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Product cover image for King’s Hawaiian: Spreading Aloha beyond the Deli Aisle

King’s Hawaiian: Spreading Aloha beyond the Deli Aisle

Sheri Lambert, Sara Honovich

Product #:W29917
Supplier:Ivey/Temple
Discipline:General Management, Marketing
Setting:United States, 2021
Details:Case (PDF) • 11 pages • 2022-12-09

Subjects:

BrandingBrand managementGrowth strategySocial mediaCorporate strategyWeb-based technologiesSales and marketingMarketingManagement

Industries:

Fabrication and manufacturing

Geography:

North AmericaUnited States
Your Price:$9.71

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Founded in 1950, King’s Hawaiian, a Los Angeles–based bakery, operated in the competitive bread industry with an expansive list of rolls and bread, as well as a selection of other baked goods, which varied by region. As the business grew over the years, it had added production facilities and increased marketing. For decades, King’s Hawaiian had focused on its core bread products, using occasion-based marketing to target consumers. However, in April 2021, with an ever-increasing market, the company had to decide whether to scale up into a mass-market company or continue to service a niche occasion-based segment by offering its unique sweet bread through in-store bakery and deli departments.

Learning Objectives

This case is intended for students at an undergraduate or graduate level. It is best used as part of a marketing strategy course or as part of a course or module on marketing and branding. The case can be used to teach branding, market segmentation of a small brand in a huge business category (i.e., bread/bakery), the complexity of fresh-product distribution across the country, and the value of an emotional connection in marketing. By working through the case and assignment questions, students will have the opportunity to do the following:
  • Analyze a company’s key success factors and challenges to determine whether the business is suitable for expansion.
  • Explore the effects of brand equity as related to place branding and occasion marketing.
  • Uncover opportunities and challenges related to scaling brands, including those associated with rapid growth, global expansion, and customer portfolio expansion.
  • Determine go-to-market strategies to expand brand awareness and brand image.
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Case Study: King’s Hawaiian: Spreading Aloha beyond the Deli Aisle (English version) | Ivey Publishing