Center for Entrepreneurial Studies,
Babson College © 1996

ISBN 0-324-00180-0

Case Teaching Package
A case teaching package, written by Bill Bygrave and Dan D'Heilly, is available for this case. It includes strategies for case presentation, key concepts, solutions to the assignment questions in the case, and suggestions for the most effective ways to work this case into your course.

Length
This case is 16 pages in length and its case teaching package is 6 pages.

Abstract

Bill and Lisa Pernsteiner created a best-of-class sales automation software product but agonized over their marketing campaign, consisting of magazine advertising and trade-show exhibitions. They received a significant number of advertising inquiries, but sold few copies of their product. Then their sales consultant, Torrey Russell, suggested replacing magazine advertising with a guerrilla marketing campaign.

Students must decide whether the present campaign simply needs more time to produce satisfactory returns, how to modify the campaign, or to discard it entirely. The case introduces students to a product-focused software engineer turned entrepreneur and a "me too" marketing plan for a unique product. The case offers an opportunity to explore technology adoption rates and buying behavior, guerrilla marketing, and the marketing mix (especially the marketing communication and advertising strategies).

• Location of the company: Seattle, Washington
• Years spanned by the case: 1992 through 1994
• Industry segment: Marketing software for automating customer relationship processes
• Stage of the company: Start-up
• Age of the entrepreneurs: 40s