Dow Chemical & Olympic Brand Fit

For nearly a century, owners of U.S. professional sports teams have lobbied respective governmental bodies for public subsidies to build stadiums and arenas across the country, using franchise relocation as leverage. Myriad justifications have been used as a defense for the public subsidization of this private enterprise, ranging from the economic impact of capital intensive projects to the psychic regional benefit of being a host city to a professional sports franchise. But do these justifications hold up under increased scrutiny? In this case, students are placed in the position of the Mayor of Oakland as she is faced with a dilemma regarding publicly subsidizing a new Raiders stadium. Students will examine the issue through the lens of multiple key stakeholders, and will ultimately have to decide whether the city should utilize public funds to keep the Davis family happy and the Raiders in Oakland, or withhold funding for public good and risk the franchise relocating elsewhere.

All signs are pointing toward a renaissance of on-field success for State U’s football, men’s basketball and hockey programs, suggesting that ticket demand will soon be on the upswing. This case study places students in a scenario in which a mid-major Division I university needs to decide whether to follow industry trends and outsource its ticket sales vertical or, alternatively, build an in-house sales department. After discussing the benefits and potential challenges to both tracks, and presenting three separate proposals - two from outsourcing firms, and one outlining the development of an in-house sales department - this case study challenges students to conduct a critical analysis of State U’s options and form a managerial recommendation.

This case study places the student in the role of a Coca-Cola Classic marketing executive challenged with determining if the brand should engage in ambush marketing around the 2015 Super Bowl, based on the critical analysis of the legal, ethical and practical business environment. The second component of the case study challenges the student to recommend an ambush marketing plan using the range of tactics provided.

This case study places students in the real world decision-making process acting as the Canadian Olympic Committee’s (COC) brand protection team faced with high-profile incidents of ambush marketing that arise in the months prior to the 2014 Sochi (Russia) Winter Olympic Games. The case study provides the actual ambush marketing assessment form utilized by the COC to assess the severity of ambush marketing incidents and challenges students to provide a course of action from both a legal and business perspective.