Emotiv Summary

Emotiv is getting ready to launch its innovative brain-computer interfacing (BCI) technology.

The company has developed a special headset, called EPOC, and highly sophisticated

software that can translate a person's emotions, cognitive thoughts and facial expressions into

digital outcomes. Emotiv wants the technology to be adopted by mainstream consumers and is

leaning towards the video game market as its primary initial target. However, it needs to

decide whether to continue efforts to convince one of the big three console makers (PS3,

Xbox 360, Wii) to enable the EPOC on their platform or to settle for the PC gaming market.

Alternatively, the company could have chosen a number of different markets to focus on

(such as medical, military, market research). A host of additional marketing decisions

(pricing, channels, bundling a demo game) need to be made. The case allows students to

grapple with the issues of: selecting a target application for the launch of an innovation;

determining the importance of having a big name partner for the launch by an unknown startup;

considering the wisdom of taking a B2C rather than B2B approach with a novel

technology; using analogous products to forecast demand and sales for a new technology.

Lady Gaga

In September 2009, Troy Carter, manager of up-and-coming pop star Lady Gaga, has to

decide on a new course of action now that his artist's planned co-headlining arena tour with

hip-hop superstar Kanye West has been canceled. Carter knows that continuing the tour solo

comes with huge risks, but scaling it back to smaller theaters or postponing the tour altogether

has disadvantages as well. Making matters more complicated, Carter also has to consider the

implications for Gaga's partners, including the concert promoter Live Nation and the William

Morris Endeavor agency. What is the best strategy? This case is designed to help students

understand the decisions that helped propel Lady Gaga into one of the...