Product Management/Planning

Successful companies make brand promises to their customers and fulfill them over time. Teach your students about the power of brand promise and their role in keeping it. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that includes information about identifying brand promise, a (So What?) discussion of why it's important to learn, and a...

Quality control is a lot more than weeding out defective products! Teach your students about the quality-control methods and measures that contribute to customer satisfaction and business success. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that includes information about quality-control measures, a (So What?) discussion of why it's...

Innovation. It drives business and economic growth. Businesses create, design, and redesign to compete in today’s changing market. This LAP, Ideas in Action (Innovation Skills), will teach your students the importance of innovation and how companies achieve it. Its videos and activities will expose students to some inventive products from the past as well as the newer innovations of 4D printing, autonomous driving, and virtual reality. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive...

Deciding what products to offer is one of the most important decisions a company makes. This LAP delves into the components of the product mix, explains product mix dimensions, and explores the strategies used by businesses to manage their product mixes. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that includes information...

Product/Service management is important for all businesses--large, small, and in between! This LAP explains the factors that influence product/service management, the ways that product/service management affects marketing, and the phases of product/service management that all businesses must handle. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT!...

People encounter graded products every day, but what do these grades mean? This LAP explains why grades and standards are used, how they are set, and what types of products have grades and standards. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that includes information about grades and standards, a (So What?) discussion of why it's...

What makes a brand name good? Why is branding so important? And does every product need to be branded? This LAP explains brand strategies and the important stages of the branding process. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that includes information about product branding, a (So What?) discussion of why it's important to learn,...

Between choosing wording for labels, selecting packaging materials, and monitoring product quality, product managers often face serious ethical dilemmas. In this LAP, students will examine several common ethical issues that product managers deal with on a daily basis—and gain an in-depth understanding of the importance of ethical behavior in product/service management. In the Gray Zone, students will consider the case of a product manager who is facing pressure to label a new product with “no...

Every product needs a position! Positioning shows customers how a product is unique. Getting Piece of Mind (Factors Used to Position Products/Services) will teach your students about this important marketing activity, detail several different positioning strategies, and explain how the four P’s of marketing can be used to assist with positioning. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP...

Footballs, jerseys, concerts, and conventions are just a few of a wide range of sport/event products. The variety of these and other sport/event products, along with their unique characteristics, make sports/event marketing an interesting and challenging task. More Than a Ticket (Elements of Sport/Event Products) uses activities, videos, and more to teach students about special considerations when marketing sports, events, and other sport/event products. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are...

It takes a lot more than just a product name and logo to make up a corporate brand! Brand promises, brand personalities, and core values are just a few of the important components that small-business owners must keep in mind when developing brands. This LAP outlines the steps business owners take when creating their own successful corporate brands. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This...

New product ideas don’t appear out of thin air. Instead, businesses use many creative-thinking techniques to generate product ideas, such as brainstorming, mind mapping, attribute listing, and many more. Use this LAP to help your students understand the importance of ideation to businesses, sources of new product ideas, and creative-thinking strategies. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan....

Licensed sport products are around us every day. Sign Here: Licensing for Profit (Licensing in Sports/Event Marketing) teaches your students how the licensing system works, why trademarks are important, and how licensing differs from branding, sponsorship, and endorsement. This LAP will also help your students understand the differences between a licensor and a licensee, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of both roles. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional...

In today’s competitive market, businesses want to stand out, and one great way to get noticed is with celebrity endorsements. Use Play the Name Game (Celebrity Endorsements) to show your students why businesses spend millions to have superstars promote their products. This LAP will teach your students several types of endorsements, the advantages and disadvantages of celebrity endorsement, and the ways in which celebrities make consumers pay attention and buy promoted products. LAPs (Learning...

Marketers in charge of developing sport/event licensing programs must do so with a great deal of care. In this LAP, students will learn the main legal considerations involved in licensing, including the basics of trademarking. Students will embark on a guided tour through the licensing process, discovering how to select licensees and draft strong license agreements. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented...

Corporate brands are way more than just logos—they’re all the combined customer impressions and experiences associated with a particular company. This LAP explains why corporate brands are so important and what companies do to build them. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that includes information about corporate branding, a (So...

A unique selling proposition (USP) shows a company’s special niche in the marketplace. Stand Out (Unique Selling Proposition) teaches your students about USPs—what they are, why they’re important, and how to create them. This LAP also details how USPs benefit businesses and outlines the process of creating a USP. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with...

When a customer has to choose between two companies, which one will win out? Often, it’s the one with the best customer service! This LAP explains how focusing on customers, offering great internal customer service, and studying the competition can help create a successful business. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that...

Consumer protection measures attempt to minimize the risks of purchasing and using consumer products. Protect and Serve (Consumer Protection) teaches your students about the need for consumer protection and the steps that businesses and the government take to keep consumers safe. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that includes...

In today’s era of rapidly evolving technology, warranties and guarantees are important. But what is guaranteed exactly? Do your students understand how warranties and guarantees benefit them and the businesses that provide them? Check out the LAP Promises, Promises (Warranties and Guarantees), with examples from Apple, Chanel, and Fairfield Inn & Suites, to help your students understand the basics of these agreements, how the law regulates them, and much more! LAPs (Learning Activity Packages)...

Events of all types depend on sponsors for support. However, sponsors benefit, too! Scoring Customers Through Sponsorships (Sports/Event Sponsorships) explains the many benefits that sponsors receive. This LAP also explains the risks sponsors face and how they carefully select and pursue beneficial sports/event sponsorships. Activities, videos, and much more teach students how sponsorships can be a win-win—providing benefits both for sponsors and the sports/event organizations they support....