You are a VP of a mid-sized marketing research firm with offices in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.

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Question:

"You are a VP of a mid-sized marketing research firm with offices in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. Your firm is well established with a long and successful track record in marketing and the marketing research field. Because of your excellent reputation, your Toronto office was contacted by a regional manufacturing firm wishing to expand. You and several senior personnel from the Toronto office met with key executives from the firm and discussed their intentions.

The meeting with the firm's executive team revealed a number of items that you noted. Later over lunch, you and your marketing research team compared notes and summarized a number of salient details about the regional company. First, the company had been operating in a relatively stable market for several years. Their market share was solid when compared with competitors. They have good cash flow and active sales. Second, the executives mentioned that they had noticed some slippage in a few of their products. The brands were still strong. But they were no longer growing even though the market was still in a mild growth mode. The executives wondered where these products might be on their product life cycle. Was some rejuvenation needed? Third, a few overseas competitors had recently entered the market with products that had a more varied price range. Fourth, these new competitors were aggressively promoting their products through social media as well as more traditional channels. Fifth, some of the executives wondered about the timing of expansion and where they should focus their efforts and investment. Was it the right time? Where should they focus on expansion? Sixth, some of the executive team also wondered whether they should expand their brands or create new products altogether. Seventh, the executive team was also interested in newer marketing channels such as social media. Eighth, the executive team was not unified in their goals for the company. Some were in favor of expansion. Others were not. There was little consensus as to the direction they should take.

The more that your marketing personnel discussed the meeting, the more you realized that there were several competing issues at play in this scenario. But where would you start? What were the key issues to examine and present? What tools would you suggest using to gather information and present findings (if you got the contract!)"

Case Study Instructions:

As a marketing research firm, it is your job to unravel the confused and possibly conflicting data that you have gathered and construct a research proposal that you feel will address the primary issues facing the company. Address each of the items you have identified based on your knowledge. Some may be primary and important, others may not. Expand each of your suggestions with clear organization and explanation.

This case scenario is not unlike the confusing situations marketers face in real-time. Not every contract is crisp and clear. Not every marketing issue can be addressed. It is your job to determine which items you feel are essential to tackle first and why. Then you must convince the firm with your proposal.