Marketing of New Products and Innovations
Course Syllabus
TMMBA Class 7
Winter 2008
Professor: Joe Dodson
425-417-3780
joe_dodson@hotmail.com
Office Hours: By appointment, TMMBA offices, Kirkland EEC.
Teaching Asst: Shanna Gazley
650) 387-3312
gazley@u.washington.edu
Content
Objective of the Course
Class Materials
Assignments & Grading
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Objective of the Course
“There is a wide difference between completing an invention and putting the
manufactured article on the market,” Thomas Alva Edison, Inventor.
Creating a new product or new service is only the beginning, interesting but hollow if no
one buys the product. The greatest challenge of innovation is not a lack of ideas or
inventions but rather achieving market adoption required to deliver a return on the
inventor’s investment of money, people, and time. Most new products launched fail to
achieve financial success. Marketing plays a critical role in successful innovation.
Effective marketing of a new innovation can improve the odds of success by accelerating
adoption, attracting a higher price and speeding the payback on a company’s investment.
New technology is finding its way into every industry. Increased innovation in an
industry often leads to shorter product life cycles and demand for continual product
updates. The accelerated pace of change increases the perceived risk of adoption by
customers, increases the requirements for intensive customer service and support. It can
also create a reliance on business partners (suppliers, vendors, and distributors). A recent
Business Week-BCG study found that 72% of senior executives in the survey named
innovation as one of their top three priorities.
“We have to be constantly focused on staying fresh in the eyes of our customers
because the [info-tech service] companies who do nothing won’t be there long
term,” BusinessWeek 50 Best Performer, CEO.
Several years ago a McKinsey study identified four success factors for technology
intensive companies. They introduce new products faster than their competitors, attack
larger markets, introduce more new products in the same time frame, and incorporate
more innovations into their products and services than their competitors. According to the
BCG study the most innovative companies invest 50% of their time and money on
creating new products for existing markets and/or entering new markets.
This course will help you understand what is required to develop and deliver successful
marketing strategies required for innovative new products and services. And, help deliver
improved financial success as well. The top 25 innovative leaders in the BusinessWeek-
BCG study achieved a median profit margin 85 times greater than the S&P Global 1200
companies. Seven of these companies top Fortune’s list of the world’s Most Admired
companies.
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Class Materials
“any business enterprise has two – and only these two basic functions: marketing and
innovation.” Peter Drucker, The Practice of Management
Texts:
Crossing The Chasm, Revised Edition, Geoffrey Moore, Harper-Business, 2002
Inside the Tornado, Reissue, Geoffrey Moore, Harper-Business, 2004
Why Johnny Can’t Brand, Bill Schley & Carl Nichols, 2005
Required Readings & Cases
Readings are drawn from the Harvard Business Review, Sloan Management Review, and
other books and articles that represent the timeliest and the most timeless insights on the
topics covered in the course.
Cases are used to show how real firms deal with the issues addressed in the course. And,
to provide students the opportunity to see how the concepts and tools introduced in class
can used to solve real company problems.
A calendar of specific cases and readings assigned is listed separately.
Optional Readings:
You are also encouraged to keep up with business periodicals that track the developments
in technology intensive industries. Business Week, Business 2.0, Forbes, Fortune, Fast
Company, and Wired for example.
Assignments & Grading
The class will be taught using a combination of case discussions, written case analysis,
student projects and lectures. Grading will be determined as:
Learning Concepts Application
Individual Class Participation 10% Individual Application
Assignments 3 Case Q Write Ups 25% Project Report 20%
Team Case Analysis Presentation 20% Brand Analysis Report 25%
Assignments
Class Participation/Contribution: Active class contribution is a must because your
learning depends on it. Active participation involves: 1) preparation – reading and
understanding the assigned materials before arriving in the class and developing a well-
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informed opinion on the content, 2) participation – actively expressing and defending
your opinion (succinctly) during the class discussion, 3) respect – listening and
responding constructively to your peers in class. Your class participation grade will be
based on (1) evidence of careful preparation of the case and the readings assigned, (2) the
clarity, and (3) the conciseness of your recommendations based on convincing qualitative
and quantitative thought and analysis. Quantity does not equate to quality. It is crucial
that your participation be consistent and thorough for each class. This includes reviewing
the assigned readings, cases and case questions before class.
Individually Written Answers to Key Case Questions: You are required to submit
individually written answers to one question from the list of questions provided for the
cases to be discussed in class. Each analysis should not exceed a maximum of 2 pages
for each case. You may pick one question from any of the cases assigned in class. Use a
different case for each question. You may choose any three (3) cases of the seven listed
in the class schedule for your written assignments. Pick one question to answer for each
case write-up. Note: All cases and questions are still assigned for reading and discussion
in class.
Your analysis should be submitted before the case is discussed in class, no exceptions.
Please provide a critical analysis of the question using the ideas and frameworks
presented in the class and the readings for the course. Your analysis should: (i) focus on
addressing the question or making a recommendation or decision where appropriate; (ii)
provide the logic/rationale for your conclusion; (iii) provide the support for your
decision, applying the concepts and tools discussed in the course. Please identify which
question you are addressing but don’t waste time in your write-ups paraphrasing or
rephrasing the question.
Team Case Analysis Presentation: Real world business cases will be discussed
throughout the quarter. Each team will be assigned to give a presentation of their
answers to the key case questions in class for one of the cases. These presentations are
informal and do not require the preparation of PowerPoint presentations. Each team
should simply be prepared to present their main conclusions/recommendations to the
class. (However, you may use slides if that will help to communicate your analysis more
efficiently.) In order to foster discussion of the issues and learning from the case, the rest
of the class will be called on to debate, discuss, and challenge the team’s presentation.
Answering the case questions often requires that teams not only generate an answer, but
also expand/discuss the implementation required.
The other members of the class will be asked to evaluate the presentation, but the grade
for the assignment will be determined solely by the instructor. A write up that
summarizes the team position on each case question and a copy of any slides or exhibits
used in the presentation should be provided for the instructor to use to give feedback to
the team. (Format: No more than 2 pages per question, not including exhibits.)
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Teams will be assigned a case at the beginning of the quarter. Each team is invited to
submit a list of the top three cases they would prefer to present in rank order. Every
effort will be made to accommodate each team’s request.
Team Branding Project Report: The group project is an opportunity to use and apply
the concepts discussed in the course. The goal of the project is to facilitate learning by
applying the concepts discussed in class to a real world example that is of interest to you.
The experience should allow you to use your skill of analysis and integration to develop a
paper that reveals understanding of the concepts covered in class and from the readings.
Each team will be required to submit a written team report. The report should be limited
to no more than 10 pages in length (not including exhibits or attachments).
Note: A separate sheet will be handed out in class that outlines the assignment in more
detail.
Criteria for evaluating the assignment include:
A. Content: Clear and concise analysis of the problem being addressed. Presentation
of data/evidence to support the analysis. Evidence of data/material collected and
analyzed on the company/product reviewed. A clear presentation of the relevant
brand issues facing the company. An adequate focus on the problems.
B. Organization: Is the presentation easy to follow and well organized? Does the
author summarize adequately? Is the material presented directly related to the
questions posed in the assignment?
C. Connection to the class: Evidence that class materials have been read and
understood. Clear application of concepts discussed in class or found in the
assigned readings and cases.
D. Form: Spelling and grammar. Are the ideas presented in a coherent order?
Are the exhibits, footnotes, etc. consistent and relevant to the content?
Because this is a team project, the instructor will also ask everyone on the team to assess
the relative contributions of each team member.
Individual Application Project Report: Each student will be required to individually
analyze a marketing problem or apply a marketing concept to a real world application.
And, submit a 6 page write up of their analysis/application. If you analyze a marketing
problem you are required to provide a critical analysis of the issues faced by the company
and use the concepts, tools and frameworks presented in the class and the readings for the
course. If you focus on an application, you are required to demonstrate the use of one or
more of the tools or concepts presented in the course. This six page report (not including
tables and exhibits) should concisely summarize the analysis/application and highlight
the findings, insights and conclusion(s) reached by the student. Some ideas for individual
projects are listed here. If you have another idea please submit a one paragraph specific
proposal for instructor approval before proceeding.
UR a Brand: You can apply the concepts of marketing to the development of a career
marketing plan. Selling yourself to an employer is a lot like marketing a new
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product/service. It exhibits many of the same characteristics. Your assignment is to
develop a branding strategy for your services. Your analysis should:
(i) Define the industry and the category you are/will be competing in
for your next career move, (ii) Describe your current brand. Do you
have a well defined specialty/USP? If no, what do plan to focus on
for building a unique USP versus your peers/competitors. Can you
uniquely own the specialty? (iii) What would you add and/or change
to improve your brand. How could your brand’s contribution to your
career be improved? Suggested resource: Catherine Kaputa, UR a
Brand: How Smart People Brand Themselves For Business Success,
Davies-Black Publishing, 2005.
Company Issue: You can analyze a marketing business problem and submit a written
analysis. You are required to provide a critical analysis of a service issue(s) facing a
company using one or more of the ideas/frameworks presented in the class and the
readings for the course. This analysis will be a concise analysis, although you can have
as many tables and exhibits as you want. The topic is to be agreed on with the instructor
in advance. Some students are interested in pursuing a new idea and building a business.
The analysis would focus on analyzing the marketing issues. Or, an application would
focus on building one or more components of the marketing plan for the new business.
Application: Write a report on the application of a concept from the course materials or
from a marketing concept or tool from a current book or article on the subject. Select one
marketing concept or tool and write a report on how it would be used/applied to a
business. The focus is demonstrating a creative application of the theory/concept, not a
review of the theory itself. You can select a topic from (a) the readings assigned, (b) a
book from a course bibliography or (c) a current book or article on marketing agreed to
by the instructor in advance. For example, The Bass New Product model, Six Sigma
applied to marketing and the Use of Blogs for Marketing.
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