Cheetos! Let’s get Cheetos!” Riku Nakamura’s daughter, Akari, lunged toward the grocery store shelf. Riku’s wife, Aoi, sighed. “Remind me: Why are we walking down this aisle again?”
Case Study: From Niche to Mainstream
Tell us what you think the protagonist should do.
April 25, 2018
ROMUALDO FAURA
Summary.
In this fictional case study, the protagonist Riku Nakamura relocated from Tokyo to San Francisco to spearhead the launch of Kenzo rice crackers into the U.S. But, two years later, the fledgling American offshoot is still losing money and can’t seem to break out of the “ethnic” aisles at American grocery stores. Should he consider private label deals that would boost the bottom line but perhaps diminish the brand? Or is there a better way to kickstart Kenzo’s global growth?