Hecuba Coffee (B)

Case Discussion

Part B–Evaluating qualitative research to understand Hecuba’s segmentation options.

Presented by:
Larry Vincent,
Professor of the Practice
of Marketing

Presented to:
MKT 512
September 25, 2025

Methodology

Sample quality

Brooke

Lots of places in Venice are dog-friendly, but Hecuba feels like it was created for dog parents.

Brooke

Grady

It’s getting harder to find places in Venice that are truly about quality and not about what’s trending.

Grady

Michelle

They’re giving back to their community. They’re smart. They know that with my daily coffee paid for, I’m probably going to buy food and come in as often as I can. And why wouldn’t I? They are perfectly Venice.

Michelle

Reese

Everyone told me I had to visit this place while I was here. I’ve seen it on TV. You only live once, right?

Reese

Segmentation implications

Most valuable segment?

Translating

• What data would we need to identify these segments?
• How much overlap should we expect?
• How would we target?
• Are there any conflicts?
• Are these the customers we want, the customers we have, or only the customers we sampled?

Pasadena deal?

Best approach?

Breakout activity

Scenario: The founders want another qual sprint in the next 10 days. Instead of Brad, they hire you.

• Who would you recruit?
• Do you/how would you balance current Venice customers vs. prospects elsewhere?
• What methods would you use (IDIs, shop-alongs, remote)?
• What’s realistic in 10 days?
• What deliverables would you provide to build founder confidence quickly?

Screeners

Screeners