MARKETING; HEALTH ENTERPRISE MANAGEMENT
Clinical Professor of Marketing
Professor Calkins is author of Breakthrough Marketing Plans (Palgrave Macmillan, 2008). He is also co-editor of Kellogg on Branding (John Wiley & Sons, 2005). He has written numerous teaching cases focused on marketing strategy and branding. His most recent cases include Crestor, MedImmune: FluMist Introduction and Eli Lilly: Xigris.
Professor Calkins teaches marketing strategy and bio-medical marketing. At the executive education level, Calkins is co-academic director of the Kellogg School’s branding program and teaches in other programs including the Executive Development Program and the Kellogg Management Institute. For his excellence in teaching, Professor Calkins received the 2006 Lawrence G. Lavengood Outstanding Professor of the Year Award, the top teaching award at school.
In addition to teaching at Kellogg, Professor Calkins works with major corporations around the world on marketing strategy and branding issues. His recent clients include Eli Lilly, Abbott, Bausch & Lomb and Welch Allyn. Most of his consulting work is done through Class 5 Consulting, a marketing consulting firm. Calkins has been quoted in publications including Business Week, Newsweek, USA Today, Advertising Age, and The New York Times. He has appeared on NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox, and CNBC.
He began his career at Booz Allen and Hamilton, where he worked on strategy and marketing projects. He joined Kraft Foods in 1991. During his almost 11 years at Kraft, Calkins led businesses including A.1. steak sauce, Miracle Whip, Taco Bell, Seven Seas and DiGiorno. While at Kraft, he was responsible for the launch of more than two dozen new products and received numerous industry awards for creating outstanding advertising campaigns.
Biomedical Marketing (Biotechnology)
Brand Management
Consumer Products
Marketing Management
Marketing Strategy/Planning/Policy
New Product Development
- Recent Media Coverage
Crain’s Chicago Business: New drinks in Gatorade’s playbook - 11/9/2009
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: College Hall of Fame: who's paying for it? - 9/24/2009
Atlanta Journal Constitution: Buckhead advertises its empty space - 9/19/2009
Associated Press: Pittsburgh companies seek to capitalize on G-20 - 9/6/2009
See all Kellogg in the Media
- Recent Kellogg News
Is your brand sharp enough? - 9/2/2009
A price to pay - 4/9/2009
Kellogg School of Management ranks Monster.com best, SoBe worst in Super Bowl XLIII - 2/2/2009
Kellogg School of Management Faculty and MBA Students To Lead Fifth Annual Super Bowl Advertising Review - 1/26/2009
See all Kellogg News
Managing Director, 2004-present
Kraft Foods
Senior Category Business Director, 2001-2002
Category Business Director, 1999-2000
Senior Brand Manager, 1997-1998
Brand Manager, 1995-1996
Associate Brand Manager, 1993-1994
Assistant Brand Manager, 1991-1992
Booz Allen and Hamilton
Research Associate, 1987-1989
This book offers a perspective on a variety of issues related to branding. Chapters are authored by Kellogg faculty, as well as senior executives who are affliated with Kellogg.
In this case, Chuck Smith, senior brand manager of A1 Steak Sauce, learns that Lawry's will soon be launching a steak sauce product. He has to determine if A1 should defend its business, and if so, what A1 should do. In formulating the recommendation, he has to consider competitive dynamics and work through the financial implications.
Carolina Lunker Sauce is a new product attempting to break into the fishing attractants category. At the time of the case, the company founders are evaluating cutting the retail price of the product in order to secure distribution. Analyzing this decision forces the leaders of this struggling company to evaluate their overall new product strategy and the product’s positioning in the market. The case is ideal for classes focused on new product strategy, positioning and pricing.
AstraZeneca is preparing for the launch of Crestor, the company’s first entrant in the enormous and fast growing statin category. The team responsible for the product launch is considering how best to bring Crestor to market. Should AstraZeneca simply follow the example set by Pfizer with the exceptionally successful launch of Lipitor? Or should the company instead launch Crestor as a niche product? The primary focus of the case is new product strategy. The case is unique because it can be used to teach new product strategy for both emerging and established categories. The case can also be used to teach competitive strategy.
This case examines the launch of Xigris, a breakthrough new pharmaceutical product for the treatment of sepsis. In the (A) case, the newly appointed head of marketing for Xigris is reviewing the launch plan. In the (B) case, Eli Lilly receives FDA approval and proceeds to market.
This case examines the launch of Xigris, a breakthrough new pharmaceutical product for the treatment of sepsis. In the (A) case, the newly appointed head of marketing for Xigris is reviewing the launch plan. In the (B) case, Eli Lilly receives FDA approval and proceeds to market.
Pharmaceutical company Genzyme has created a new drug, Renvela, which is a phosphate binder designed to be used primarily by patients with kidney failure. Renvela is a slightly different version of Genzyme’s highly successful Renagel. Company executives must now decide how best to launch Renvela. Should it replace Renagel? Should it be a premium version of Renagel? Is it worth launching the product at all? The case appears rather simple on the surface, but the questions are challenging to work through.
The senior management team at Leclerc, one of the largest retailers in France, is considering how best to maintain growth in the highly regulated French retail industry. Strict limits on pricing and store construction will significantly limit Leclerc’s flexibility; many of the traditional growth levers cannot be used. These regulations also have a major impact on competition. The executives at Leclerc must identify the optimal growth plan and then consider whether it will deliver the desired growth.
This case examines the launch of FluMist, the first significant innovation in influenza vaccines in over fifty years. The head of sales and marketing for MedImmune is working through the launch plan for FluMist. In particular, he is struggling with the question of how best to position FluMist. To determine the correct positioning, he has to consider business objectives, competitive set, differentiation, and pricing.
Allison Watkins, senior director of Merck’s Vaccines Division, needed to decide on the pricing of Gardasil, Merck’s newest vaccine and one of the company’s most important product launches of the year. The outside consulting firm she had hired to recommend a price for Gardasil had suggested a price of $120 per dose (or $360 per person, as each person required three doses over six months to achieve adequate immunity). The Gardasil marketing team disagreed about this recommended price; some thought it was clearly too high, whereas others said it was too low. The latter group argued that Merck would be missing a major opportunity by setting the price at such a low level. Watkins now needed to decide whether to follow the consulting firm’s recommendation or to set a different price.
The Penfolds case is designed to help students think through brand positioning and brand portfolio questions. Penfolds, one of the world’s best known brands of wine, is performing poorly and a new management team needs to quickly reverse the business trends. To do so, the new management team needs to answer key questions, such as: What is Penfolds’ positioning? Has the brand extended too far? Can Penfolds successfully play in all price segments of the wine industry? What is the best way to grow the brand going forward?
Marketing plans are critically important tools for marketing executives. Indeed, if you can’t create a strong marketing plan it is unlikely that you will be successful. This technical note explains why marketing plans are so important and provides a framework for creating a strong marketing plan and keys to success.
This case is focused on a simple question: should Zimmer develop a gender specific knee? The decision is complicated, because while the idea seems to make sense, there is little clinical evidence that a gender specific knee produces superior patient outcomes, and orthopedic surgeons are likely to be skeptical of the innovation. This case can be used to teach new product strategy and growth strategy. It can also be used to introduce students to the medical device industry. The case is appropriate for a basic marketing course, a marketing strategy course, or a medical marketing course.
This course counts toward the following majors: Biotechnology Management, Health Enterprise Management, Marketing, Marketing Management
The biomedical industry is beginning to appreciate that success in this industry comes from a combination of great science and strong marketing. Marketing in the biomedical industry poses unique challenges: marketers have to deal with a complex regulatory, competitive, scientific and ethical environment, while building strong businesses and brands. This course studies how core marketing concepts play out in the biomedical industry, through a combination of case studies, guest speakers, student projects and discussions. It is ideal for students who plan to go into the medical device and pharmaceutical industries, and for students with an interest in this fast moving arena. Prerequisite: MKTG-430.
Marketing Strategy (MKTG-466-0)
This course counts toward the following majors: Marketing, Marketing Management
This course presents an integrative, dynamic view of competitive brand strategy. It focuses on understanding, developing and evaluating brand strategies over the life of a product market. A framework for developing marketing strategies that yield a distinctive competitive advantage based on customer and competitor analysis will be presented and applied in various situations throughout the course. Topics include strategies for pioneering brands, strategies for late entry, growth strategies, strategies for mature and declining markets, and defensive marketing strategies. Material is presented using a mix of cases, lectures and a computer simulation game called MARKSTRAT.
Prerequisite: MKTG-430.
Strategic Marketing Decisions (MKTGX-468-0)
PHONE: 847-467-3209
FAX: 847-491-2498
Jacobs Center Room 493