Description: Manufacturing jobs are not close to pre-recession levels, but auto jobs, especially in Michigan, are showing signs of life. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 03/16/2012 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2012/03/16/n-us-manufacturing-autos.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: Why has manufacturing rebounded? What does this mean for the economy as a whole, in your opinion?
Posts Categorized: Part 4: Marketing Management
Pricey undies, made in the U.S.A.
Description: Hanky Panky is one of very few apparel makers that makes its lingerie in America. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 03/15/2012 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2012/03/14/n-hanky-panky-usa.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: How is it that this product category can defy the odds and sell successfully? Are there other products that could do as well, in your opinion?
A Marketer’s Homage to the Soda Can
Description:  PepsiCo (PEP) recently announced that it will add an additional $500 million to $600 million to its roughly $2 billion advertising budget to support its soda brands in 2012, in an attempt to catch up with the heavy spending (and sales gains) of archrival Coca-Cola (KO). Meanwhile, Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPS) recently upped… Read more »
Oreo: An iconic cookie turns 100
Description: CNN’s Felicia Taylor explores how Oreo has remained an American favorite for a century. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 03/06/2012 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2012/03/06/happy_100_oreo.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: Why do you think Oreo has endured for 100 years? Are you surprised to find out that Oreo sells well elsewhere in the world? How would you develop… Read more »
SXSW’s hottest new apps
Description: Social discovery apps like Highlight and Sonar are getting buzzed about but come with privacy concerns. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 03/10/2012 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2012/03/10/ts-sxsw-highlight-sonar.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: Do you think these apps will become popular? Where are they likely to be used? Is there a business use for these apps in business settings,… Read more »
End of Days for Independent Pharmacies?
Description:  When patients arrive at Woods Pharmacy & Prescription in Mountain View, Ark., pharmacist Dana Woods greets them by name. In a town of 3,000, where Woods has owned the $2 million pharmacy and soda fountain for 26 years, he usually also knows their parents, their children, and their medications. Source: Businessweek.com Date: 03/08/2012 Link: … Read more »
Green Mountain falls as Starbucks takes on Keurig
Description:  Shares in Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc (GMCR.O) tumbled 14 percent on Friday, on fears that it may lose its near monopoly in the U.S. single-cup coffee market after partner Starbucks Corp (SBUX.O) outlined plans to launch a rival coffee and espresso machine. Source: Reuters.com Date: 03/09/2012 Link: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/09/us-greenmountaincoffeeroasters-shares-idUSBRE8280MF20120309 Questions for discussion: Why have… Read more »
Designing a $100 solar-powered tablet
Description: Fuseproject founder Yves Behar shows off the One Laptop Per Child project’s latest invention. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 02/23/2012 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2012/02/23/t-ts-nextlist-olpc.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: How do you think the creative product development process differs at a not-for-profit business like Fuseproject? How do you think this product will affect development at for-profit manufacturers?… Read more »
Making ‘whoopie’ from home
Description: Staying home with small children while earning an income is a common dilemma among parents. Amy Bouchard of Garinder, Maine, figured it out, turning her knack for whoopie pies into a profitable business. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 02/22/2012 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/smallbusiness/2012/02/22/smb_sbt_wicked_whoopies.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: Explain the formula for this entrepreneurial success story? How… Read more »
Inhaling caffeine. What a shot!
Description: CNNMoney’s Aaron Smith tests Aero Shot, the new caffeine inhaler that contains 100 mg of caffeine in one breathable serving. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 02/21/2012 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2012/02/20/n_caffeine_inhaler.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: Who might be interested in this sort of product? What are the ethical and social responsibilities related to this product? Do you… Read more »
