Developing a customized decision-support system for brand managers

Working with brand managers at Holland Fast Moving Company (HFMC), we designed a marketing-management-support system, BRANDFRAME. In conducting the project, we (1) examined the decision situation; (2) examined the existing marketing-management-support system; (3) determined what type of decision support best fits the tasks of the brand managers; (4) developed and implemented the software; (5) obtained feedback from the managers who worked with the software; and (6) adapted and extended the system. BRANDFRAME contains a combination of academic and practical knowledge and integrates all the information needed by the brand manager in one system. The system does not replace the brand manager but, in an interactive way, acts as a sparring partner. The system was very well received by the managers who worked with it and has shown that customizing decision-support systems for specific marketing jobs (in this case, the brand manager) may well be an important factor for the success of marketing-management-support systems.