Product details

MathSoft's VP of sales has doubled the size of the company's direct field sales force to support the launch of a new, high-end workstation software product priced at almost USD9,000. However, sales of the new product are far below plan. At the same time, the VP of marketing is calling for increased magazine advertising to support sales of the company's USD349 personal computer software product, which has been marketed through a combination of distributors, retailers, telephone sales, and direct mail. The president of this entrepreneurial company must determine the appropriate channel structure and communications programs for MathSoft's current product line and future growth. Illustrates the close linkages and trade-offs between industrial marketing channels and communications methods and traces the evolution of one company's hybrid marketing channels. Also introduces students to the use of advertising and direct marketing in selling complex, industrial products. For students who have had a quantitative modeling course, the case includes the output of a market response model developed from MathSoft's advertising and sales data.