Business Case Studies & Business Publications

The Female Health Company (A)

Powell, Elizabeth ...

Case

The Female Health Company (A)

Powell, Elizabeth A.; Yemen, Gerry

BC-0146 | Published March 1, 2003 | 8 pages Case

Collection: Darden School of Business

Add To Cart Buy Now

Product Details

As the president of the Chicago-based Female Health Company (FHCO), Mary Ann Leeper had faced many business challenges, but none had prepared her for what she now faced. As a biochemist, activist, and entrepreneur, Leeper wanted nothing more than to slow, if not halt, the spread of HIV/AIDS. FHCO ushered its novel product, the female condom, through a tortuous FDA approval process knowing that female condoms would be a tough sell to consumers, so Leeper had sought the best advertising and PR help for the U.S. product launch. But the public response to the product was not at all what they expected. After spending years and millions of dollars on developing and launching the female condom in the United States, FHCO was operating with seriously depleted resources. Why wasn't this lifesaving product moving off the shelves?

This case series is appropriate for a unit or course on integrated marketing communications or corporate communication. It can be positioned as a case on market segmentation and promotions, product advertising, refining definitions of audiences, message development and channel choice, communication in networks, or intercultural communication. The case lends itself to audience analysis, stakeholder analysis, and diagramming communication networks. Special relations with government and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are highlighted. Other possible uses include supply chain communication, social enterprising, health care and biotech, ethics and strategy, and global strategy.