Interesting marketing cases. What are cases? Examples of case solutions

Cases are written by everyone. Marketers, developers, lawyers, psychologists and even plastic window installers) Because they give a clear picture of how the company works and an understanding of how “pumped” the specialists are in their business. This is especially important in online marketing.

At the same time, there is no single approach, and each expert walks "some into the forest, some for firewood." Someone starts with what the weather was like when the client called and paints a "footcloth" for 10 pages. Someone is limited to stingy results in three lines. And he forgets the purpose of the case: to attract potential customers.

In this article, we will share our experience on how to write case studies that sell. Yes, yes, you heard right. These materials brought us a total of 29 incoming requests for product installation, for more than 430,000 rubles in monetary terms. So let's go!

Introduction

We do not immediately rush into details with figures and facts, but introduce the reader to the topic with a short introduction. In what niche is the case, what are the problems in the market as a whole, because very often situations in different companies are repeated.

The purpose of the introduction is the user's reaction "Oh, yes, we have the same garbage." Arouse interest. An important point: do not write “from the bulldozer” and do not pour “water” in the tradition of SEO texts. Nonsense is read subconsciously and 50% will close the article with swear words. Do you need it? 6-7 short sentences, clear and to the point.

We finalize the introduction with the phrase “In this case you will learn ...”, an example from the material:

Initial information

Tell us what kind of client, with what problem he came to you. Let's go back to the transport company example:

Yes, if you are writing a marketing case, confirm the initial data with screenshots with advertising campaign statistics, for example. The goal is complete realism.

A task

Before proceeding to the description of your actions, give an outline of what exactly the client wanted, what task he set. So that there are no discrepancies with the final inputs. 1-2 sentences:

What did they do

How to name this part is up to you. We use the subtitle "What we did". The most important and detailed part of the case:

• Step by step we describe all the actions, with numbers, ideally - screenshots. Down with lengthy reasoning! Here you give facts and only facts.
• Explain why you did this and not otherwise, because there are always several options for solving a problem. Why the chosen option is better than the alternatives.
• At the end of each action, give a summary of what it brought:

• In marketing cases, actions are usually divided into several stages. We summarize each stage:

• Tell us about the difficulties in the process of work and how they were solved.
• At the end of the case, we give the numbers in the “Before / After” comparison:

We summarize the results in terms of customer benefit; if plans are indicated, we are talking about the client's future plans. This feature shows that the client is satisfied with your work and wants to do something else with your help:

Here is such a simple scheme of selling cases. In short, these are 3 points:

• Problem;
• Solution;
• Result.

P.S. The case of the transport company "How to reduce the advertising budget by 22% and get 2 times more applications" and 10 more stories, read in the section.

KEYIS 1. Intellectual Property: Implementation Challenges in a Global Economy (Case Study of Microsoft's Activities in China)

Microsoft is the world's largest software development company software for personal computers, which created MS-DOS, and then WINDOWS. These programs, which are operating system and graphical user interface, respectively, are constantly used in more than 90% of personal computers around the world. In addition, Microsoft has many popular software applications, including OFFICE suites and OFFICE SUPPORT. An integral part of Microsoft's international strategy was to expand into China, where 5 million personal computers were sold in 1998. With a population of 1.5 billion, China represents a potentially huge market for Microsoft. Microsoft's goal is to increase sales from zero in 1994 to $200 million in 2002.

However, during its implementation, the company had to overcome very serious difficulties - unlicensed use of its own programs. About 95% of all programs on the Chinese market in 1998 were unlicensed. The company suffered big losses from this. Most of the company's products used in China are illegal copies that were made and then sold without any benefit to Microsoft. For company leaders, this is obvious. A few buildings from the company's Hong Kong office is a small shop that sells CD-ROMbi, each packed with a dozen computer programs which would amount to $20,000. The suggested price is HK$500 which is equivalent to US$52! According to the company, the Chinese government itself sets a bad example. Microsoft lawyers lament the fact that Beijing does not budget for software purchases, forcing its bureaucracy to find cheap software solutions. Based on this, Microsoft claims that most of the government uses pirated software.

Making matters worse, China is becoming a massive exporter of counterfeit software. Customs in Hong Kong held up a shipment of 2,200 such discs en route from China to Belgium. The problem arises because the Chinese authorities do not enforce their own laws. Microsoft encountered this when it first tried to use the Chinese legal system to sue software pirates. The company forced the authorities of the Chinese province of Guangdong to raid the manufacturer of fake holograms that are used by Microsoft to confirm the authenticity of the instructions for their programs. The Chinese authorities convicted the counterfeiter, admitted that there was copyright infringement, but paid Microsoft only $2,600, and the pirate company was fined only $3,000.

To compete with counterfeit software, Microsoft cut the price of computer software in China by nearly 200% in October 1994. This action probably had little effect, since the software still costs between $100 and $200 compared to illegal copies of the same software offered for $5 to $20.

Another tactic of the company has been lobbying the US government to influence the Chinese authorities to comply with their own laws. Part of the attempt to lobby for their interests was the entry of "Microsoft" in a kind of guerrilla war. Company representatives rummaged through dumpsters, paid locals for espionage, posed as money-raising businessmen to collect evidence of piracy, which was then turned over to US trade authorities. This tactic has worked, as the US government is currently trying to influence China: US support was the main condition for China to become a member of the WTO. The US has said it will not support China's membership until China starts enforcing intellectual property law.

This demand was backed up by a threat to impose $1.08 billion in tariffs on Chinese exports until China agrees to tighten enforcement of the laws. After a tense estrangement, in February 1995, China relented and agreed to US demands. The Chinese government has begun enforcing intellectual property law, shutting down factories the US says were making counterfeit US products, accepting US trademarks including Microsoft, and instructing government ministries to stop using pirated software.

In addition to these actions, Microsoft announced that it will work with the Chinese Ministry of Electronics to develop a Chinese version of the operating system. WINDOWS systems. The Microsoft principle is: The best way to stop the use of pirated software by the Chinese government is to do business together. Once the government profits from increased sales of legitimate Microsoft products, it will also have an incentive to reduce sales of counterfeit software.

As a sign of Microsoft's progress in tackling China's piracy problem, a Beijing court paid Microsoft 800,000 yen in March 1999. ($744,720) in damages after two Chinese companies were found guilty of violating copyright laws. For the first time, Microsoft has filed a software piracy case in a Chinese court. Although the monetary compensation was small, the victory signifies the emergence of this kind of trend in China.

CASE 2. "Crayfish Wars"

Once upon a time, Louisiana was the property of France. Napoleon sold this territory to the United States during the presidency of Thomas Jefferson, but many French people remained to live there. Some time later, their descendants became the creators of a special Cajun culture, which today is famous in the United States for its unique music and cuisine. The basis of this cuisine is the "sacred lobster", as they like to call it in Louisiana. (Crawfish is a crustacean that is an ancient inhabitant of the lakes of Louisiana). Lobster is the main ingredient in crayfish pies, crayfish soup, and okra pod soup. Like wine for France, it is a symbol of local culture. Its breeding is a major industry that generates $300 million a year for Louisiana farmers. At least, incomes were such until competitors in the face of the Chinese appeared on the market.

In the early 1990s, Louisiana importers welcomed the development of the Chinese lobster breeding industry to meet the growing demand for them. In China, the lobster breeding industry has proven to be very lucrative for entrepreneurial farmers. The first lobsters from China appeared in Louisiana in 1991. Although the natives immediately noted that the Chinese lobsters were not tasty enough, however, consumers did not seem to notice any difference. They may have liked the price, which was $2-3 per pound depending on the season, compared to $5-8 per pound for Louisiana lobsters. Thanks to a significant price advantage, sales from Chinese imports soared from 353,000 pounds in 1992 to 5.5 million pounds in 1996. In 1996, Louisiana state employees estimated that 3,000 jobs had been lost by the local industry. These were mostly low-paying jobs as lobster cleaners. This was due to an increase in the market share of Chinese imports.

In 1996, the Committee for Research and Promotion of the Lobster Industry sent a petition asking for an anti-dumping campaign by the Committee on International Trade, the "right hand" of the US government. The petition alleged that Chinese lobster producers were dumping their product, selling it at low prices in order to put Louisiana producers out of business. It was decided to impose a 200 to 300% import tax on Chinese lobsters. The State of Louisiana spent $350,000 to support this action.

Lawyers representing China's spiny lobster industry justified the low prices as lower breeding costs, not a dumping campaign. One Louisiana Chinese lobster importer noted that 27 processing plants supplied his company. Workers in these factories were provided with housing and other amenities, plus they received 15 cents an hour, or $9, for a 60-hour week. The same lawyers noted that Chinese lobsters proved to be good both for individual American buyers, who thereby saved money and, moreover, were uninterruptedly provided with them, and for the Louisiana restaurant business, since production became more economical. Lawyers also noted that this action does not protect the interests of American buyers, since this is nothing more than an attempt by Louisiana lobster producers to restore their monopoly on the market, thereby making more profit.

However, the Committee on International Trade remained deaf to these arguments. Using arguments more typical of the heroes of Alice in Wonderland, the Committee justified this by saying that China is a country with a "non-market economy", as it is not a member of the WTO. The Committee then took into account the prices of the "market economy" country, Spain, in order to establish the true market value of the lobsters. Since lobsters in Spain are sold at twice the price in China, which is almost the same as in Louisiana, the Committee concluded that the Chinese were dumping. In August 1997, the Committee imposed a 110% to 123% tax on Chinese lobster imports, thus eliminating the price advantage enjoyed by the Chinese. In an effort to protect American jobs, the Committee sided with Louisiana producers over the interests of American buyers, who are now forced to pay a higher price for lobsters.

KEIS 3. Continuation of automobile wars: USA - Japan

On the international stage, Japan has long supported free trade agreements. However, the US government has repeatedly stressed that the Japanese approach to this is cynical and neomercantilist. The Japanese, US officials said, are happy to establish international agreements that open up foreign markets for Japanese products, but at the same time protect their domestic market from foreign competition. As proof, officials point to huge disparities in trade between the US and Japan, which in 1994 amounted to over $80 billion (the US imported $80 billion more from Japan than it exported).

In 1994, Japanese economists conducted a study that showed that the food, cosmetics, and chemical industries were the main areas in which the Japanese government protected Japanese manufacturing from foreign competition through various import restrictions, such as quotas on the amount of products that can be imported into Japan. According to the estimates obtained, in the absence of barriers protecting these areas from foreign competition, imports would have doubled and prices in Japan would have fallen significantly.

The studies conclude that lowering the prices of goods in these areas would have saved the average Japanese consumer $890 in 1989. However, at the same time, there would be a decline of more than 20% in certain areas, including the cultivation of wheat, oilseeds, leaf tobacco and the production of canned vegetables and fruits, cosmetics. Trade liberalization would result in the loss of more than 180,000 jobs in Japan. It would seem that the Japanese government is shielding these areas from more effective foreign competition in order to keep jobs, even if the average Japanese consumer is forced to buy goods at higher prices. Guardianship of the food sector can be justified by the fact that Japanese farmers who are interested in this protection are a powerful political force in Japanese society.

The US government claims that Japan has also taken a neo-mercantilist stance by importing cars and auto parts. Japan is the main exporter of cars and parts to America and Europe, but historically Japan has only imported 3% of cars and 2% of parts. Other developed countries import from 22% to 78% of cars and from 16% to 60% of spare parts. The Japanese government is restricting imports to Japan by imposing strict security screening requirements on imported goods, designed to increase the cost to foreigners trying to sell goods in Japan, according to US trade negotiators. For example, the US Department of Commerce states that the introduction of front brush protection as a vehicle safety feature is mandatory only in Japan. To do this, it is necessary to carry out a series of works, including production, testing, additional inspection, the cost of which reaches $ 3,000 per vehicle.

The Japanese government denies such accusations. Government officials claim that American auto companies are not popular in Japan because their products do not meet the needs of the Japanese market. They point out that while 80% of cars sold in the Japanese market have engines under 2000cc, no American company sells cars in Japan with the same capacity. They also indicate that the share of imported machinery and parts is increasing in the Japanese market. From 1990 to 1994, for example, the share of imported cars in the Japanese market increased from 5.1% to 8.1%.

CASE 4. Costs of protectionism in the US

The US often presents itself as a country that is committed to unrestricted free trade. In negotiations with trading partners such as China, the European Union and Japan, one can often hear assurances from US trade representatives that the US economy is open with few customs duties. Although customs duties on goods imported into the United States are indeed lower than in other industrialized countries, they still occur. A number of studies have shown that during the 1980s, tariffs cost US buyers about $2 billion a year.

A study by Gary Hufbauer and Kim Elliot at the Institute for International Economics looked at the impact of customs duties on economic activity in 21 industries with annual sales of $1 billion or more that the US carefully protected from foreign competition. Among these industries were: the manufacture of clothing, ceramic tiles, bags and sugar production. In many of these industries, tariffs were originally introduced to protect American firms and their workers from outside competitors offering goods at lower prices. The usual argument for imposing tariffs was that US firms without such support would go bankrupt, causing a significant increase in unemployment. Thus, the tariffs were presented as having a positive effect on the US economy, not to mention the US Treasury, which benefited from the corresponding revenues.

The study found, however, that while these tariffs saved 200,000 protected industry jobs that would otherwise be lost to foreign competition, they cost US buyers about $32 billion in year in the form of higher prices. Even after the proceeds from these fees went to the US Treasury, the total amount paid by the nation was still $10.2 billion a year, or more than $50,000 per job saved.

The economists who conducted these studies proved that these figures underestimated the actual cost that a country incurs in imposing these duties. They argue that by making imported goods less competitive with American goods, the tariffs allowed local producers to charge higher prices because they did not have to compete with cheaper imported goods. By dampening competition, even slightly, these tariffs removed the incentive for firms to become more efficient, thus slowing down economic progress. Moreover, the authors of the study noted that if duties had not been introduced, some part of the $32 billion released annually would have been spent on other goods and services. The growth of these industries would offer new jobs, offsetting the loss of 200,000 jobs in protected industries.

CASE 5. International expansion of Wal-Mart

Founded by Sam Walton in the 1960s, by the early 1990s, Wal-Mart had become the largest discount retailer in the United States, with $32.6 billion in annual sales. from a small store in Arkansas to a national leader, was built on a team of first-rate managers who introduced innovative strategies based on the company's commitment to provide consumers with a large selection of high quality products at a low price.

The firm pioneered the development of a distribution system in which central warehouses were strategically positioned to serve clusters of stores. This allowed to reduce costs in terms of inventories and logistics. The firm was also one of the first to use computer information systems to track internal sales and communicate this information to suppliers. The information provided by these systems was used to determine the pricing strategy and stock levels. Today, Wal-Mart is still a leader in information systems applications.

All of Wal-Mart's stores, distribution centers, and suppliers are connected to each other via a sophisticated information system and satellite communications that allow daily order, inventory, and price adjustments. In addition, the company has a dynamic and elitist culture that delegates key decision making to store managers, department managers, and individual workers (whom Wal-Mart refers to as "colleagues"). Wal-Mart is known to treat its employees very well, but at the same time requires them to actively participate and perform their duties perfectly. This culture is supported by the share participation of workers in the division of profits and ownership. Thus, Wal-Mart has created a culture and control system that encourages employees and managers to do their best for their company.

Despite the successful development, by 1991, Wal-Mart began to experience serious problems. With 1,568 stores across the country, its development prospects in the US were very limited. Wal-Mart decided to try to expand beyond the US and create an "international brand name". The company discussed expansion options, including licensing its brand name for franchise, but then decided it would be best to develop through Wal-Mart's wholly owned subsidiaries in foreign countries that would allow such investment. The company concluded that its competitive advantage was based on a combination of culture and supporting information and logistics systems, and that such a culture and systems would be difficult to transfer to franchised businesses.

In 1992, Wal-Mart began its ventures by opening 6 stores in Mexico. By the end of 1997, Wal-Mart had 402 stores in that country, in addition to 144 in Canada, 13 in Puerto Rico, 9 in Argentina, 8 in Brazil, 3 in China, and 3 in in Indonesia. Wal-Mart also announced its decision to buy 21 Wertkauf supermarkets in Germany, the first joint venture in Europe. Following one strategy, Wal-Mart, after opening a store in another country, transferred several American employees there for 2-3 years to help establish the company's system and transfer the Wal-Mart corporate culture to new employees.

This strategy seems to be working so far. Wal-Mart's international stores generated more than $5 billion in addition to the company's $120 billion in 1997 revenue. They are still making a profit.

CASE 6. Rise of the Finnish Nokia

Industry cell phones- one of the stories of rapid economic growth observed in the 90s. The number of cell phone users is constantly increasing. By the end of 1998 there were about 150 million users worldwide, up from 10 million in 1990. Three firms dominate the international market for cellular equipment (meaning cell phones, base station equipment, and electronic switches): Motorola, Nokia, and Ericsson. Of the three, Nokia's rapid rise was the most surprising.

Nokia is located in Finland - a country that was not leading in this kind of technology. In the 1980s, Nokia was a sprawling conglomerate whose activities included the production of tires, paper products, household appliances and telecommunications equipment. Today it is a concentrated 10 billionth manufacturer of telecommunications equipment, second only to Motorola. Nokia's sales and revenues are growing by more than 30% annually. How did this former conglomerate take the world's leading position in cellular equipment? The answer can be found in the history, geography, politics and economy of Finland and its Scandinavian neighbours.

It all started in 1981 when the Scandinavian countries came together to create the world's first international cell phone network. With a low population density, the cold territories of the Scandinavian countries created all the prerequisites for the peoples living here to become pioneers in this area, since the costs of conducting traditional wire telephone connection they were much higher than in many other states. Therefore, telecommunications services were in high demand. People who drive cars in the winter in the Arctic, the owners of remote northern homes need phones to call, for example, someone for help in case of trouble. As a result, Sweden, Norway and Finland became the first countries in the world to take the idea of ​​cellular telecommunications seriously.

They found that while a user was paying about $800 to provide a wired telephone connection to remote areas, those same areas could be connected to a wireless network. cellular communication for only $500 per person. As a result, by 1994, 12% of the population in Scandinavia were cell phone owners, compared to less than 6% in the US, the second most developed market in the world.

Nokia, as a long-time supplier of telecommunications equipment, was in an advantageous position, but there were other conditions in Finland that helped it develop its competitiveness. Compared to other developed countries, Finland has never had a national telephone monopoly. On the contrary, telephone services in the country were carried out by about 50 autonomous local telephone companies, whose boards of directors set prices as a result of a referendum (which means - low prices). These independent and cost-conscious phone service providers prevented Nokia from achieving a monopoly in their country.

With typical Finnish pragmatism, they would go with the cheapest supplier, be it Nokia, Motorola, Ericsson or whatever. This situation was very different from that which prevailed in most developed countries until the late 1980s and early 1990s, where local telephone monopolies usually bought equipment from a leading local supplier or manufactured it themselves. Nokia responded to this pressure by doing everything possible to keep production costs down while remaining a leading technology company.

The implications of these efforts are clear. While Motorola remains the number one cellular equipment manufacturer, the once obscure Finnish firm Nokia has suddenly appeared on the horizon. And it is Nokia, not Motorola, that is the leader in digital cellular technology, which is the future. Nokia leads the way in this area because the Scandinavian countries were the first to switch to digital technologies - five years ahead of all other countries.

Encouraged by its low-price oriented Finnish customers, Nokia now has the lowest cost system of any global cellular equipment manufacturer, with more revenue than Motorola.

CASE 7: The Rise of Software in India

“The theory is dry, my friend, but the tree of life is lush green,” they usually recall the famous classic phrase when they want to say that it’s time to move from words to deeds.

To complement the discourse on cinema marketing, I decided to invite all interested readers to practice practical marketing.

Firstly, it is much more interesting for me, as an author, and for you, as readers, and secondly, it will allow us to add new aspects and details of elaboration to the topic on which we are solving problems.

In addition, in the course of solving the tasks I propose, any reader will be able to offer their own case for public discussion. Perhaps, in this way, some problem will be solved for someone and one headache will become less.

I want to immediately clarify the understanding of the prospects for waiting for the results of this project, so as not to mislead readers, and especially participants who offer their own options for solving problems. Obviously, we will never be able to find an unambiguous, the only correct solution to the problem posed in marketing cases. And this is connected, first of all, with the very nature of marketing, as a science of perception. And, as it has long been known: "There are no comrades for the taste and color."

Therefore, the main task of the cases is not so much to get an unambiguous answer, but to study the decision-making technology itself using practical examples. Designate a range of factors that affect the result, summarize the experience of cinemas that have already been looking for solutions to similar problems. And, at least, determine the vector of direction and methods for solving the problem and at least one more step closer to the cherished goal.

In general, for me personally, marketing is 50% creativity and 50% technology. Technique is marketing tools, and creativity is not only unexpected and original creative solutions, but also intuitive variability in the use of these very marketing tools. I would compare the technology for solving a marketing problem with taking an integral. It is known that even a monkey can be taught to calculate the differential, but only Homo sapiens can take integrals. The only difference is that in marketing all integrals are not taken.

TOPIC: MARKET VOLUME. PROBLEM FOR EXAMPLE.

Preamble:

Knowing and predicting the volume of the film distribution market is one of the key factors for being able to correctly assess the competitive position of the cinema, its financial potential, the effectiveness of the competitive strategy, the prospects for payback, the need and size of investments.

Case №1-1

Terms:

The average monthly actual box office in the city of N with a population of 100,000 people, with one five-screen cinema in the shopping and entertainment center operating for two years, is 3.98 million rubles. and the average monthly attendance is 20,000. Another four-screen cinema has been opened in the new mall. The repertoire policy of cinemas does not have significant differences. The pricing policy of the new cinema differs from the current one by lower prices by 30%.

A task:

Determine the total average monthly box office in city N if the operating cinema has adjusted its prices by 30% downwards?

Additional information:

Parameters of the current shopping and entertainment center: area 20,000 sq.m., standard content for tenants + zone for children's gaming machines, distance from the city center -700 m, nearby sleeping area. The cinema has the largest hall in the city.

Parameters of the new mall: area 25,000, standard tenant content + slot machine zone + fitness center, distance from the city center - 0 m.

An example solution:

To begin with, let's deal with the possible change in cinema attendance in general. Let's define the factors that can affect the change in attendance:

• a) Ticket price reduction
• b) Interest in the new cinema
• c) Advertising campaign for the opening of a new cinema
• d) Reciprocal advertising activity of the operating cinema
• e) Improved service availability (distance, total number of sessions)

Let's make an assessment of the possible change in attendance by the influence of each factor separately.

a) Ticket price reduction- can affect both the frequency of visits to cinemas and the attraction of an additional audience, for which the price was a fundamental decision-making factor. Since the cost reduction was significant, it can be assumed that this factor will increase cinema attendance from 10 to 15% with a phased achievement of this result.

b) Interest in a new cinema- most likely will provide a local surge in attendance of the new cinema during the first one or two months, mainly due to visits to the previously operating cinema, this factor can provide an increase in attendance up to 20-25% in the first month, followed by a decrease to 0%

d) Response advertising activity of the operating cinema - will not have any significant impact on attendance and will most likely affect the general hype around film distribution in the city, however, you can count on an increase of 3 to 5%, mainly due to a synergistic effect with lower prices

e) Service Accessibility Improvement(distance, total number of sessions) - at the initial stage it will not give any significant results, but in the subsequent period it can bring up to 10% increase in attendance.

Output: the total number of cinema visits in general can increase from 27% to 55% in the first month of a new cinema and then stabilize to the level of 23-30%. Taking into account the 30% reduction in the ticket price, it can be assumed that the city's box office will increase by 10% in the first or second month of the new cinema's operation, with subsequent stabilization at the previous level or even a decrease by 3-4%.

Perhaps for this task you will offer a different argumentation and formulate a different conclusion. Let's discuss together, offer your solutions.

Below I propose two similar tasks as a development of this one.

TASKS FOR STUDY.

Case №1-2

Terms:

Match conditions Case №1-1

A task:

Determine the average monthly box office for each of the cinemas.

Case №1-3

Terms:

Match conditions Case №1-1

A task:

Determine the total average monthly box office of city N if the operating cinema left prices at the same level?

_______________________________________________________________________

Case №1-4

Terms:

The volume of the region's annual cinema market is determined by the formula V=P*K*S, where V is the actual volume of ticket sales per year, P is the number of residents in the locality, K is the attendance rate, S is the average ticket price

A task:

Create a formula for calculating the values ​​of K and S, using socio-demographic, economic, migration and other indicators of the state of the region. All indicators must have an unambiguous interpretation, have specific values, and be freely available.

Possible indicators:

Average salary, number of students, number of schoolchildren, average age audience, diversification factor of production, remoteness from a more developed center, number of cinemas and the level of their equipment and multiple screens, suburban population, etc.

H some explanation for this case. Based on the variety of factors that affect the volume of the cinema market and the absence of any clear proven dependencies of the market on these factors, most likely this task has a pronounced futuristic character. I dare to suggest that a couple of years will not be enough for any research institute to search for a cherished solution. And taking into account the constant variability of the very number and composition of influencing factors, the search for this solution generally loses its meaning.

However, knowing the formula for accurately calculating the volume of the cinema market is one of the most cherished desires of investors. Therefore, I propose to use the only scientific approach that is always at hand to find a solution to this problem - the scientific poke method. Do not be shy, offer any creative solutions, in the end, the combination of many factors can be expressed in one factor, and, at first glance, that does not affect the activity of moviegoers in any way.

Try to apply this problem to your own city.

How to write a case study for a marketing interview.

Interviews with marketers often cause difficulties for HR specialists if it is necessary to first assess their professional skills and conduct an initial selection.

You can read about how you can solve this problem with the help of cases in the article.

Interview for the position of marketer - existing problems

An interview with a candidate for the position of a marketer in medium and large companies that have a human resources department is most often carried out in two stages. The first interview is conducted by an employee of the personnel department, and at the next stage, the direct supervisor of the marketer talks to the candidate, who has a good idea of ​​what skills his employee should have to perform current tasks. In this case, the HR manager plays the role of a filter and skips to the next round of interviews of candidates who most closely match the required profile. One of the problems that arises in this case is the assessment of the candidate's professional qualities for compliance with the requirements. Many of the marketers who did not pass the first stage of the interview often express the opinion that only a specialist, which the HR manager is not, can assess professional competence. And they are partly right, but spending the manager’s time on a routine interview is not very correct. How can one remove the contradiction between the need to obtain objective data about the professional level of the candidate and the lack of necessary knowledge in marketing from the manager conducting the initial interview.

To improve the quality of selection, it is advisable to use such a tool as test tasks for candidates - pre-prepared cases. They allow you to assess how much a marketer owns the tools that he will have to use in his work.

There are also difficulties in preparing such cases, since HR managers are not professional marketers. It is also difficult to prepare a case that meets conflicting requirements. On the one hand, it should be simple so that, at least during the interview, it can be completed in 5-10 minutes, on the other hand, the case should make it possible to assess the real skills of the candidate.

What exactly you should not do is to offer test tasks that provide for the choice of the “correct” answer from among those offered (with the exception of financial calculations). Marketing is not mathematics, most often there is no unambiguous answer. In addition, a specific decision depends on such a number of factors that it is simply impossible to describe them more or less completely in a case. Therefore, it is more important to assess how the candidate's logic of reasoning corresponds to the company's marketing culture, and not to check how much the marketer remembers the definitions. The task of the interview case is to understand what models the marketer owns and how confidently, and not to assess how the marketer’s decision is “correct”. As a result, the employee of the personnel department has the opportunity to evaluate the knowledge of the marketer about what needs to be done, and his skills and abilities - how he does it.

From my point of view, such a case should be developed, or, at least, adapted by the immediate supervisor. Who, if not him, should understand the tasks that a subordinate will have to solve. The problem is that few managers have experience in preparing such tasks. I hope that the experience of developing a case study for an interview for a marketing analyst position described below will help them in developing tasks.

An example of developing a case for a marketer interview

As an example, consider the development of a case for a marketing analyst in a company that has its own production. It is not difficult for an experienced department head to conduct an interview and assess the candidate's mastery of the basic analysis models necessary for the job. The main problem is that the flow of candidates is quite large and it is not advisable to devote a lot of time to candidates who are obviously unsuitable in professional terms. At the same time, the HR manager who conducts the interview does not know the specifics of the marketer's work so well as to be able to assess his professional competence.

The task was to create a case for a marketing analyst that would allow the HR manager to evaluate the logic of the candidate’s reasoning and his possession of the necessary tools.

We list the functional responsibilities

The main functional responsibilities for this position in a particular company:

• Collection and analysis of market information.
• Pricing - preparation of proposals for prices for manufactured products. Regular revision of prices depending on the market situation. Development of a pricing policy for the sales department. Etc.
• Launching new products to the market - from the development stage to pricing and development of promotion programs.
• Participation in the development of business plans, involving the financial justification of the proposed solutions.

Compiling a short list of marketing skills required by the candidate

The following skills were selected for evaluation:

• The ability to collect information from open sources and conduct a marketing analysis of the market environment according to the classical scheme for the purposes of marketing planning.
• Ownership of pricing practices. Understanding the factors influencing pricing policy. The ability to justify your proposals.
• Understanding the features of working with a product at different stages of its life cycle.
• Basic knowledge of financial calculations.

We develop questions, the answers to which allow us to assess the candidate's ability to solve problems

When answering questions, the candidate must show his ability to analyze the situation, and the HR manager should have the opportunity, without having deep knowledge in marketing, to objectively assess how the candidate meets the company's requirements for a marketing analyst.

The time it takes to answer each task should be 5-7 minutes.

And most importantly, for each issue, recommendations should be given to the personnel department on which they can evaluate the candidate.

As an example, we will describe a question for assessing the first two skills:

Ability to collect information from open sources and conduct market analysis ...

Task formulation.

As the first task at your new job, your manager has asked you to organize a collection of information about competitors.

- What information about the competitors of the company *** do you intend to receive, and how?

- What conclusions can you draw on its basis, and with what frequency?

It should be noted that the analysis of competitors allows us to offer solutions that distinguish the company from among them. Constant monitoring of competitors and analysis is essential for informed marketing decision making.

Regarding the information collected, at a minimum, it should be named:

- information on the range. (number of product groups, brands, …)

- sales policy (dealers, distribution channels ...).

– image (brand) (positioning, branding policy…)

Obtaining information involves the use of open sources: catalogs, company visits, exhibitions, the Internet, etc. It is desirable that, for each category, practical ways of obtaining information are named.

A plus would be a description of the experience of independently obtaining information by phone or other channels.

Establishing close ties with the sales department should be mentioned without fail, while obtaining information should involve the exchange of information, and not a one-way process.

Result

• The answer requires almost no preparation time - the candidate can answer immediately, after thinking about the answer.
• It is possible to evaluate the completeness of the answer, asking additional questions if necessary. At a minimum, it is clear how ready a marketing analyst is for a systematic analysis of market information.
• It becomes clearer the experience of collecting information and information support for decision-making, as well as the planning practice at the previous place of work.

Knowledge of pricing...

Task formulation.

You are presented with the price list of the company ***. (Adapted price list is attached to the task).

You need to prepare proposals for changing the existing price list based on competitive analysis.

A. Formulate the questions that you will need to get answers to when preparing the proposal.

C. Describe the approaches you will use in preparing the proposal, including obtaining the necessary information. What is the sequence of pricing.

C. Name the features of the existing price list that you would like to point out. What would you suggest discussing when preparing a price list form to send to potential clients.

Question "A" of the task.

First of all, the candidate's understanding of the dependence of prices on the company's market strategy is assessed. Questions are expected to be asked:

What are the goals of developing a new price list?

First of all, the candidate must show an understanding that any changes should be aimed at achieving the set goals.

As additional comments, when answering a similar question, we can say that the task is to increase sales, which are associated, among other things, with not very successful pricing.

What pricing strategy does the company follow?

In response, you can ask to suggest a possible strategy.

(it is important to analyze the situation when offering or different options should be given).

There may be questions about the cost, the desired rate of return, etc.

These questions should be left unanswered.

What segments does the company target?

In response, we can say that this can be judged from the information from the price list.

As questions, information for analysis that will need to be obtained can be listed. (market situation, competitors, competitive situation, etc.)

In response to this, you can ask how the candidate himself intends to obtain the necessary information. Which, in essence, suggests the second question.

If questions are not asked, this indicates that the candidate does not fully understand the relationship between pricing and other aspects of the business.

Question "B" of the task

The answer to the question shows the candidate's understanding of the factors that affect pricing in the company.

The answer should sound understanding (in order of importance):

• Segments targeted for sales;
• goals that are achieved by discounts (increasing sales by stimulating purchases of larger consignments of goods, taking into account the needs of different segments, gaining a competitive advantage, etc.);
• principles of pricing (gradations of discounts depending on the level of the distribution channel).
• assortment policy;
• product groups;
• brand policy;
• the image of the company, which is influenced by the form and content of the price list;

There should be logic in justifying the proposed solutions. The question “why” should be logically justified using available information or expert opinion.

It is good if the candidate shows a logical and coherent description of the pricing process based on the analysis.

Question "C" of the task.

The answer to the question shows the ability to critically analyze the existing option and justify the proposals.

Possible options (not by priority)

- Orientation to different segments. (it is possible to develop a price list for various segments)

– no special offers (no offers for wholesale buyers)

For each of the comments, you can ask for suggestions for corrections.

Result

The proposed task meets the tasks set:

• The answer to the task requires 5 - 10 minutes.
• The need to analyze the document "from the sight" shows the mastery of the practice of forming a price list.
• The depth of analysis and the range of issues raised can tell how much the candidate knows pricing issues.

Instead of a conclusion

Even such a brief example of the sequence of developing tasks or a case for a candidate shows the opportunity to give the HR manager a tool that allows you to objectively conduct an initial assessment of the candidate for the possession of the necessary skills.

At the next stage of the interview, the manager can assess the qualifications of the candidate by asking him questions related to practical activities and the experience that the candidate has.

As you can see, the problem posed can be solved by the joint work of a specialist in the personnel department and the head of the marketing department.

Experience British Airways, Guinness, Oreo, Pedigree and other famous brands.

To bookmarks

Founded in 1996, the international Jay Award The Chiat Awards honor the best marketing strategies around the world. At various times, the jury included General Electric creative director Andy Goldberg, YouTube marketing director Daniel Tait, Ogilvy agency strategy director Gavin May, and other experts.

1.Under Armor

In 2014, sportswear brand Under Armor launched the "I will what I want" ad campaign to promote the women's collection.

In 2013, womenswear sales accounted for 17% of Under Armor's total revenue, and women perceived the brand as aggressive, results-driven, and "definitely not for us," the company said.

Under Armor's mission was to reposition the brand for women, from competing for first place to focusing on personal achievement. The idea behind the ad campaign was that in a culture where a woman is told what to be and what to do, the only way to break free is to build a personal vision of success.

Under Armor told the story of American Ballet Theater dancer Misty Copland, who was rejected from ballet schools because of her “wrong body.” Despite this, she became the first African-American principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre.

According to the company, the brand received 5 billion mentions online, and sales of the women's collection increased by 28% compared to pre-promotion figures.

The advertising campaign was developed in collaboration with the Droga5 agency, which has worked with Google, Pizza Hut, MailChimp email marketing service and other companies.

2 British Airways

5. Newcastle brown ale

The American beer brand Newcastle brown ale was created in Newcastle in 1927. According to company representatives, they never tried to create unnecessary noise around the brand, but positioned it as a good beer for "ordinary honest guys."

The company had to think about new ways to increase sales with the advent of competitors who regularly organized activities with users online.

The Agency analyzed user discussions in in social networks and found out that one of the most popular topics is the Super Bowl, the final game for the championship of the US National Football League. Droga5 then looked at the advertising campaigns of other brands and came to the conclusion that their advertising activities peak on the day of the game. Newcastle brown ale and Droga 5 opted to advertise during the week leading up to the game instead.

The campaign was held under the slogan "As if we did it." The idea was to show what kind of advertising Newcastle brown ale could do before the game if the company had the money.

One of the campaign banners

The agency developed 15 banners for online promotion and an animated video featuring actress Anna Kendrick.

Along with this, Droga5 released a video in which Kendrick talks about his "role" in advertising.

As a result of the campaign, the Newcastle brown ale brand received 600 media mentions, 10 million ad views and an 18% increase in sales.

6.Oreo

In 2012, Mondelez's Oreo biscuit brand reached peak sales in 2012, the company said. In the same year, the company turned 100 years old, and the question of further development arose before it.

Oreo is associated by consumers with childhood and parental care. Company representatives set themselves the task of updating the brand's positioning and promoting the Oreo brand instead of advertising cookies: "We focused on Coca Cola and Lewis - it's not just soda or jeans, but something more."

To develop the advertising campaign, Oreo engaged the creative agency Martin Agency, which also collaborated with Subway, Dunkin Donuts, Tic Tac and other brands.

The campaign was based on the idea to awaken consumers' curiosity about the world. Martina Agency developed the platform Wonderfilled, which hosted videos starting with the question "what if we give Oreo...?". For example, in the Oreo video, the vampire is asked to drink Oreo milk instead of blood.

According to company representatives, the number of references to Wonderfilled online has exceeded 56 million. Well-known publications wrote about the campaign: The New York Times, Creativity Online, Ad Age, and the videos became "ads of the day" on the AdWeek website. Oreo sales increased from 8.1% to 13.2%.

7. iPhone 6

In 2014, Apple released two smartphones: iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. According to company representatives, the gadgets were successfully sold, but users often compared them with other smartphones in terms of characteristics: battery level, camera, speed, and others. Apple decided to change the attitude of consumers towards the brand so that they choose the iPhone regardless of the characteristics.

The company analyzed what users value most about the iPhone 6. It turned out that it is the quality of images and videos.

Apple engaged creative agency TBWA to develop the ad campaign. It found that Instagram has over 91 million posts with the hashtag . Also, many photographer users indicated "iPhone only" in the description of their profiles. This meant that the published photos were taken using the iPhone's camera.

8. Pedigree

In 2010, Pedigree faced a number of difficulties: increased competition and a lack of understanding in which markets to invest in - developed or growing. Also, the company was faced with the task of updating the brand positioning, which at that time had not changed for twenty years.

Pedigree partnered with BBDO to develop the advertising campaign. It offered to touch the feelings of consumers and talk to them about why they love dogs and what role animals play in their lives.

Pedigree did a study and found out that dogs have a positive effect on people. The company also found that consumers love dogs for their innocence and loyalty. According to Pedigree, people lose their innocence and innocence over time, so spending time with a dog is "an opportunity to return to yourself."

BBDO has released several TV commercials about the relationship between a dog and a human: " Boys in the top 50 rating of emotional advertising feelmore.

9. Rei co-op

The Rei co-op outdoor brand was founded in 1938. According to company representatives, the main thing for Rei is not profit, but employees and customers. The company has created a community of outdoor enthusiasts around the brand, which includes more than 5 million members.

Rei faced competition in the market and hired creative agency Venables Bell and Partners on the condition that the promotion budget was limited. At the time of the launch of the advertising campaign, Rei had never told the story of her brand to clients.

The launch of the campaign was scheduled for the period of the American Thanksgiving holiday, immediately after which the day of sales "Black Friday" takes place. The agency conducted a study of Rei's target audience and found out that consumers do not want to spend their weekends in stores. Then Venables Bell and Partners came up with the idea to close all Rei co-op stores on Black Friday and invite employees and customers to go out of town together.

According to the agency, 1.4 million people spent "Black Friday" with Rei. More than 170 organizations closed that day in support of the campaign, and parks let protesters in for free.

Rei also attracted 1 million new community members, received 1.2 billion social media mentions, and became the top 11 Twitter trends in 2015.

10. Ad Council

The Ad Council, a non-profit advocacy organization, has launched a "love has no label" ad campaign.

The Ad Council conducted a study and found out several facts, for example: one in five representatives of sexual minorities in the United States feels rejected by society, six out of ten African Americans do not like the way others treat them, up to 85% of students have been bullied. The Ad Council also found that almost all Americans believe that they do not judge anyone.

The purpose of the advertising campaign was to help Americans reconsider their beliefs. To do this, the Ad Council invited the digital agency R/Ga to cooperate, which worked with Lego, Nike and other companies.

On February 14, 2015, the Ad Council organized a video installation. Viewers saw real people whose movements were duplicated by an "X-ray image" on the other side of the screen. Within 24 hours, the video was viewed by 11 million users, the company said.

As a result, Ad Council received a total coverage of more than 110 million views, 825 thousand likes and 1.6 million reposts on social networks.