Product Marketing
Presentation
For Everyone
Session Description:
In today’s dynamic market, the classic “brand preference model” is becoming obsolete, as consumers are often not motivated to switch brand loyalties. This session will challenge conventional strategies that focus on incremental innovation and superior marketing tactics aimed at outshining competitors. Instead, we will explore the more transformative approach of subcategory creation.
​
Participants will learn how to develop game-changing subcategories that redefine customer needs and make existing competitors irrelevant. By creating entirely new ways of thinking about products and services, brands can bypass the “my brand is better than yours” competition. Through substantial innovation, a company can engage in category-defining transformations, offering unique solutions that consumers perceive as “must-haves.”
​
Attendees will explore real-world examples of successful subcategory creators and leave with actionable strategies to develop and maintain “brand relevance” in a saturated marketplace. This is a new way to compete—by leading the charge into uncharted territory, rather than playing catch-up in familiar arenas.
Biography
Amir Ekhlassi, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Niagara Falls, Canada (UNF). Previously, he served as an Adjunct Professor at ESB Business School, Reutlingen University in Germany.
Dr. Ekhlassi has also been a faculty member and Dean of the MBA and DBA Executive Program at the University of Tehran for seven years. Additionally, he worked as an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the Prague University of Economics & Business (VSE).
​
With several years of experience in marketing and branding, including running his own branding agency, his recent research focuses on extracting insights from user-generated content (UGC) using machine learning methods to address marketing challenges.