MKT 450: Marketing Management
How to Write A Strategic Marketing Case

The key to writing a successful case is related to three issues:

• First, using Part 1 of the Marketing Management Case Worksheets develop a detailed overview analysis of the case; remember to keep the written aspect of this analysis to two pages.
  
• Second, using Part 2 of the Marketing Management Case Worksheets develop a clear understanding of the main problem facing the company and develop original and innovative alternative solutions to the problem; this section should be no longer than three pages.
  
• Third, writing clearly and without errors, in a total of five pages -- double-spaced, normal font size and page margins. You can include unlimited appendices. Appendices do not count to the page total, and can include financial tables and charts, perceptual maps, summary exhibits, etc. The goal is to force you to write, edit, and rewrite to the point where you are able to fully address all aspects of the case in a concise, but fully detailed five-page report.

  Note: You must include your case analysis worksheets along with your written case report to receive full credit.

THE CASE ANALYSIS (within 5 pages)

Executive Summary:

This section discusses the relevant points of the case, including the main problem and proposed solution. No longer than one paragraph.

Company/Product Audit:

This section of the case write-up examines the company's strengths and weaknesses, company history and background, and critical elements of the product or service featured in the case. Several paragraphs.

Environmental Analysis:

This section investigates the external environment in which the organization operates, examining key environmental forces, environmental opportunities and threats, and the structure of the competitive environment. Several paragraphs.

Problem Statement and Underlying Symptoms:

This section should be no longer than -- as it says -- a statement. You should address the fundamental problem of the case in one sentence. If there are sub-problems you feel you should identify, feel free to do so, but make sure you clearly identify the main problem in the case. Remember that strategic marketing problems are long-term, involve large sums of money, and affect multiple aspects of the firm.

You should be on alert for symptoms parading as key issues and underlying problems, as case writers often present false clues. Identify the symptoms that led you to the main problem. Several paragraphs.

Alternative Solutions:

This section is the most important section of the case write-up and should clearly identify and develop two independent alternative solutions to the problem in the case. You need to fully develop each alternative, including details about the alternative, implementation of each alternative, potential outcomes of implementing each alternative, as well as discussing advantages and disadvantages of each alternative.

This section shows your creativity, your ingenuity, and your marketing strategy expertise, which is why this section is the most important section of the case write-up. Be as thorough as possible in your development of each alternative. Each alternative should be fully developed and analyzed in a total of no more than one page for each.

Recommended Solution:

This section should state which of the two alternatives you developed in the previous section should be implemented by the company. The key is to match the internal resources (strengths) of the firm to the opportunities and threats in the external environment in a way that addresses (and resolves) the key marketing problem(s) you've identified.

Be certain to describe the decision-making process that led to your recommended solution.

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