Dissecting the case: Calyx & Corolla
This is a summary of the Calyx & Corolla case that intends to tie together some of the in-class discussion with general themes that come up in many of our cases. It should also give you an idea of what types of issues you should be addressing in your major case group write-ups.
Overview
There are a few major challenges that C&C is facing in this case. The most immediate challenge presented in the case itself is their desire to grow the business and reach more customers. Specifically, the management is considering a major advertising campaign to go head-to-head against FTD. However, this masks a deeper challenge, and C&C's real problem. Their problem is that they aren't entirely clear who their customers should be ? in other words, is the mass market approach of FTD really the best match to their product? As a small company, they need to figure out the best way to use their scarce marketing resources, to reach customers who are the best target for their offerings. (Note that this type of "problem assessment" should be part of your case cover memo.)
Company ? Competition ? Customers
When discussing company strengths and weakness, it's easy to focus on the "internal" perspective from which the case is written. For example, with C&C, their obvious strengths are their shortened distribution system, their strong management team, the relationships with their partners, etc. However, to really be able to use the company analysis to help set your marketing strategy, it's important to take the analysis one step further and think about the strengths & weaknesses in terms of the benefits to the customer. So, the shortened distribution means that the flowers will last longer, and relationships with partners mea ...