Business Case Studies & Business Publications

The Female Health Company (B)

Powell, Elizabeth ...

Case

The Female Health Company (B)

Powell, Elizabeth A.; Yemen, Gerry

BC-0183 | Published August 21, 2003 | 15 pages Case

Collection: Darden School of Business

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In the B case, Mary Ann Leeper gets a call from the manager of the HIV/AIDS Coordination Programme for Zimbabwe's Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, who tells Leeper that more than 30,000 Zimbabwean women have signed a petition demanding that the government bring Leeper and her company's product, the female condom, to their country. Based on her recent experience in developing an entirely new approach to marketing the female condom, Leeper has a newfound appreciation for the cultural and communications issues surrounding her company's product. Cultural differences obviously matter, but how? What could she expect now? Could she rely on the communications strategy she had developed thus far? How could organizations such as UNAIDS and WHO help?

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.