Archive for August 2007
HR Help for the Entrepreneur
In addition to the financial, legal and marketing decisions that some entrepreneurs are forced to make for the first time in their careers, there are also a slew of “people” decisions that come with the territory. The Stanford Graduate School of Business’ Center for Entrepreneurial Studies recently held its second alumni entrepreneur’s reunion. One of…
Read MoreThe Case for Strategic Product Marketing
The trouble with the outbound role of product marketing is that we have an identity crisis on our hands-we’re misunderstood, misguided, and misaligned-and as a result, great products are either missing their potential or failing altogether. Executives and other members of management have wide-ranging expectations of product marketing that are almost never focused on strategy…
Read MoreStrategic Implications of Leegin Price Floor Ruling
In a landmark case, the US Supreme Court removed a barrier to vertical price floors in a 5-4 ruling on Leegin v. PSKS on June 28th. While the court’s decision leaves room for future anti-competitive lawsuits and therefore ensures that case law will determine the legal framework for future decisions, it also opens the possibility…
Read MoreHow to Make Your E-Mail Marketing More Effective
If e-mail marketing is becoming an increasingly more important part of your promotional blend, Jeanne Jennings has produced what amounts to a “Primer” for effective e-mail marketing. Her article series appeared on the ClickZ e-zine in six separate installments (www.clicks.com), and you can access the entire series by entering “Ten Steps for Developing an Effective…
Read MorePrice Discipline in Declining Markets: Coffee Roasters
When industries decline, it is tempting for competitors to make a dash for regaining lost volumes by slashing prices. But, are price wars predestined? Nagel and Holden (2002) argue that in declining industries price volatility is usually high if contribution margins are high and the production costs are mainly fixed and sunk. Are all three…
Read MorePrice Adjustments to New Information: Sony PS3
With experience, professional pricers instinctively learn to laud price increases and denigrate price decreases. Sometimes though, it is a good idea to lower your price. On July 9th, Sony Corp. announced it was decreasing its 60 GB PlayStation 3 by $100 while launching an 80 GB PlayStation 3 at the prior price. This alters the…
Read MoreTop 6 – August 2007
Communicate, Align, Capture Leegin decision should have a larger effect on prices of consumer products characterized as high-value branded goods, complex product, or difficult to experience products. Leegin decision could act as a deterrent to the long term trend of reducing service and costs in distribution, thus shifting the competitive relationships between distributors towards adding…
Read More