MKTG 4355 – Marketing Management
Group Presentation Guidelines
Each group will be given an assignment to present to class. For each assignment, students must: 1)
discuss how the questions can be addressed by applying the concepts from the text; 2) conduct some
outside research to gather information (internet, journal articles, Business Week, etc.), 3) make
presentations to class.
This assignment will count 60 points toward your participation grade. You will be graded on the
care and effort put into the assignment, thoroughness, and effectiveness in presenting your ideas.
Secondary goal:

What is the best way to sell your idea? Know your audience. If you were making a presentation
to important clients, top management, potential investors, etc., how would you make your
presentation?

Allow 25 – 30 minutes for the presentation and the remainder for comments/questions. Be
prepared to set things up before class. Don’t rush!

Use visual aids, powerpoint, websites, overhead, etc. as you see fit. That is, provide enough
details that your audience can follow.

Never, never, never, never, never, read in front of your audience! This is very unprofessional
and your audience will find it very dull to listen to this type of presentation. You should know
your material well enough so that you can talk about it. Reading from your note cards is as bad
as having to rely on class notes when taking an exam and you will be graded accordingly!

Rehearse as a group. This is the only way you will know what others plan to say, how your part
relates to theirs (so that you are not redundant or contradictory), and how long the presentation
will take. Again, make note of your time limits.

Style. Speak clearly and at a moderate speed, and look at your audience. Try to meet the eyes of
people who are listening to you. You can tell by whether the audience is following you. Convey
enthusiasm for what you are presenting. You are trying to sell it to your audience.

Do not change room assignments. Presentations are to be in this room. Please do not distribute
food/drinks in class. I will not be impressed.

Most important - see me if you have questions/problems.
Assignments
1
Group 1:
Companies like J. Crew (http://www.jcrew.com) and Banana Republic (http://www.banarepublic.com) are
targeting many of the same consumers as Abercrombie & Fitch. Discuss how their marketing
strategies are different from those of A&F. (Show the websites in your presentation). Would you
suggest any changes in these strategies that would allow these two companies to better position
themselves in the minds of consumers?
Group 2:
The success of specialty clothing stores has come at the expense of large department stores like
Sears and J. C. Penney. Discuss the strategies that department stores should consider to effectively
compete against the specialty stores.
Group 3:
Check out the Hot Topic website http://www.hottopic.com. Compare the submarkets (subsubcultures)
Hot Topic is aiming for with those of Abercrombie & Fitch. Identify the behaviors, affective
responses, and cognitions most important in shopping at each store.
Group 4:
How can A&F guard against becoming too mainstream and experiencing a customer backlash? Do
you believe it is possible for A&F to remain popular with young shoppers for a span of many years?
What will this require? In answering this question, research trends in the marketing environment
including demographics and social-cultural trends.
Group 5:
Both A&F and The Gap are trying to use their brand names to market clothing to different age
groups. For example, A&f has opened a chain of children’s stores called abercrombie (lowercase
“a”), while Gap, Inc. Has had success with GapKids and BabyGap. Discuss the advantages and
potential disadvantages of these strategies.
Group 6:
2
Barnes & Noble.com (BN.com) entered the e-commerce arena in 1997 and has grown to become the
fifth largest online retailer. When it began to operate online, Barnes & Noble already had an
established brand name while Amazon.com, a "pure play" (a company that only exists in an online
form), did not.
Brand equity is determined by the consumer and is the sum of all of the consumer's assessment of
the product.
"Brick & Mortar" Retailer
Sam Goody (www.samgoody.com)
vs.
"Pure Play" Retailer
CDNow (www.cdnow.com)
Joseph-Beth (www.josephbeth.com)
vs.
Amazon.com (www.amazon.com)
Blockbuster Video (www.blockbuster.com) vs.
Reel.com (www.reel.com)
Research and examine the pairs of retailers listed above. Address the following:
1.
What is the purpose of the sites? Explain how they are similar / different.
2.
Which of the two has the advantage in the future, and why?
3.
What strategic advantage does the "brick &mortar" retailer have that the "pure play" retailer
does not have? What strategic advantage does the "pure play" retailer have that the "brick &
mortar" retailer does not have?
4.
Based on the discussion of marketing in the 21st century (Chapters 1 – 3), what
recommendations would you make for both "brick & mortar" and "pure play" retailers? Be
thorough in your discussion.
Group 7:
One of the easiest places to see the impact of the Internet on marketing is just by looking at its effect
on pricing decisions and consumers' perceptions of prices. Over the past five years, the world wide
web (WWW) has developed the reputation as the place to shop to get the lowest prices.
1.
2.
3.
Why has this reputation developed?
Why is it possible to charge lower prices on-line?
Are products always cheaper on-line? Give examples.
Hint: to answer this last question, choose two products and find them for sale online (books,
CDs, software). Calculate the total price that would be charged to your credit card, then go
to the brick and mortar" retailer and find prices for the same product there. Make your
comparisons.
4.
Identify the different ways in which customers benefit from purchasing on-line vs.
traditional retail stores. Specifically, are there any non-financial costs to shopping on-line?
To offline shopping? What are the implications to companies that sell goods online vs.
offline?
Group 8:
3
Internet Advertising
Marketers need to decide the best possible way to get the message about their products to those
consumers who would be interested in making a purchase. Advertising is one of the most popular
methods for companies to use to deliver their product messages. However, not only must the
marketing communications manager decide where to advertise, but also how to communicate that
message. There are four primary objectives that marketers wish to accomplish with advertising:
awareness, comprehension, conviction, ordering. Discuss how internet advertising can be used to
accomplish these four objectives.
4