For the Mastering Marketing series, students will use marketing principles to analyze, revise, and develop marketing strategies. They will see that CanGo has marketing plans in place for its existing products and these plans will need to be adapted to new circumstances. CanGo will also need to construct plans for new products that it is looking to introduce. The exercises will challenge students to use their knowledge of marketing concepts to create these new plans and strategies. Along the way, they will get feedback from experts about the possible consequences to their decisions.

Expanding Opportunities

In the early episodes, students will analyze the environment(s) confronting CanGo. They will explore the buying behavior of both their consumer and business customers and look at marketing research techniques that enable them to gather such information. The videos will focus on such topics as preparing for the holiday retailing season, "selling" the company to its potential IPO investors, reviewing Web page progressions designed to convince customers to buy, and studying whether CanGo has opportunities beyond its core GenX segment. Exercises will include such unique tasks as constructing and/or critiquing PowerPoint presentations, analyzing and organizing Web pages, and critiquing an online questionnaire.

Later episodes will deal with the marketing strategy itself as CanGo segments, targets, and positions its offerings and then works on its marketing mix: product, distribution, pricing, and communication strategies.

The videos will include planning sessions with CanGo's advertising agency, using diagnostic techniques to evaluate service performance, launching online gaming as a new product, negotiating the outsourcing of CanGo's supply chain, and prioritizing promotional opportunities such as live online concerts and customized CDs.

Innovative exercise elements include constructing a product that addresses factors identified in the video, reviewing customer complaints, a mystery shopper report, and an online ratings service. These exercises will help the student to identify problems with service delivery; prepare documents that allow the CanGo management team to make pricing decisions; compare the costs and benefits of alternative distribution alternatives; and choose between a variety of promotional alternatives.

Relating Common Marketing Topics to CanGo

Throughout all of the episodes, students must also answer application-based questions that relate common marketing topics to CanGo's situation. Each episode also includes innovative Case videos, each of which are followed by open-ended discussion questions. In these short videos, students will be confronted with controversial scenarios such as adverse publicity from game-related real world violence, clubbing in New York City as marketing research, a negative reaction from GenX to CanGo's attempts to woo baby boomers, the dangers of shopbots that search the Web for the lowest price, and prospecting in the Japanese market.

Marketing Concept/Strategy
	Andrew, Director of Marketing, is challenged to define explicitly CanGo's competitive position. He discusses the issue with Elizabeth, who charges him with developing a general marketing strategy for online gaming. Students review the basic types of marketing strategy and the concept of core competency. They then use that knowledge to help CanGo develop its marketing strategy and growth plans.
External and Internal Environment Analysis
	CanGo plans to expand its market share by targeting a broader segment of consumers. The managers brainstorm product-bundling strategies they can use to attract the new segment, and later discuss the internal analysis that they must include in the IPO prospectus. Students study the process-including SWOT analysis and Value-Chain analysis-through which firms like CanGo assess their ability to execute marketing plans successfully.
Understanding Consumer Behavior
	Andrew and his staff try to understand customers' behavior by tracing their progress through the CanGo Web site. With the help of a program that analyzes consumer preferences, they learn where they can improve the site. Later, Andrew is confronted with a mysterious surge of interest in CanGo by Japanese consumers. Students review the consumer buying process and the influences that shape it. They also evaluate CanGo's efforts to guide customers into a purchase.
Understanding Business Buying Behavior
	Elizabeth, Clark, and Andrew debate how best to present the IPO to potential investors. Clark wins over skeptical investors by skillfully addressing their concerns as business buyers. Later Andrew responds to a competitor's business-buyer promotion. Students compare consumer-buying behavior with business and help the CanGo team adjust its IPO presentation to meet the needs of business buyers. Finally, they consider the issue of individuals buying through business accounts.
Marketing Research
	CanGo enlists outside aid in researching the Baby-Boomer segment. After enduring Elizabeth's anger, Andrew learns some of the conceptual and financial pitfalls of marketing research. Members of the marketing team conduct some field research of their own. Students review the types of research and basic research design. After helping CanGo define its research needs, they evaluate a research survey. They also consider the relative value of the common types of data and information sources.
Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning
	The marketing team confronts the challenge of defining viable consumer segments. While continuing to serve its Gen X core, CanGo decides to target the younger Baby Boomer segment, but the initial marketing communication risks are alienating the Gen X-ers. Students help CanGo refine its segmentation and targeting strategies. They also interpret research data to develop positioning strategies and address the challenge of targeting two or more segments at once.
Product Strategy
	In preparation for the holiday season, the marketing team discusses how best to present CanGo's products to consumers, especially to those reluctant to buy online. They begin developing a product strategy, brainstorming ad slogans, return policies, and product-support services. Liz and Andrew discuss targeting the Japanese market. Students evaluate CanGo's product strategies, study the offerings of HMV music, and examine issues in international product strategy.
Services Marketing
	The CanGo team confronts problems with its service offerings. A Gap Analysis reveals flaws in both operations and marketing, prompting both to improve performance standards. Andrew and Warren discuss the risks of offering online-gaming services. Students review the characteristics of service products, conduct their own evaluations of CanGo's services, and interpret Forrester Power Rankings. They also consider the special issues raised by unusual services like online gaming.
New Product Development
	Elizabeth decides the time is right to take CanGo into online gaming. The management team debates how best to do so. The new venture gets off to a slow start, so the team discusses how to refocus marketing efforts to target innovators and early adopters who'll spread the word about CanGo's games. Students study the new product development process and the Product Life Cycle. In addition they help CanGo clarify its product strategies.
Pricing
	The management team debates pricing strategies for online gaming. They develop a plan that balances the need to price competitively, the need to cover costs, and the need to attract customers with the broader CanGo marketing strategy. CanGo confronts the challenge of shopbots. Students consider the factors that influence pricing decisions, analyze cost scenarios for CanGo's online gaming plan, and evaluate the firm's pricing options. They also address special pricing issues of e-commerce.
Distribution
	A representative of a distribution firm offers CanGo a plan to streamline its distribution functions. CanGo accepts the plan and conducts a thorough analysis of its retail competitors. The marketing team learns that one competitor has moved its value-chain management system to the Internet. After reviewing the distribution channels and functions, students identify CanGo's channels, study the distribution strategies of its competitors, and consider the impact of advanced distribution technology.
Integrated Marketing Communications
	The marketing team goes over its entire promotion strategy, focusing on the relationship among the kinds of marketing communications. Elizabeth praises the team for its integrated approach. CanGo discovers a competitor is getting a preferential rate from a music label. Students identify CanGo's promotions and evaluates them in terms of the communication process and the Consumer Response Hierarchy. They also assess CanGo's media strategy and publicity functions.