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Chapter 10: Product Concepts
14
combine their brands with the Zappos brand and give customers access to more
brands than possible in a shoe store.
4. The Zappos wide calf boot is part of the Zappos _____.
a. private brand
b. manufacturer’s brand
c. family brand
d. trademark
5. Manufacturing a wide calf boot is which kind product modification?
a. Style modification
b. Functional modification
c. Quality modification
d. Brand extension
6. Which of the following does the Zappos brand expect its excellent customer service across
all its businesses to do?
a. Create brand loyalty.
b. Increase awareness of the brand name.
c. Create a family brand.
d. Offer an explicit warranty.
matter what business Zappos enters.
Case Assignment: Burger King
Chapter 10: Product Concepts
15
The cooks were busy in the Burger King kitchen in 2016. Every few months, they released a new
item for the more adventurous fast-food customers to try out.
At the end of January 2016, Burger King introduced new Jalapeño Chicken Fries, Dr Pepper
Shakes, and Oreo Irish Mint Shakes. All three items were available for a limited time. The
Jalapeño Chicken Fries were a spicy twist on the original Chicken Fries, made with white
chicken meat and breaded with jalapeño seasoning. The Dr Pepper Shake was a hand-spun,
creamy treat with the flavor of Dr Pepper. The Oreo Irish Mint Shake was a new take on the
Classic Oreo Shake but with a minty flavor. It was hand spun and featured Oreo cookie
crumbles.
"Our guests can’t get enough of our spicy menu items, not to mention our Chicken Fries, so
we’re giving them more of both with this new addition to our Chicken Fries lineup," said Alex
Macedo, President, North America, for the Burger King brand. "And if our Jalapeño Chicken
Fries get a little too hot, our Dr Pepper Shake or Oreo Irish Mint Shake is the perfect way to cool
off."
March brought another limited-time offering: The Angriest Whopper sandwich. The
Angry Whopper sandwich was a popular previous limited-time menu item. The Angriest
Chapter 10: Product Concepts
16
Whopper took it to another level, featuring flame-grilled beef, thick-cut bacon, American cheese,
iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, crispy onion petals, jalapeños, creamy mayonnaise, and spicy “angry
sauce” all on a fiery red bun that had hot sauced baked in.
Chapter 10: Product Concepts
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TRUE/FALSE
1. Burger King’s Dr Pepper Shake is a product.
2. Burger King’s Chili Cheese Grilled Dog is a product line.
3. The different variations of the Whopper are a product mix.
4. The addition of the Angriest Whopper increased Burger King’s product line depth.
5. “Burger King’s Dr Pepper Shake” is an example of co-branding.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. For a cheese-lover, Burger King’s Mac n’ Cheetos are what type of product?
a. shopping product
b. specialty product
c. unsought product
d. luxury product
© 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
2. The Oreo Irish Mint Shake is what type of product modification from the Classic Oreo Shake?
a. quality modification
b. functional modification
c. style modification
d. All of these
e. None of these
3. “Cheetos” is a brand __________.
a. name
b. mark
c. equity
d. loyalty
4. “Burger King” is a __________ brand. “Oreo” is a __________ brand.
a. manufacturer’s; private
b. private; manufacturer’s
c. manufacturer’s; manufacturer’s
d. private; private
5. Burger King uses what approach when branding and packaging in foreign markets?
a. one brand name everywhere
b. adaptations and modifications
c. different brand names in different markets
d. None of these
Chapter 10: Product Concepts
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© 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
ANS: A
PTS: 1 OBJ: LO: 10-6 TOP: AACSB: Reflective Thinking
KEY: CB&E Model: Strategy MSC: BLOOMS: Level I Knowledge
Great Ideas for Teaching Chapter 10
Jon M Shapiro, Northeastern State University
Michael C Murphy, Langston University
Product Positioning for the Product Manager: A Capstone Experience for an Introduction
to Marketing Class
The objective of this activity is to encourage beginning students to think about product
positioning, its components, and its strategic implications. Pedagogically, we believe that the
right mix of theory and experiential learning increases student interest and enriches their learning
experience. This ongoing, sequential project can be introduced within the first few weeks of
class, regardless of the student’s knowledge base or the topical sequencing within a given
textbook.
Initially, students are directed to choose a product category that they find interesting. There are
two constraints: 1) the product must be sold in traditional (non-cyber) retail settings, and 2) the
number of competing brands should not exceed seven. The rationale for these constraints
follows. Regarding the first constraint, brick and mortar channels better allow the beginning
student to touch the product and fully examine differences among key attributes. In terms of the
second constraint, limiting the competitors to seven is more manageable, allows for a richer and
more focused analysis, and avoids complicating perceptual mapping. Additionally, if students are
unable to find product categories with such low degrees of competition, encourage them to focus
upon a subcategory (e.g., herbal tea instead of tea).
Which products do students pick, and why? The key thing is that if they find a category relevant
to their life (ideally, something that they use and enjoy), they will likely exhibit more passion
and do a more in-depth analysis. Based on experience, we find that food products such as peanut
butter, salsa, and frozen pizza work well; however, anything the student is interested will suffice.
The initial assignment requires the student to choose a retail setting and to record his or her
observations regarding the product category. We provide a handout with basic threshold
positioning dimensions to analyze such as pricing, shelf space/positioning, labeling, packaging,
and point-of-purchase promotion. The initial journal serves as a first attempt at analysis. Then,
after each element of the marketing mix (the 4Ps) is covered, the student revisits the retailer for
further observation and integrates the newly learned concepts into the journal.
Chapter 10: Product Concepts
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The final capstone paper requires the student to construct at least two perceptual maps. The end
product includes the product descriptions, a justification of the map axes (why these salient
attributes were selected), and a description of the perceptual map.
For many students, developing perceptual maps is very challenging. Students often struggle
because it requires inferring, based solely on observation (not research), what consumers believe
distinguishes products. To attenuate this difficulty, we provide model papers from past students.
Generally, this (coupled with assisting them with their draft versions) results in a highly
enjoyable and rich learning experience.
Michael Luthy, Bellarmine University
The Search for the Perfect Package
In most Principles of Marketing courses, the subject of consumer product packaging is
discussed, at least in passing, as part of the product umbrella in the marketing mix. Some
instructors address it in discussions of the bundle of benefits concept, the rationale that
ultimately serves consumers’ interests. However the subject is broached, an alternative to the
standard treatment of asking students what makes for good packages is to give them an example
that the instructor has selected as the best consumer product package in existence. Ask them to
come up with reasons as to why this is so. The product package in question is for the banana.
Separating the class into teams of two to four students, giving each a banana, and then tasking
them with coming up with as many reasons as they can to support your contention generates a
healthy competition and can lead to some interesting rationales. Some of the many reasons they
may come up with are given below.
• Protects the product from damage
• Attracts attention because of bright color
• Informs consumer of freshness through color change as it ages
• Easy to carry product (grip in hand, backpack, briefcase)
• Easy to open
• Re-sealable (to some degree)
• Code number on label allows for automated checkout
• Biodegradable
• Instantly recognizable what the product is
• Package size accurately depicts amount of product within
• Package contains a single serving portion
• Package doubles as a holder for product (no napkin needed)
• Other uses: compost, practical jokes
Chapter 10: Product Concepts
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From these reasons, the instructor can then generalize, perhaps by bringing into the discussion
the VIEW model (visibility, information, emotional appeal, workability), that outlines the rules
for package evaluation. The ultimate goal is to change the way students look at the world outside
of the classroom and acknowledge the role that other disciplines and perspectives can play in
problem-solving.
James S. Cleveland, Sage College of Albany
Discussion Board Topics to Encourage Participation
Discussion board questions provided to students to encourage them to engage in thinking and
writing about the content of the Principles of Marketing course usually take the form of a
provocative statement to which students are asked to respond. An example of this would be “All
PR is good PR.”
Discussion topics such as this one are abstract and often require that the instructor provide an
initial reply to show students what is expected in their own replies. For students with limited
work experience, this approach may be quite appropriate. For adult students with extensive
experience as employees and consumers, however, the abstract nature of such topics can be
frustrating.
I have developed, therefore, a series of discussion board questions to use with experienced, adult
students. These questions are designed to encourage them to use their experiences as employees
and consumers as doorways to better understand the course material, and to make their own
responses more interesting to themselves and to the other students in the class who will read and
comment on them.
Each question has three parts.
1. First, there is a sentence or two from the students’ textbook introducing the topic. By using
the text author’s own words, students are enabled to locate relevant material in the text
more easily, the text content is reinforced, and confusion resulting from use of variant
terms or expressions is minimized.
2. Second, there is a reference to text pages the students should review before proceeding.
Since the goal of the exercise is for students to apply the course content to their own
experiences, reviewing the content first is important.
3. Third, there is a request for the students to think about or remember some specific situation
in their experiences to which they can apply the text material, and a question or questions
for them to address in their replies.
Chapter 10: Product Concepts
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Here are additional such discussion board questions developed for Chapter 10 of MKTG11. Each
is written to fit the same text cited above but could easily be rewritten and revised to fit another
text.
Series A
1. A consumer product is bought to satisfy an individual’s personal wants. Although there are
several ways to classify them, the most popular approach includes these four types:
convenience products, shopping products, specialty products, and unsought products.
2. Review the descriptions of these types in section 10-2 in your text.
3. Then describe products you have purchased recently that represent each type. What made
them that type for you?
Series B
1. A group of closely related product items is a product line.
2. Review the material on product items, lines, and mixes in section 10-3 of your text.
3. Then describe the product mix sold by your employer and what product lines it includes.
Are the product lines shallow or deep? Is the product mix narrow or wide? Explain your
answers.
Deborah Reed Scarfino, William Jewell College
Packaging Egg-Citement
This topic concerns a packaging challenge that requires the student to use three main objectives
of packing successfully.
1. Each student must creatively package a raw egg using cost-effective materials. (Special
consideration is given to recycling materials easily and cheaply found.)
2. The package must protect the egg from damage.
3. It must assist in marketing the product in some way.
The product is a raw egg with the likeness of Elvis Presley on it. This is a limited number
production item that Elvis fans worldwide will be interested in having in their collections. The
student is the packaging engineer consultant of this decorative and very special item that sells for
$175.00. Consumer collectors value the product more in its original package and will be
interested in displaying it. It must survive mail order delivery. The delivery survival is tested by
dropping the entire package from a third-floor classroom window at the beginning of class.
Students collect their own package after “the toss” and open it in front of the class while verbally
Chapter 10: Product Concepts
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presenting their creative concept. This presentation will include trivia facts and their personal
research of “The King” that are included in their packaging concept. Special details that
demonstrate some unique knowledge of interest to Elvis fans add to its value. The interior
package must assist in selling the item and help to justify its price.
Note: This can be a messy class. Most concepts survive the toss, and the students enjoy the fun
and sharing of their wacky ideas. A few will wonder, “Why Elvis?” There is a lot of fun
information and seemingly limitless ideas that come from his many song hits and high profile
lifestyle, but any celebrity could work as well perhaps. My students look forward to the
challenge, and it becomes a memorable project assignment regardless of the toss outcome.
Robert J. Brake, Concordia University
Researching Food Products We Love to Hate
Since my students needed to experience some real hands-on learning earlier in the Marketing
Management course, I created what became an entertaining research project, assigned after we
examined product concepts and new-product development.
The class was divided into three- or four-member teams, each assigned to explore a food or
beverage most people love to hate. The five products originally chosen were 1) Spam (Hormel’s
WWII sumptuous repast that is now a cult favorite in America), 2) Twinkies (Hostess’s
shortcake spinoff characterized by intriguing ingredients like beef fat, lard, and lecithin, and the
shelf-life of gravel), 3) Fig Newtons (Nabisco’s 1891 concoction that is America’s third most
popular cookie), 4) Kraft’s Tang (the astronauts’ favorite fake, sweet, orange-flavored drink),
and 5) Sandoz’s Ovaltine (the favorite of Captain Midnight and Little Orphan Annie).
My students were given just two weeks to discover everything they could about their product—
with minimal guidelines from me. They were expected to apply textbook, lecture, and handout
materials whenever possible.
Although it was initially a voluntary project, the “dreaded foods” project is now a regular
Chapter 10: Product Concepts
24
© 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
managers; library books and articles; trade journals; food industry materials; store customers’
opinions (they developed some questionnaire design skills); and, in one case, a student’s parents,
who live thirty miles from the Austin, MN Hormel plant. (They sent me a much-coveted Spam
T-shirt.)
Students displayed an awareness of concepts like utility, product differentiation, and line
extension, as well as pricing, placement, and promotion. They brought product samples to class,
creating a bizarre combination of taste treats and a critical need for Rolaids. The Spam group
recited a haiku and demonstrated why the pig-parts favorite is the butt of so many jokes.
Students got some real, informal, hands-on research experience; they had fun and entertained
their classmates; they worked on a team; and they received extra credit.
Robert D. Winsor, Loyola Marymount University
Implementing Product Positions: A Perceptual Picnic
This demonstration is designed to illustrate the marketing mix strategies used in product
positioning through a fun and involved approach. In addition, students learn that although
positions are typically interpreted through product attributes, consumer behavior is actually
determined by individuals’ perceptions of these attributes.
For this demonstration, the following beverages should be brought to class.
1. Orange-flavored soda (any popular brand)
2. Fruit-flavored Perrier brand sparkling water
3. Any flavor of Ozarka brand carbonated beverage
4. Any flavor of Clear American brand carbonated beverage
5. Snapple brand fruit-flavored beverage
6. Fruitopia brand fruit-flavored beverage (made by the Coca-Cola Company)
7. Orange juice (any popular brand)
8. Sunny Delight brand citrus punch (made by Proctor and Gamble)
If possible, all beverages should be in bottles of roughly the same size, and these bottles should
be in a box which conceals them from the view of students. In addition, bring a container of ice
and enough disposable cups for all class members. Once the above materials are assembled, the
exercise can be performed in four steps.
a. The demonstration should begin by placing the bottle of orange-flavored soda at one end of
a long table or desk at the front of the classroom. A brief history of the soft drink industry
can be noted, if desired. Next, place the bottle of Perrier at the other end of the table, and
Chapter 10: Product Concepts
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initiate a brief discussion of the positioning strategy used to introduce this brand to the
market (by differentiating it from traditional soft drinks and targeting an older, more
“sophisticated” market). Now, walk to the middle or back of the classroom, and hand the
bottle of Ozarka sparkling water to any student. Ask this student to promptly place this
bottle in its “proper” position on the table in consideration of its attributes. Invariably, this
student will place the Ozarka bottle nearest to the Perrier bottle.
At this point, the stage is set for an explanation of the strategy used by Ozarka to position
its brand as a “very good tasting” version of sparkling water. Note the following elements
of the marketing mix used in this positioning strategy: the shape of the bottle (similar to
that of Perrier), the name (foreign sounding), the product description and labeling
(“sparkling spring water with citrus essence” [note European spelling]), the price
(expensive, similar to Perrier), and its retail shelf location (near Perrier and other waters,
and far away from ordinary sodas).
