After breaking into China’s smartphone market, where it becomes a leading brand, Xiaomi sees sales stagnate and then decline as the disruption strategy that empowered its rise loses momentum. As competitors counter every move, targeting its core consumer segment, the company urgently needs to reignite growth and develop a sustainable competitive advantage.

Inspired by C.K. Prahalad’s “The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid”, Novartis was exploring ways to build a sustainable business for the BOP in India that would improve access to healthcare for the poor while being financially profitable, unlike Novartis's traditional philanthropic and corporate social responsibility approaches.

This case illustrates the key issues and challenges in creating and sustaining a successful brand in emerging markets. Peter England, India’s largest apparel brand by sales volume, is struggling to formulate a strategy to sustain the brand’s market dominance. Indian consumer tastes are changing rapidly, making it difficult for any brand to stay relevant and fashionable over time.

With the publication of CK Prahalad’s “The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid” (2005), the poor were suddenly seen as a potential market in the eyes of multinational corporations (MNCs). Although poor, the BOP is a large and growing market.

The LG brand was launched in the US in 2002 with the ambition to build it up as a premium brand. The case outlines LG's strategy in the washing machine category from 2002-2005, during which a series of successful launches has established LG as a strong player.

This case describes the meteoric rise of Brita in the US market, following the acquisition of local rights by The Clorox Company in 1989, until a sudden decline in 1999. The case details the various failed strategies attempted by the brand between 1999 and 2006 and poses the question as to what Brita should do to turn its fortunes around.