Philips and the dental care challenge (B)
Case (A) described the range of options which Philips’ Dental Care Article Group considered for challenging Braun’s supremacy in electric toothbrush. Case (B) describes the strategy chosen by Philips and its two components: 1) A design that capitalises on the round head imposed by Braun as the de-facto design standard, but adds two differentiating features for customer benefits, hence avoids being perceived as a “me-too” product (but does it avoid it, really?); 2) An alliance with Europe’s leading manual toothbrush manufacturer, Jordan, to match the Braun – Oral B combination, leverage Jordan’s manufacturing advantage in brush heads, gain distribution, and win acceptance with the professional dental community. The case leaves the actual positioning of that Philips-Jordan product open and begs the question: “Is this really enough to beat Braun at their own game?”
1995
Cranfield University
Wharley End Beds MK43 0JR, UK
Tel +44 (0)1234 750903
Email [email protected]
Harvard Business School Publishing
60 Harvard Way, Boston MA 02163, USA
Tel (800) 545-7685 Tel (617)-783-7600
Fax (617) 783-7666
Email [email protected]
NUCB Business School
1-3-1 Nishiki Naka
Nagoya Aichi, Japan 460-0003
Tel +81 52 20 38 111
Email [email protected]
IMD retains all proprietary interests in its case studies and notes. Without prior written permission, IMD cases and notes may not be reproduced, used, translated, included in books or other publications, distributed in any form or by any means, stored in a database or in other retrieval systems. For additional copyright information related to case studies, please contact Case Services.
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
The case study delves into strategic transformation and leadership transitions at Unilever since 2009. Unilever has been an industry leader of busi...
The case study examines recent aviation safety concerns at Boeing, focusing on manufacturing issues, leadership decisions and regulatory oversight....
The case is seen through the eyes of the newly appointed supply chain director at a cosmetics company based in Berlin. The general manager has task...
Few Business to Business (B2B) marketplaces have succeeded. Metalshub has successfully combined a software platform as a service, with a marketplac...
The case focuses on Contabilizei, a Brazilian startup providing online accounting services for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The case ...
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
in I by IMD 24 June 2024
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Case reference: IMD-7-2457 ©2024
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Case reference: IMD-7-2546 ©2024
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications