Marketing case studies for MBA students

A marketing case study looks at one brand’s problem, the strategy it chose, and what happened next. Studying them teaches you to judge positioning, messaging and growth decisions the way a brand manager would, with the same incomplete information.

This guide collects every marketing and digital marketing case in our library, grouped by the question each one helps you answer. Pick a topic, read the case, then use the framework steps below to analyze it.

Brand positioning and repositioning

Positioning decides who a brand is for and what it stands for. These cases show brands that sharpened, reversed or defended that choice.

• Old Spice revival
• Liquid Death’s brand positioning
• Coca-Cola’s brand architecture
• Patagonia’s anti-consumerism message

Brand relaunches, crises and turnarounds

When a brand loses trust or momentum, the recovery plan becomes a lesson in marketing strategy.

• How LEGO recovered
• Chipotle’s recovery from a food safety crisis
• Gillette’s 19% sales drop
• Mattel’s Barbie film tie-in relaunch

Creative and content-led marketing

Attention is earned, not bought, in these cases. They compare content, packaging and product experience as marketing channels.

• Red Bull’s content marketing
• Oatly’s provocative packaging
• Duolingo’s growth to 100M users

Digital marketing and growth

Referrals, community and personalization turn customers into the growth engine. These cases compare how.

• Glossier’s community-driven growth
• Dollar Shave Club’s launch and growth
• Spotify’s personalization and content discovery
• Airbnb’s referral loop

How to analyze a marketing case study

1. State the core problem in one sentence: who is the customer, and what is not working?
2. Describe the market using SWOT and Porter’s Five Forces.
3. List the strategic options the brand had, including doing nothing.
4. Compare the options on cost, speed, risk and fit with the brand.
5. Recommend one option and say which result would prove you wrong.

Explore other subjects

Our library also covers operations, international business, finance, human resources and entrepreneurship. Return to the homepage.