerous calls and tips about Gacy's rapes and the baffling vanishings of Gacy's workers. The class ring was at last followed back to John A. Szyc, one of Gacy's casualties in 1977. Futhermore, after analyzing Gacy's vehicle, agents found a little group of strands looking like human hair, which were shipped off the labs for additional examination. That very night, search canines were utilized to recognize any hint of Piest in Gacy's vehicle, and one of the canines showed that Piest had, truth be told, been available in the vehicle. On December 20, 1977, under the pressure of steady police reconnaissance and examination, Gacy admits to more than 30 homicides and advises his legal advisor and companion where the bodies were covered, both in the unfinished plumbing space and the waterway. 26 casualties were found in the unfinished plumbing space and 4 in the stream. Gacy is captured, indicted for 33 homicides, and condemned to death by deadly infusion. He endeavored a madness request however was denied, and was executed on May 10, 1994. There were a few measurable markers that examiners used to attach Gacy to the homicides. A portion of these include fiber investigation, dental and radiology records, utilizing the decay interaction of the human body, and facial remaking in distinguishing the people in question. Examiners discovered filaments that looked like human hair in both Gacy's vehicle and close to the unfinished plumbing space where the bodies were covered. Notwithstanding these hair tests, agents additionally discovered strands that contained hints of Gacy's blood and semen in a similar territory. Blood having a place with the casualties was found on a portion of the strands, which would later straightforwardly attach Gacy to the violations. The strands in Gacy's vehicle were examined by legal researchers and coordinated Piest's hair tests. Moreover, the pursuit canines that verified that Piest had been in Gacy's vehicle demonstrated this by a "passing response", which told examiners that Piest's dead body had been within Gacy's vehicle. Out of Gacy's 33 known casualties, just 25 were ever convincingly distinguished. A significant number of Gacy's casualties had comparative actual depictions and were thusly difficult to distinguish by simply asking the general population. To recognize the people in question, agents went to Betty Pat Gatliff, a pioneer in measurable science and facial recreation. Facial reproduction is the way toward reproducing the facial highlights of a person by utilizing their remaining parts. Certain facial highlights, for example, facial structures, nasal construction, and by and large face shape can be valuable in distinguishing a casualty even long in the afterlife. By utilizing these highlights, and with the assistance of program, measurable examiners can make a picture of an individual's face, which is instrumental in distinguishing casualties after their bodies have rotted. Facial recreation should be possible in a few measurements. Two-dimensional facial reproductions is utilized with skull radiographs and depend on pre-passing photos and data. In any case, this isn't really ideal in light of the fact that cranial highlights are not generally obvious or at the correct scale (Downing). To get a practical and more exact portrayal of the casualty's face, a craftsman and a criminological anthropologist are typically essential (Downing). Three-dimensional facial remaking is finished by figures or high goal, three-dimensional pictures. PC programs can make facial reproductions by controlling examined photos of the remaining parts and use approximations to reproduce facial highlights. These will in general deliver results that don't look fake (Reichs and Craig 491). Now and again, examiners will utilize a strategy called superimposition as a procedure for facial recreation. Tragically, it's anything but a regularly utilized strategy, as it expects agents to have some information about the character of the remaining parts they are managing. By superimposing a photo of a person over the skeletal remaining parts, agents can check whether the facial highlights line up with the anatomical highlights, permitting them to recognize a casualty. On account of John Wayne Gacy's casualties, specialists had the option to utilize facial recreation to recognize nine of the bodies found in the unfinished plumbing space. The accompanying realistic shows the facial recreations of these nine casualties: Since facial recreation was sufficiently not to recognize the entirety of the v>
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