CHRISTIAN KING S.

ILARDE

Case 4: Product, Service and Branding Strategy

1. Products and Services Fall into two broad classifications: consumer and industrial. They are
classified further by how customers go about buying them. Go to the five Web sites listed
below and identify each product or service as either consumer or industrial and then b y
subtype.

 www.electroluxusa.com/

 http://looneytunes.warnerbros.com/web/homepage/homepage.jsp

 www.leoburnett.com

 www.army.mil/

 www.google.com/

2. Using the six desirable qualities that a good brand name should possess, create a brand name
for a personal care product that has the following positioning statement:

"Intended for X-games sports participants and enthusiasts, ETIQUETTE is a deodorant that
combines effective odor protection with an enduring and seductive fragrance that will enhance
your romantic fortunes".

Choosing a catchy brand name for a deodorant takes time and careful consideration because a
brand name should be distinctive and unique. ETIQUETTE is the name I would give to the
deodorant. When consumers see the name ETIQUETTE, they immediately recognize, identify,
and remember it. It also provides information about the deodorant's qualities and benefits.
When people or athletes hear or see ETIQUETTE, they envision a personal care and hygiene
product. When translated into other languages, the name does not convey incorrect or negative
meanings.

3. Assume you are the marketing director for a snowboard manufacturer that holds a 45 percent
share of the men’s 18-29 year old segment. The company is thinking about extending the
brand by developing a snowboard and related sports apparel line to be targeted toward
women ages 18 to 29. Argue for or against such an extension.

It would be more appropriate to investigate women's relationships with their clothing and
accessories. The expression of femininity by women through clothing and accessories has
emerged as an intriguing relationship. Future research could identify the overt and covert
meanings and messages clothing and accessories ho ld. It would also be interesting to learn
more about how one's body image influences the aesthetic or expressive elements that women
are drawn to.
 Future research could focus on the role of aesthetics, specifically color, in women's
snowboarding clothing. Color emerged as a very relevant theme in this study, and it was
extremely important to the women's overall opinion of a garment, as well as a reason she would
or would not make a garment porch.

FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY:

According to Web site, “e-Bay’s mission is to provide a global trading platform where practically
anyone can trade practically anything.” Since it was founded in 1995, eBay has created the most
visited internet site in the world. On any given day, you can find millions of members reviewing,
bidding on and buying the hundreds of thousands of items listed on eBay. Members can purchase an
item in an auction or at a fixed price. eBay focuses on a community of members, both buyers and
sellers. It provides many features that enhance the trading experience. One of the more important
ones is the eBay Feedback feature. This feature captures, in few words and symbols, “the reputation”
of the members. Additional online services include convenient payment features and an assortment of
tools for buyers, sellers and developers. Go to www.eBay.com, take a tour of the site, and then
respond to the following questions:

1. What is the service that eBay provides its members?

Bay Product Services is made up of two APIs: the Product API and the Product Metadata API. These APIs
retrieve useful information and metadata about eBay products to assist you in listing items with Parts
Compatibility.

API for the product

The Product API is made up of calls that return product data. You can, for example, use the
Product API to find products that have associated compatibilities. Listing an item with a product
that has compatibilities (e.g., specific vehicle applications, such as a 2004 Honda Accord) is one
way to include Parts Compatibility information in a listing. The API allows you to retrieve product
information in a variety of ways, including:

 Locate products with fitment information for a specific vehicle.

 Find compatible vehicles based on the specifications of a specific product (part).

 Obtain the compatible applications (vehicles) for a specific product.

The Product Metadata API is made up of calls that return product metadata for various categories. For
example, you can use the Product Metadata API to retrieve the compatibility search names (for example,
Make and Model) and values (for example, Honda and Accord) that are permitted for a given category.
This compatibility metadata can be used to build compatible applications for a specific category. One way
to list an item with Parts Compatibility information is to list it with compatible applications (for example,
a fender that fits specific cars). This is known as listing with application compatibility.

The API returns the following types of metadata:

  Compatibility search names and search values, which can be used as filters or search
criteria in the Product API or to construct compatible applications for listing with Parts
Compatibility by application
 Bulk compatibility search values for building a local version of the metadata
 Metadata version information to help you monitor for changes, so you can effectively
maintain the compatibility metadata locally

2. How has eBay differentiated itself from competitors?

eBay APIs support a large number of applications and serve billions of API calls every month. To
maintain a high level of availability and provide superior quality of service, eBay limits the API
call usage. The limits on the total calls and the rate at which the calls can be made depend on
the API. The default API rate limits are designed for individuals and smaller businesses. If your
volume increases, you can get higher limits after completing our free Compatible Application
Check process.

3. Is the power of the eBay Feedback feature more fact or fiction?

Fact, Since Feedback becomes a permanent part of your record, buyers are encouraged to con-
tact sellers to try to resolve any issues before leaving neutral or negative Feedback.

3. Is the power of the eBay Feedback feature more fact or fiction?