Analyse and breakdown the following fictionalized HBR case study according to Dan Harmon's story circle. Note: If the story circle needs to be modified to fit the analysis of the script that is ok. ""SPEAKER: Times are tough
for Rochat and Schmid, a 100-year-old Swiss maker
of luxury timepieces. In the increasingly important,
but fiercely competitive, Chinese market, sales are flat. Wei Song is a director at
R&S overseeing greater China from his base in Shanghai. It's up to him and his VP
of Marketing, Pearl Zhang, to figure out how to
boost sales, especially during the upcoming
Chinese New Year ad blitz. They have a big meeting
tomorrow with Simon, R&S's strong-willed
chief creative officer, who's generally
resistant to new ideas. But Song and Pearl
know they need to breathe some new life
into R&S's marketing and decide to check out an
event by their chief competitor, Berlinger, whose splashy
new campaign stands in stark contrast to
R&S's traditionally more restrained approach. PEARL ZHANG: Song,
you asked what we could do to boost sales. The answer is
something like this. WEI SONG: Yes, Berlinger is
great at splashy promotions. But R&S doesn't do
diamond-encrusted anything. R&S stands for subtle
elegance, and you know how Simon feels about bling. PEARL ZHANG: Simon
has to understand that subtle marketing in
this city, this country, just can't compete with that. If Geneva depends on us to
make their yearly numbers, they need to understand
what we're up against. WEI SONG: I agree we need
to generate more buzz. We'll need to present some
innovative ideas to Simon tomorrow. Are you ready? PEARL ZHANG: I sure hope so. SPEAKER: The next day,
Pearl makes her pitch to Simon for a
calculated departure in R&S's Chinese marketing. She pitches an endorsement
deal with Changchang Gao, a Chinese singer and actress
with 30 million followers on Weibo, many of
them millennials. When she releases a
song, they download it. When she wears a
dress, they buy it. Pearl is friendly with
Changchang's agent, and could guarantee
a reasonable rate if R&S can commit to
a three-year contract. Changchang would be the
face of a new slogan-- You Deserve It. SIMON: Pearl, I admire
your creativity. But I've always found
endorsement deals a bit lazy. And even if we did
do celebrities, which we don't,
this Changchang Gao seems too young and flashy
for Rochat and Schmid. PEARL ZHANG: But Simon,
Chinese consumers are young. They make up a big part
of the luxury sales market and they like flash. If we aren't going to offer
watches with added bling, like Berlinger's,
our only other option is to kick up our
marketing in ways that appeal to their tastes. SIMON: Elegance
always trumps excess with luxury buyers, Pearl. The trend is toward
inconspicuous consumption, even in China. WEI SONG: That may be true,
Simon, but will trends change fast enough to deliver
growth to our shareholders this year? As you know, if we
lose ground in China, it affects the whole company. So maybe Pearl is right and
we need to shake things up. SIMON: We're not changing
our product designs now, and we shouldn't change
our marketing, either. Let's not lose
track of what value Rochat and Schmid
offers the market. PEARL ZHANG: Simon, I understand
we need to honor our heritage and maintain a consistent
image worldwide. But as you said yourself,
China is a unique market. Our existing campaigns are
beautiful and on-brand. But in a crowded and
stagnating market, they're simply not working
as well as we'd like. SIMON: And how do you know that
this endorsement will actually work? SPEAKER: How does Song know
Changchang's endorsement would work to boost R&S's
sales in China? While Song mulls
this question over, he takes a cell phone call
from Rolfe, R&S's CEO. ROLFE: So, my friend,
I hear from Simon that you and Pearl want to
shake up your marketing. WEI SONG: Yes,
Rolfe, we are indeed considering a new direction. It would be a departure for R&S.
Have you seen Pearl's mockups? ROLFE: Yes, yes, and Simon told
me he thinks it's off-brand. But he doesn't run
the company, I do, and I trust your knowledge
of the Chinese market, Song. If you can stay
within budget, do you want me to overrule
Simon on this? SPEAKER: Song knows the
status quo is not working. But he wonders, is a
celebrity endorsement deal really the right tool to
help boost R&S's market share in the Chinese
luxury watch market? Should he enlist Rolfe
to fight Simon on this? [ON SCREEN TEXT: "What should Song do? - OPTION 1. Push for a Celebrity Endorsement: Contract Changchang Gao to be the face of a new slogan "You deserve it." Tap into her 30 million followers, mostly Millennials. Not "on brand" for R&A, but would appeal to younger Chinese consumers. ]
[ON SCREEN TEXT: OPTION 2. Stay "on brand." - No celebrity endorsement. Honor the 100 year old heritage of the luxury timepieces with subtle and elegant branding. Keep the current consumer base satisfied, but potentially lose a growth opportunity. ]
[ON SCREEN TEXT: Does he have other options? What alternatives might Song be missing?]""