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Case Study

Finding a breakthrough strategy for Jordi Swiss Icon

By Dominique Turpin, Kamran Kashani and Fang Liu

17 pages

September 2014

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Reference: IMD-5-0804

Michel Jordi is a Swiss watch entrepreneur that truly believes in Swissness. His new endeavour Jordi Swiss Icon is a premium watch that conveys Swiss spirit and high quality. However, he is encountering difficulty in sales due to perceived high price, lack of a strong brand vis-a-vis the big Swiss brands such as Rolex and the distribution challenge in emerging markets where two thirds of the Swiss watches are sold. He needs a breakthrough strategy for his new business.

Learning Objective

The case examines the different aspects of marketing challenges of Jordi Swiss Icon and the entrepreneurial story of its founder Michel Jordi. It highlights the difficulty a niche watch brand faces in a consolidated market where a majority of the market share is occupied by the top three firms and through vertical integration and the brand dominance, they also exert a strong influence on the retailers that are left with less and less choice over the brand and product portfolio, as well as the ability to influence customers’ choices. The case uses extensive quotes from industry insiders and customers to illustrate the tough choices Jordi Swiss Icon has to make about its pricing, target customer and positioning issues with a limited marketing budget. It can also be used as an entrepreneurial case to examine the characteristics of entrepreneurs’ mindset and how it affects the company’s performance and shapes its strategic direction, what are the traps and how to avoid them.

Keywords

Watch, Luxury Brand, Entrepreneurship, Marketing

Settings

Europe, Switzerland
Jordi Swiss Icon, Consumer Goods, Clocks and Watches
2014

Type

Field Research

Available Languages

English

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