ODI Case Exercise

Daniel Garrison, CEO of Optical Distortion, Inc (ODI), asked Roland Olson, marketing VP of ODI, to develop a marketing plan for the firm’s new (and only) product—a contact lens for chickens. A surprising idea? Mr. Garrison explained:

Like so many other great discoveries, our product concept was discovered by accident. A chicken farmer had a flock of chickens with severe cataract problem. He separated the afflicted birds from the rest of the flock and subsequently observed that the afflicted birds seemed to eat less and were much easier to handle. So dramatic was the difference that a poultry medical specialist was asked if the affliction could be spread to the rest of the flock. The reduced vision from the cataracts has proved not possible to reproduce chemically or genetically, but a chicken wearing ODI lenses has its vision reduced enough to obtain the same good behavior observed in the cataract case. This behavior has important economic implications for chicken farmers.

Chicken Cannibalism

Like many other fowl, chickens are social birds with clear social structure. Chickens self-select a ranking by 8-10 weeks of age with a complete pecking order by the age of sexual maturity. Birds can identify other birds and, through fighting and pecking, establish a hierarchical social organization.

It is believed that the comb on the head of the chicken is key to recognition. Dominant-type chickens carry their heads high; submissive birds keep their heads low. If a submissive bird raises her head too high, she is immediately pecked by a superior. Pecking can increase to the point of cannibalism. Pecking also is triggered by entering “territory” claimed by a dominant bird. Unfortunately for farmers, more productive breeds tend to be more cannibalistic.

In addition to the obvious loss when a bird is killed by penmates,