How can strategic marketing help a small new brand succeed in a mature market full of big players? This case is based on the successful launch of Halo Top’s ice cream brand in the United States, using it as an example to guide a discussion about marketing strategy and show how, with clear targeting and a winning unique positioning, a small brand can manage to not only survive but thrive in a mature market with powerful competitors. It puts the student in young entrepreneur Justin Woolverton’s shoes when he has to decide whether to launch the brand or keep his job as a lawyer, and then goes beyond to review the segmentation, targeting and positioning strategies and their impact on the 4P’s of the operational marketing mix.

Should Justin quit his highly lucrative day job as a lawyer and pursue his ice-cream making dreams? And if so, how should he proceed to launch a brand in such a difficult market?