Slanket: Responding to Snuggie's Market Entry

Posted: 16 Sep 2009

See all articles by John Deighton

John Deighton

Harvard Business School - Marketing Unit

Leora Kornfeld

Harvard Business School

Date Written: September 4, 2009

Abstract

How does a pioneer in a new product category deal with the runaway success of a follower? Can search engine marketing and social media help? In 2008 Slanket CEO Gary Clegg found that his product, a blanket with sleeves, had been eclipsed by The Snuggie, another sleeved blanket. Snuggie made a brazen entry into the market with a $10 million spend on television infomercials. The Snuggie quickly became a pop culture phenomenon, talked about on popular television programs such as Oprah and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and paid mock tribute to on web sites such as YouTube, where hundreds of video parodies could be found. Clegg had been counting on building his Slanket brand. Will the coming of Snuggie mean the end of Slanket?

Suggested Citation

Deighton, John and Kornfeld, Leora, Slanket: Responding to Snuggie's Market Entry (September 4, 2009). HBS Case No. 510-034, Harvard Business School Marketing Unit, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1473771

John Deighton (Contact Author)

Harvard Business School - Marketing Unit ( email )

Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
United States

Leora Kornfeld

Harvard Business School ( email )

Soldiers Field Road
Morgan 270C
Boston, MA 02163
United States

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