Description: Deciding to buy a smart phone is the easy part. With dozens of models on the market — add one more after Motorola’s Droid X went on sale Thursday — picking your perfect phone requires hours of research on countless details. Source: Marketwatch.com Date: 07/16/2010 Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/droid-x-adds-to-challenge-of-choosing-a-smartphone-2010-07-16?siteid=nwtwk  Questions for discussion: What are the… Read more »
Posts Tagged: Product and Distribution Strategies (p420)
Was Steinbrenner Just Lucky?
Description: Before he bought the New York Yankees, George Steinbrenner tried to buy the Cleveland Indians. Source: NYTimes.com  Date: 07/16/2010 Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/17/business/17nocera.html?ref=business Questions for discussion: How would you explain the increase in value of the NY Yankees from the time George Steinbrenner bought the team in 1971? How important is the team brand to marketing… Read more »
Making the Dream of a Flying Car a Reality
Description: MIT graduate Carl Dietrich co-founded Terrafugia, which is now taking preorders for the science fiction fan’s ultimate dream: a $194,000 flying car. Source: Businessweek.com  Date: 07/15/2010 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_30/b4188043262844.htm Questions for discussion: Who is the customer for this product? Do you think the high selling price would pose a problem for the firm trying… Read more »
Buy an electric car, rent the battery
Description: Better Place CEO Shai Agassi’s bet on electric cars involves swappable batteries but questions remain whether he can pull it off. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report  Date: 07/08/2010 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2010/07/08/f_bg_better_place_agassi.fortune/ Questions for discussion: Do you think this pricing model will work? Who do you think would be the target customer most interested in… Read more »
D8 Video: Steve Case in Full Session
Description: Steve Case and Kara Swisher meet again onstage at the D8 Conference. What has the Revolution CEO been up to on the 25h Anniversary of American Online? Source: Marketwatch.com – video report  Date: 07/02/2010 Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/video/asset/d8-video-steve-case-in-full-session/2B7724EE-756E-4975-893A-BBA244AFD4B3  Questions for discussion: Summarize the history of AOL and the development of the Internet. What surprises you… Read more »
Apple’s iPhone 4: Great, But Needs New Network
Description: Three years ago, Apple wasn’t in the mobile phone business at all. Now, it’s rolling out the fourth generation of its game-changing iPhone. WSJ’s Walt Mossberg reviews the iPhone 4, which he says has a number of cool new features as well as a “big downside.” Source: Marketwatch.com – video report  Date: 06/22/2010… Read more »
In Price War, E-Readers Go Below $200
Description: A price war is brewing in the growing market for electronic reading devices. Source: NYTimes.com  Date: 06/21/2010 Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/22/technology/22reader.html?src=busln Questions for discussion: Do you agree with the analysis of this report? Is there a market for a single-application device? Who are the customers in this market? What price would be appropriate for the… Read more »
digits: RIM’s New BlackBerries to Rival iPhone
Description: Research In Motion is readying a slate of new devices and software as it looks to keep its BlackBerry smartphone from losing more ground to touch-screen devices like Apple’siPhone and iPad. Sarah Silver has details Source: Marketwatch.com – video report  Date: 06/15/2010  Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/video/asset/digits-rim-new-blackberries-to-rival-iphone/5F6246E6-807D-4322-81E8-51A551F1F935 Questions for discussion: Do you think “everyone†will… Read more »
Nestle to Sail Amazon Rivers to Reach Consumers
Description: Nestle SA will begin sailing a supermarket barge down two Amazon river tributaries tomorrow as it competes with Unilever to reach emerging-market customers cut off from branded goods. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: 06/17/2010 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aBCeN4ZitvSg  Questions for discussion: Do you think this distribution strategy works? Is there anything unethical in bringing consumer goods to… Read more »
Plus-Size Revelation: Big Women Have Cash, Too
Description: Corseted into a size 18 white denim dress, wearing heels that made her about 6-foot-2, Gwen DeVoe, a former model and fashion-show producer, stepped onto a runway in Manhattan this week and made a pitch to retailers for the plus-size woman. Source: NYTimes.com  Date: 06/18/2010 Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/19/business/19plus.html?ref=business Questions for discussion: What are the… Read more »
