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Product Overview

What can you do with a brand name? How can you extend it? What if the brand name is associated with a weapon? The AK-47 had been part of every major revolution over the last 50 years and a mainstay in the armies of more than 50 countries. This weapon was known in many parts of the world as simply a "Kalashnikov," named for the man who invented it. Now, Mikhail Kalashnikov's grandson Igor Krasnovski wanted to expand the brand globally with new products. But where to start? The (A) case describes Krasnovski's mission to work on a strategy for a new line of everyday products that would become a global brand and bear his grandfather's name. The material describes a brand that already exists and challenges students to think about brand identity, the essence of the brand, and product associations, and to consider products or services for the Kalashnikov name. An Excel file containing two rounds of market research, including European and American data, provides students with a s&le of Kalashnikov name associations. The (B) case (UVA-M-0643) reveals that six months after launching a vodka brand bearing the Kalashnikov name, some in the sprits industry claimed the product's name was strongly associated with bloodshed and blacklisted Kalashnikov Vodka. Although the high-profile publicity put Kalashnikov Vodka on the lips of numerous potential consumers, Kransovski began to reconsider what this meant to their future name-branding strategy. A multimedia case supplement (UVA-M-0697M) is available to accompany this case. The student version contains a biographical montage of Kalashnikov, a studio interview with Krasnovski, and a .pdf of the A case. The faculty version contains significantly more clips for in-class viewing, along with a montage showing prototypes of Krasnovski's product ideas. This case series provides a compelling backdrop for discussion on brand-building, especially for an international market.