Short Case Question

Case 1: The development of marketing

Founded in 1944 by Michael Bell Senior the electronics company "Bell AG" is now established as a traditional company on the market. The company has gone through various stages of market development in its history. After a start-up phase of several years, the company succeeded in the mid-1950s to bring a black and white television for the mass-market. In the following years, the company continuously expanded its production capacities, so that market leadership was already achieved in the early 1960s. While only less than 1% of households had a television in 1946, half of them had one in 1954, and 90% by 1962. The drop in television prices caused by mass production, increased leisure time, and additional disposable income has led to an increase in household penetration. By the late 1960s and early 1970s, color television had come into wide use. Bel…. During the 1970s more models were brought into the market, as outdoor antenna became a common feature of suburban homes and the ubiquitous television set became the display device for the first recorded media, such as Betamax and VHS.  It was now trying to sell the TV not only via retailers, but also other distribution channels - especially price-oriented discount forms - to use for the distribution of the television. At the same time, the logistics system was modernized. Product differentiation took place in the early 1980s, so screens for each customer segment were offered with specific features (e.g. color TV with sophisticated remote control). In the 1990s, "Bell AG" was the first company in the industry to introduce a "full-time" repair service and, at the same time, exceptionally long warranty periods. Since the 2000s, Bell AG has been initiating new projects such as the implementation of the circular economy concept aimed at eliminating waste and the continual use of resources. They take back their old products and work on the development of networks with suppliers and distributors via the Internet.