Case Analysis of AOL
these advertisers, AOL's brands offer excellent opportunity to bring in shoppers. For the marketers, AOL maximizes the interactive medium's ability to compress the three steps of marketing: getting attention, providing information, and closing the deal into one convenient step.
• Aggressively market international brands
AOL and CompuServe services outside of the U.S. surpassed 3.2 million members in 1999, making AOL the #1 global Internet online service. AOL has penetrated the UK market segment by implementing a subscription free service, meeting the demands of potential members. AOL should expand and establish footholds in multiple countries, e.g. Brazil, Mexico, etc. AOL would position itself as providing convenient easy to use services that are locally oriented in countries around the world.
Potential Questions for Presenters
1. What factors help explain AOL's ascendancy to the largest online subscription service?
2. Why did the experts predict the downfall of AOL? Why did AOL succeed anyway?
3. What are some of the business challenges facing AOL? How should they confront those challenges?
4. Do you think that AOL will continue to succeed in online services and E-commerce?