Marketing for High Tech & Innovation (MK 257) Course Overview. Course Objectives

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1 Marketing for High Tech & Innovation (MK 257) Course Overview Marketing for High Technology and Innovation is intended to address some of these challenges, through a combination of published concepts, real-life examples, group discussions and expert opinions. This course will focus on the application of basic marketing framework in the hi-tech context while including those concepts unique to this world. It will build understanding on specifics of high technology marketing and its difference from regular marketing. It will subsequently introduce tools and techniques for more effectively developing strategic market models and marketing plans for hitech products and services. The focus will be in guiding marketers on how to adapt, modify and prioritize the basic tenets of marketing, while incorporating the unique and specific hi-tech aspects. Given the context, the course will not focus on some adjacent topics. Specifically, it will not focus on (1) how to employ technology as a marketing tool (digital marketing), (2) identifying hot technologies of today or the future, and (3) overall organizational technology strategy. Nonetheless, some of these subjects will find mention or will appear in discussions, without being the key concern for the sessions. The course will use a combination of published concepts, real-life examples, case-studies, journal articles and expert opinions. It will attempt to explore a range and diversity of industries and contexts within hi-tech, though a significant focus will thus emerge on information technology. Given the specific characteristics these illustrations and lessons will be very relevant to businesses and industries that are now emerging or those that are just starting-up. This course is intended for students preparing for a career in the hi-tech industry. Individuals seeking roles in sales, marketing and business or product development in hardware, software, newer and emerging technologies as well as in companies providing B2B or B2C services and solutions will find the tenets of this course relevant for their career goals. It will also be extremely relevant to start-ups and for students who wish to become hi-tech entrepreneurs. Course Objectives The course Marketing for High Tech and Innovation will explore the following with reference to hi-tech industries: 1. Defining characteristics and major forces of differentiation 2. Types of innovations and implications for overall business and marketing in particular 3. Criticality of product planning and customer orientation 4. Overall marketing mix (4 P s) and required adaptations versus classical marketing 5. Role of ecosystem, strategic alliances and partnerships 6. Challenges taking new innovations to success and future of hi-tech marketing Project The project will provide an opportunity for in-depth study or application of the concepts discussed in class. The project should be done in groups of four (4) with clear roles assigned to each member of the team.

2 For the project, the groups may take up a specific technology, company or product. The group should then map its genesis from conception to current state and/or maturity and recommend future steps and/or identify alternate options in the route. The focus should be on application of concepts learnt, insights and analysis as well as on quality of recommendations. Groups are encouraged to pick their own topic though some suggestions will be provided. The expected final outcome will be a report with sections that (i) present the issue, (ii) provide an industry overview, (iii) table findings from relevant primary/secondary research undertaken, (iv) discuss/arrive at a conclusion and (v) present consequent implications and/or recommendations. The project will be graded on (i) Project Definition, (ii) Depth of Effort, (iii) Quality of Analysis, (iv) Presentation and (v) Report-out. The group deliverables will include the initial project outline, a mid-term progress update and the final report along with a short class presentation. Guidelines for each of the submissions are provided as Annexure II, and the submission deadlines are mentioned in the Session Plan. Session Plan Session Session Plan Learning Outcomes* 1 Hi-Tech Introduction 1, 4 Why High Tech & Innovation Marketing? Defining Characteristics Implications for Business Network Effects 2 Technology Cycles 1, 2, 4 Competitive Volatility Technology S Curves & Life Cycle Incumbent s Curse Moore s Law 3 Understanding Innovation (Individual Paper Critique) 1, 3, 4 Nature of Innovation Innovation Types & Patterns Contingency Model for Hi-Tech Marketing Value Migration 4 Case Discussion (Individual/ Group Submission) 1, 3, 4 Case of the Profitless PC by Andy Blackburn, Matt Halprin, Ruth Veloria; HBR Case Study ( 1998) 5 Strategic Market Planning - I 1, 2, 4 Strategic Decision Making in Hi-Tech Competitive Advantage in Technology Strategic Planning Models Overview Value Migration

3 Project Outline is due in this session 6 Case Discussion (Group Presentation) 1, 3, 4, 5 Netflix by Willy Shih, Stephen P. Kaufman, David Spinola HBR Case Study ( 2007) 7 Strategic Market Planning -II 1, 3, 4, 5 Deliberate vs. Emergent Strategy Formation Strategic Fit & Value Network Jobs based Segmentation Strategic Dissonance 8 Understanding Technology Customers - I 1, 2, 4 Customer Behaviour Diffusion of Technology Adoption Technology Adoption Life Cycle Crossing the Chasm 9 Case Discussion (Group Presentation) 1, 3, 4, 5 Documentum, Inc. by Rajiv Lal, Sean Lanagan HBS, Understanding Technology Customers - II 1, 3, 4 Building the Whole Product Tornado & Main Street Markets Rogers Five Factors (Product Differences) Bass Model of Diffusion Project Mid-Term Progress Report due in this session 11 Partnerships & Alliances 1, 3, 4, 5 Role of Business Ecosystem Dominant Design & Industry Standards Importance of Partnerships in Hi-Tech Types of partnerships & alliances 12 Product Management - Role of Design 1, 2, 4 Emphatic Design Feature Fatigue Case Discussion (Individual Submission) 1, 3, 4, 5 Design Thinking and Innovation at Apple by Stefan Thomke, Barbara Feinberg

4 Harvard Business School, Case Discussion (Group Presentation) 1, 3, 4 AmTran Technology Limited, by Willy Shih, Jyun-Chen Wang & Karen Robinson Harvard Business School, Product Management II (Individual Paper Critique) 1, 3, 4, 5 Technology Mapping Technology Asset Management Modularity Platforms & Derivatives 15 Pricing in Hi-Tech 1, 3, 4 Technology Pricing Paradox Pricing Models: Razor & Blades, Freemium Total cost of Ownership (TCO) Versioning and Migration Management 16 Supply Chain & Distribution Channels 1, 3, 4 Role of Distribution Channels Harmonized, Integrated & Multi-channels Mapping Supply Chain to Innovation New Perspectives 17 Case Discussion (Group Presentation) 1, 3, 4, 5 Synthes, by John T. Gourville Harvard Business School, Case Discussion (Group Presentation) 1, 3, 4, 5 HubSpot: Inbound Marketing and Web 2.0 by Thomas Steenburgh, Jill Avery, Naseem Dahod; HBS Premier Case Collection, Branding & Marketing Communications in Hi-Tech 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Strategic Brand Considerations Ingredient Branding & Co-op Marketing Integrated Marketing Communications Importance of PR, Events & Social Extra 3, 4, 5

5 PROJECT PRESENTATIONS Extra Project Final Report to be submitted in this session 20 The Joy of Technology Butting it all together Course Synopsis Cross-industry Learnings Future of Technology? Note:* The numbers in the Learning Objectives column represent; 1) Internationalism 2) Business Embeddedness 3) Responsible Citizenship 4) Reflective Critical Thinking 5) Comprehensive Leadership Reading Material: Course Textbook Marketing of High Technology Products and Innovations (2010) Jakki J. Mohr, Sanjit Sengupta, Stanley F. Slater 3rd Edition (ISBN: ) Evaluation Method: This course will use a mixture of the following learning and teaching techniques: class lectures, discussions of case-studies& journal articles, guest seminars, class exercises and project work. The students will be graded as follows on each of the segments for the final evaluation: Closed-book Examination: 40% Project Work: 30% Quiz/ Assignments & Class Participation: 30%