February 2008. Lando Simonetti enjoys relative coolness Cucha Cucha his office in a suburb of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Perhaps, it was great, but definitely not quiet. His desire to be the center of events in the enterprise also meant that he had to live through the noise of the plant. This ability to remain in close contact with the people and the realities on the ground have been instrumental in the creation of a humble La Martina polo equipment supplier to brand prime position in the world, with global sales of more than U.S. $ 200 million. La Martina polo was not about: it was positive. In Argentina of Italian descent, Lando did not feel proud, conquered Europe. In 65 years, he reached the top in the sport he loved. A few nagging questions lingered. The brand has been pushing more and more into fashion, a move strongly opposed it so far. How does this affect its stability? La Martina has never been in fashion, he produced and sold functional equipment polo. Polo became fashionable, and it was not their product. Should he fight the trend or capitalize on this? What does this mean for the company? Fashion also means growth. So far, he doggedly pursued only self growth. Maybe it's time to consider raising more capital. Learning objectives:. Brand building, management of growth, globalization "Hide
by Benoit Leleux, Dominique Turpin, Thomas Brochier Source: IMD 26 pages. Publication Date: March 9, 2009. Prod. #: IMD374-PDF-ENG
Related Case Solutions & Analyses:
Siebel Systems: Culture as a Pillar of Success
Customer Value Measurement at Nortel Networks–Optical Networks Division
Japan: Free Fair and Global
Arrow Electronics Inc.
Hambrecht & Quist
Core IS Capabilities for Exploiting Information Technology
Earthwear Face & Body: Communicating Corporate Culture (A)
Quiet Logistics (A)
Paths to Keep Wealth in Family Hands
ValuJet Airlines
