Description: Midpriced chains are getting facelifts and tweaking menus to lure younger diners Source: Businessweek.com Date: 08/25/2011 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/the-great-casualdining-upheaval-08252011.html Questions for discussion: Summarize how restaurants are changing their existing strategies. How do you think this target market of customers will respond to the effort?
Posts Tagged: Product and Distribution Strategies (p386)
What Google knows about your eating habits
Description: Google says companies are increasingly using local search data to extract more bang for their online marketing buck. Source: Fortune.com Date: 08/26/2011 Link: http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/08/26/what-google-knows-about-your-eating-habits/ Questions for discussion: What do you think of this marketing information? Do you think this information provides real advantage to marketers or consumers? What other applications might also prove to… Read more »
Magnolia Bakery is sweet on Dubai
Description: CNN’s Felicia Taylor visits a Magnolia Bakery in Manhattan and speaks with owner Steve Abrams about the boom in applications for franchises around the world. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 07/19/2011 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2011/08/18/n_magnolia_bakery.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: Why has Magnolia been a successful global company? Why is franchising a good approach for growing the… Read more »
Luxury (Now) Within Reach
Description: While many people are tightening their budgets, shoppers lusting after that “it” bag, a first-class airline seat or a pricey car may now find those luxuries are more affordable than before. Kelli Grant has details on The News Hub. Source: Moneywatch.com – video report Date: 08/19/2011 Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/video/asset/luxury-now-within-reach-2011-08-19/E5DE35A1-4CCE-410A-9711-008AE3E5D836#!E5DE35A1-4CCE-410A-9711-008AE3E5D836 Questions for discussion: Do you think… Read more »
Audi Cuts A6 Price as Lure for U.S. BMW-Mercedes Drivers: Cars
Description: Volkswagen AG’s Audi, the luxury brand trying to double its U.S. sales, has lowered the sticker price of its redesigned A6 midsize sedan to grab more market share. Source: Businessweek.com Date: 08/19/2011 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-08-19/audi-cuts-a6-price-as-lure-for-u-s-bmw-mercedes-drivers-cars.html Questions for discussion: Summarize how Audi is trying to use price to gain market share. Do you think this strategy… Read more »
As PCs Wane, Companies Look to Tablets
Description: Although the world is dependent on personal computers, making them has not been a great business for most American companies for almost a decade. Source: NYTimes.com Date: 08/19/2011 Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/20/technology/as-pcs-wane-companies-look-to-tablets.html?ref=business Questions for discussion: Do you think the market for tablets will be greater than the market for PCs? How important are the brand and… Read more »
Food giants mine the gluten-free gold rush
Description: Gluten-free is no longer a niche market. Conglomerates like General Mills and Kellogg’s see profits where there’s no gluten. Source: Fortune.com Date: 08/19/2011 Link: http://features.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2011/08/19/food-giants-mine-the-gluten-free-gold-rush/ Questions for discussion: Explain the move by food giants to produce gluten-free products. Do you think the “gluten-free†label can be marketed successfully the same way “organic†and “natural  Read more »
First, Make Money. Also, Do Good.
Description: CORPORATE social responsibility efforts have always struck me as the modern equivalent of John D. Rockefeller handing out dimes to the common folk. They may be well-intentioned, but they often seem like small gestures at the margins of what companies are really trying to do: make money. Source: NYTimes.com Date: 08/13/2011 Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/14/business/shared-value-gains-in-corporate-responsibility-efforts.html?ref=business Questions… Read more »
Behind Five Guys’ Beloved Burgers
Description: Carnivores keep coming back for the authentic vibe as much as the beef, but maintaining it throughout the franchise is no simple task Source: Businessweek.com Date: 08/12/2011 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/behind-five-guys-beloved-burgers-08112011.html Questions for discussion: Summarize the key reasons for the success of the business. How might franchising affect growth of the company? How can they maintain… Read more »
Where you’ll feel the downgrade
Description: CNNMoney’s Poppy Harlow explains how S&P’s downgrade of the US credit rating may impact mortgages, car and student loans. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 07/06/2011 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2011/08/06/n_impact_credit_downgrade.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: Summarize the expected consequences of the S&P’s downgrade. How would these changes be expected to impact the overall economy? How can this problem… Read more »
