Why Florida Makes $20M A Year From Gatorade

Posted by & filed under Consumer/Buyer Behavior, Ethics, Global Marketing, Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC), Marketing Strategy, Product Brands and Branding.

Description: The Gatorade shower is a post-game ritual seen from the Sandlot to the Super Bowl. Celebrations aside, Gatorade is the most popular sports drink in the world, bringing in billions of dollars every year to its parent company, PepsiCo. But Pepsi doesn’t get to keep every dollar. Over the last few years, Pepsi has… Read more »

Nest smart thermostat co-founder is back with a new device for the home, focused on food

Posted by & filed under Consumer/Buyer Behavior, Ethics, Global Marketing, Innovation, Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC), Marketing Research, Marketing Strategy, Pricing, Relationship Marketing, Supply Chain.

Description: Matt Rogers has always liked to look at areas that are overlooked. Before he left Apple to start smart device company Nest Labs in 2010, for instance, no one thought twice about their home thermostat and took its technology for granted. Nest’s smart thermostat, which allows users to control their home’s heating from an app on their… Read more »

How the secret $40 billion food fraud market works

Posted by & filed under Consumer/Buyer Behavior, Ethics, Global Marketing, Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC), Product Brands and Branding, Relationship Marketing, Supply Chain.

Description: The food in your kitchen cabinets may not be what it seems. Fraudsters motivated by economic gain secretly infiltrate the global food market through a variety of means, including counterfeits, dilutions, substitution and mislabeling, according to the Global Food Safety Initiative. This not only adds to your food bill, but can put your health… Read more »

How health insurance may have made health care more expensive

Posted by & filed under Consumer/Buyer Behavior, Ethics, Global Marketing, Innovation, Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC), Pricing, Services Marketing.

Description: Widespread medical debt is a uniquely American problem. Roughly 40% of U.S. adults have at least $250 in medical debt, according to a survey conducted by Kaiser Family Foundation. Source: CNBC.com – video report Date: Jan 08, 2023 Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/08/how-health-insurance-may-have-made-health-care-more-expensive.html Questions for discussion: What is the explanation presented in this report for higher health care… Read more »

May ‘Bad Spaniels’ Mock Jack Daniel’s? The Supreme Court Will Decide.

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Description: The justices have agreed to hear a trademark dispute with First Amendment overtones involving a dog toy’s bathroom humor and a distinctive whiskey bottle. Source: NYTimes.com Date: Dec 05, 2022 Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/05/us/politics/bad-spaniels-jack-daniels-dog-toy.html?smid=em-share Questions for discussion: What are the branding issues in this dispute? What is your opinion on the limits and rights of the… Read more »

Will U.S. Holiday Shoppers Reward Companies for Doing Good?

Posted by & filed under Consumer/Buyer Behavior, Ethics, Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC), Product Brands and Branding, Relationship Marketing, Retail Marketing.

Description: The recent Bentley-Gallup Force for Good study found that most Americans are willing to pay a premium for products from companies that have a reputation for doing good. Specifically, majorities of at least 60% said they would be willing to pay extra for a simple consumer good — a T-shirt — if the company that made… Read more »

Meet the Man on a Mission to Expose Sneaky Price Increases

Posted by & filed under Consumer/Buyer Behavior, Ethics, Global Marketing, Innovation, Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC), Marketing Research, Marketing Strategy, Metrics/Analytics, Pricing, Product Brands and Branding, Relationship Marketing, Retail Marketing.

Description: Edgar Dworsky has become the go-to expert on “shrinkflation,” when products or packaging are manipulated so people get less for their money. Source: NYTimes.com Date: Nov 27, 2022 Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/26/climate/fighting-shrinkflation-consumer-products.html?smid=em-share Questions for discussion: Summarize the concerns Edgar Dwarsky has about marketing practices and pricing. Do you think the majority of consumers are upset by… Read more »

In defensive interview, Sam Bankman-Fried claims he’s broke and committed no fraud

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Description: Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, in possibly the understatement of 2022, said Wednesday, “I’ve had a bad month.” The former billionaire added that he “didn’t do a good job” at upholding his responsibilities to regulators, customers and investors in a hotly anticipated conversation with CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin at the DealBook Summit. Source: CNBC.com… Read more »

Have the Anticapitalists Reached Harvard Business School?

Posted by & filed under Ethics, Global Marketing.

Description: Social justice joins discounted cash flows on the syllabus as essential knowledge for aspiring corporate leaders. Source: NYTimes.com Date: Nov 28, 2022 Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/28/business/business-school-social-justice.html?smid=em-share Questions for discussion: What are the main arguments presented in this article? Where do you stand on these questions? What do you believe are the obligations of the corporation to… Read more »

In Winning a Grueling Legal Battle, Figs’s Founders Found Power in Optimism

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Description: The medical scrubs company won a four-year legal battle with legacy competitor SPI. Why the co-founders wouldn’t settle, despite the high cost of litigation. Source: INC.com Date: Nov 21, 2022 Link: https://www.inc.com/rebecca-deczynski/figs-trina-spear-heather-hasson-lawsuit.html?utm_source=newsletters&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=IncThisMorning-Nov%2021,%202022&leadId=261346&mkt_tok=NjEwLUxFRS04NzIAAAGIPkvuhstFy9fqhJaoUlo60HSq6fQvSq5xW9IDbIquKz2K69IoNnZjDwvStpUE_n7aWTtTXMvQrnNycBoNVrqso5Fjrs83wp9Qeb7uqA Questions for discussion: What does this report say about the use of legal tactics to undermine competition? Do you think the use… Read more »