IMB 4

Marketing and Customer Centricity

COURSE INSTRUCTOR

Professor: Davide Reina

E-mail [email protected]
Office: Via Bocconi, 8, 5th Floor, Room 513
Phone 0039 02 5836.6843

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

The marketing course’s key goals, in terms of learning, will be both related to strategic marketing
(Analysis of Demand, Segmentation, Targeting, Positioning) on the one hand, to operating
marketing (branding and communication, product management, customer management) on the
other hand.

It is crucial to focus on both strategic and operating marketing as, nowadays, companies are more
and more interested in managers commanding exhaustively over the discipline of marketing.
Overall, participants will be exposed to most recent, globally known “marketing best theories and
practices” .

This course’s take away, in terms of managerial ability, are: the capacity to make marketing
decisions under a dynamic, proactive, effective logic encompassing customers and competitors at
the same time; full command of “marketing best theories and practices”; development of a mindset
according to which marketing is anything but the operating strategy of the company put into
practice.

COURSE CONTENTS

Contents will be developed in class according to a sequential logic. Hence, the first week will be
devoted to strategic marketing, whereas the second week will focus on operating marketing. In
general, all topics will be discussed via concrete examples, emblematic case studies, groups
assignments.
COURSE METHODOLOGY

As for methodology, the most key distinguishing traits will be: coincidence between excellence in
theoretical thinking and excellence in decision making; exposure of class to some advanced and
innovative operating models in marketing; intense use of case-histories in order to facilitate brain
storming and team working.
In general, the teaching methodology will be designed according to an ideal sequence: exposure
to the logic/tool; analysis of related best theories and practices; case studies for discussion. To
read the case-studies carefully, before the day in which they will be analyzed and discussed
in class, is fundamental.

COURSE ETIQUETTE
In your own interest and of your colleagues, please try to observe the following courtesy rules:

• Get connected in time; do not leave early.

• Keep your mobiles and laptops off; do not use wireless network emailing in class.
• Minimize wandering in and out of the classroom.
• Participate fully in digital class.
• Pull your weight in group/joint work. Do not free ride your colleagues!
• Hand in assignments on time. Late submissions will be heavily penalized.

COURSE EVALUATION – WEEK 1, 2

The groups’ assignments (case studies) account for 50% of the grade, the final written exam for
another 50%.

The final exam is a “closed book” test, with multiple-choice questions.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR

DAVIDE REINA, Italian, SDA Professor of Marketing at SDA Bocconi (Milan) and MISB Bocconi
(Mumbai). He completed a full-time MBA at Vlerick Business School in Belgium and graduated
magna cum laude at Bocconi University. Davide first pursued an extensive professional experience
as a manager and director of multinational companies in the EU and China, in large consumer
goods, retail and automotive. He was in charge of strategic projects in the fields of product
innovation and launch, market development, JVs and acquisitions. Davide has been teaching at
SDA Bocconi since 2007, and his interests lie at the intersection between strategic marketing and
innovation, customer centricity and product differentiation, green and digital economy. As a core
faculty professor, Davide teaches at part-time Executive MBA programs as well as full-time MBA
programs. Besides that, he is actively involved in executive courses and workshops for senior
executives, which he conducts in the EU, US, and China with companies like ABB, FIAT Industrial,
Prysmian, Saint-Gobain, Alcatel Lucent. Davide also founded and developed his own consulting
company, mostly focusing on innovation and customer centricity, and serves as a member of
advisory boards of Italian companies and multinationals. He is a frequent speaker at industry events
devoted to the topics of innovation and transition to hybrid (offline and online) business models.
Finally, Davide is an enthusiastic and “pro-bono” corporate economist writing articles and giving
speeches about the potential of a more equal and sustainable economy. His latest books:
“Marketing during Coronavirus” (June 2020), “Est modus in rebus. Proverbs and mottos for
entrepreneurs and managers” (October 2017).

DETAILED SYLLABUS

INTRODUCTION, ANALYSIS OF DEMAND

This session focuses on the best theories and practices with regard to analysis
of demand, both in B2C and B2B markets. More specifically: qualitative market
researches, quantitative market researches, estimate of
products/services/businesses potential. The main learning goal is to explain
participants the golden rules, in order to implement market researches
Lecture 1
properly.

READINGS
• J.A. Klompmaker, G.D. Hughes, R.I. Haley, “Test marketing in new
product development”, Harvard Business Review, 1976
• Kotler P., Keller S., “Marketing Management, Global edition”, Chapters 1,4
2015 Edition, Pearson
• Exercise: Lulu Lemon (not to read in advance)

ANALYSIS OF COMPETITION
This lecture will focus on the main KPI’s, in order to define a clear and
exhaustive competitive overview. In particular: value and volume market
shares, intensity index, numerical and weighted distribution, the market share
breakdown, will be analyzed. The learning goal is to explain participants how
Lecture 2 to calculate those indicators on the one hand, and how to use them in order to
derive meaningful and insightful take aways, on the other hand.

READINGS
• Kotler P., Keller S., “Marketing Management, Global edition”, Chapter 1,
2015 Edition, Pearson
• Exercise: Marketing Myopia (not to read in advance)
SEGMENTATION AND TARGETING

The ability to segment properly a given market is crucial for marketers, along
with the capacity to understand which segments might be potential targets.
This lecture will expose participants to the best theories and practices in order
Lecture 3 to excel in the segmentation and targeting processes.

READINGS
• Kotler P., Keller S., “Marketing Management, Global edition”, Chapter
9, 2015 Edition, Pearson
• Case: GREEN OX, Darden Business Publishing), to read in advance

Lecture 4 THE ART OF POSITIONING

 Positioning a brand/a product/a business is crucial. The golden rules in order
to do it properly will be investigated during this lecture.

READINGS
• R. Mauborgne, W.C. Kim, “Blue Ocean Strategy”, Harvard Business
Review, October (76-85)
• Kotler P., Keller S., “Marketing Management, Global edition”, Chapter
10, 2015 Edition, Pearson
• Exercise: PORSCHE TAYCAN (not to read in advance)

DETAILED SYLLABUS

PRODUCT MANAGEMENT

This session focuses on the best theories and practices to adopt in order to
generate purposeful differentiation and postpone the commoditization, and
analyzes the crucial role played by USPs generation in order to manage
products and products portfolio properly. Also, an unconventional approach to
business risk management vs. product’s life-cycle curve will be explained.
Lecture 5
READINGS
• P. Drucker, “The Discipline of Innovation”, Harvard Business Review,
1985
• T. Levitt, “The marketing imagination”, The Free Press, 1983
• T. Levitt, “Marketing Myopia”, Harvard Business Review, 2004
• R. Mauborgne, W.C. Kim, “Blue Ocean Strategy”, Harvard Business
Review, October (76-85)
• CASE: A. Agnihotri, S. Bhattacharaya, “The Tata NANO: what went
wrong?”, Harvard Business School, Nov. 2015 (to read in advance)

BRANDING (in action)

This lecture will focus on brand management’s key operating logics and tools.
In particular, the practical capacity to assess, manage and develop a brand
equity, and the ability to design market development strategies in order to
generate successful brand stretching will be investigated

Lecture 6 READINGS
• T. Peters, “Re-imagine!” . Chapter 8. DK, 2008
• J.B. Coumau, V. Fabius, T. Meyer, “Incumbents as attackers: Brand-
driven innovation”, McKinsey Quarterly Review, May 2015
• CASE: H. Abelli, “Mountain Man Brewing Co.: Bringing the Brand to
Light”, Harvard Business School, May 2007 (to read in advance)
• “Food company and innovation: cultural revolution”, The Economist,
August 31st, 2013
PLACING AND PRICING

Lecture 7 The ability to foresee structural changes in the channel-mix, along with the
capacity to reshape it proactively, are more and more crucial for marketers.
The lecture will expose participants to do’s and don’ts of Placing in nowadays
markets, and will take into account the impact of the e-commerce and the
possibility to implement a co-petition based marketing-mix.
 READINGS
• A. Brandenburger, B. Nalebuff, “Co-Opetition”, Chapters 2, 6, 7,
Doubleday, New York, 1996
• T. Baumgartner, H. Hatami, M. Valdivieso, “The new world of sales
growth”, McKinsey Quarterly Review, May 2016
• CASE: K. Kashani, I. Francis, “Xiameter: the past and future of a
disruptive innovation” (IMD Case History), 2006 (to read in advance)

CUSTOMER CENTRICITY
The lecture aims at generating a full understanding about the building up of
successful, customer-centric value propositions. In order to do that, it is
essential to manage the marketing-mix through the adoption of an outward
driven perspective, taking into account the external commercial value chain
and its main stakeholders.

Lecture 8 READINGS
• French, T., LaBerge, L., Magill, P. (2012). Five ‘no regrets’ moves for
superior customer engagement. McKinsey Quarterly Review, July.
• Fisk P., “Customer Genius”, Chapter 1, March 2009
• John R de Vincentis, Neil Rackham, “Breadth of a salesman”, McKinsey
Quarterly, 1998 Issue 4, p32-44
• CASE: V. Kasturi Rangan, S. Yong, “Soren Chemical: Why is the New
Swimming Pool Product Sinking?”, Harvard Business School, April 09,
2010 (to read in advance)