Avocados from Mexico (AFM) is a marketing organization that exists to 1) build brand equity for avocados exported from Mexico to the United States and 2) increase category consumption. In preparing for 2022, after several years of successful advertising campaigns, the AFM decided to develop its next omnichannel strategy. A critical part of this decision was whether the company should continue to tout its product in Super Bowl advertisements. Although .....more

Spreadsheet supplement for case 524046.

Unintended Consequences of Algorithmic Personalization" (HBS No. 524-052) investigates algorithmic bias in marketing through four case studies featuring Apple, Uber, Facebook, and Amazon. Each study presents scenarios where these companies faced public criticism for algorithmic biases in marketing interventions, encompassing promotion, product, price, and distribution. The case is designed to enhance students'' understanding of algorithmic .....more

Many companies overestimate customers'' appetite for sustainable products, flooding the market with offerings that don''t sell. The reality is, social and environmental benefits have less impact on purchasing decisions than basic product attributes do. Consumers buy products to get specific jobs done, and only after they find something that will do that will they look for a product that provides some social or environmental advantage. .....more

A key negotiating concept, the Zone of Possible Agreement (ZOPA), allows a buyer and seller to reach a mutually acceptable price. This technical note provides an overview of ZOPA for both individual-level negotiations and company-level pricing decisions, highlighting its importance to marketing. Challenges in applying ZOPA are discussed, as well as its role in value creation and exchange. Students are encouraged to consider the real-world impacts .....more

Cathay Pacific was founded in Hong Kong in 1946. As of July 2023, Cathay Pacific passenger and cargo airlines offered scheduled services to 81 destinations in 30 countries and regions worldwide, including 14 destinations in the Chinese Mainland. The group also served an additional 131 destinations in 21 countries and regions through code-share agreements. Effective January 1, 2023, Lavinia Lau was appointed chief customer and commercial officer and .....more

In September 2022, inspired by personal experiences, marketing executive Nicole Bezinski decided to set up GirlsTakeOver.org (GTO) after recognizing that teenage girls and young women in high schools and colleges in the United States were lacking coping mechanisms to help them manage increased stress and performance pressures. While schools received numerous new education program ideas annually, they were highly selective about which programs met .....more

This case explores the unique challenges social entrepreneurs face in balancing social impact and growing their market reach. Jane Bloom, founder of Caring Caps, is passionate about this social cause and built a culture of giving back into the mission and vision of the organization. But operating a non-profit with the goal of growing can create significant strain on a founder and volunteers. The organization in this case provides knitted caps for .....more

Hosam Arab (MBA 2009), cofounder and CEO of Tabby, a Saudi-based fintech startup, raised its Series D funding round in October 2023, four years after its inception, valuing it as a regional unicorn. Tabby''s core product, a buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) service, allowed consumers to split payments into four equal installments without fees. The company earned revenue by charging commissions to partnered merchants, ensuring low customer acquisition .....more

In March 2021, the newly appointed senior vice-president of the Alfa Romeo brand in North America, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, was facing the main task of rebuilding the brand to increase sales. Since its inception, the company had seen inconsistent sales in its efforts to capture the high-end exotic auto market. The brand''s origins in the high-performance and competitive world of auto racing emphasized its true essence of excitement, .....more