There’s a saying in the business world that “nothing fails like success.” Take Gap, for example. How can a fashion retailer that was once the source for wardrobe staples such as chinos and white T-shirts suddenly lose its marketing edge? Motorola also fell victim to its own success. The company’s Razr cell phone was a huge hit, but Motorola struggled to leverage that success. Google acquired Motorola Mobility but then sold it to Lenovo in 2014. Also, Starbucks CEO Howard Shultz recently warned that his company and brand risk becoming commoditized. And, as noted in Case 1-3, some industry observers are saying that Apple has “lost its cool.” If you were to make separate recommendations to management at each of these companies, what would you say?1-11. Anheuser-Busch (A-B), which has been described as “an American icon,” is now under the ownership of a company based in Belgium. Responding to reports that some consumers planned to boycott Budweiser products to protest the deal, one industry observer said, “Brand nationality is all about where it was born, and also the ingredients of that beer and how they make the beer. Basically, it doesn’t matter who owns it. We are in a global world right now.” Do you agree?

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