Salty Snacks

The Salty Snacks case is a data analysis exercise using Excel. The case uses real data from a consumer goods panel. It presents the student with a table of purchase duplications for a set of salty snack brands, and the student's task is to identify the competitive structure of the market, that is, which brands compete more intensely with each other. The task is similar to what brand managers in consumer goods companies face on a regular basis. The case provides excellent skill development in Excel, is instructive about how to analyze competition and informs students about an empirical generalization in marketing: the Duplication of Purchase Law.