Category: Marketing Strategy

NHL and its teams get a second chance for a first impression

The National Hockey League’s owners recently reached a one-sided agreement with the NHL Players Association, ending the lockout that claimed the entire 2004-05 season. Michael Mokwa, faculty director of sports business in the W. P. Carey MBA, says hockey’s approach to mollifying fans after the lost season will be fascinating to watch. “What hockey needs to do most is to demonstrate that it truly cares about its fans and that it respects them and needs them,” says Mokwa. Many teams have come up with creative marketing strategies combining lower-priced tickets, expanded cheap-seat sections, and better fan accessibility to the players.

Dissatisfied consumers turn tables on companies in cyberspace

In the old days, an unpleasant customer service experience prompted an outraged report circulating among a few friends and relatives. Today, a spurned customer has the potential to reach millions through Word of Web (WOW). Two W. P. Carey School of Business marketing professors made a study of the WOW phenomenon, and they have some advice for companies. The worst response is a heavy-handed or threatening move; the most effective response is better customer service.

High performers: Staying on top of the game

The qualities that set high performers apart from their colleagues have been put under the research microscope of two marketing professors at the W. P. Carey School of Business. “Competitive crafting” refers to the set of behaviors that enables managers to use the information and knowledge they possess about the competition to create a winning business proposition. And these behaviors have been taught successfully in large companies cooperating in the ASU study.  

The waiting game: It’s not always a bad thing

To wait or not to wait is not the question. Rather, it’s how — and to what extent — an imposed delay affects our enjoyment of consumer products. W. P. Carey School of Business marketing professors take a closer look at delays and consumer opinions.