Rand McNally Maps Out a Trip into a Digital Future

Rand McNally, a leader in printing maps since 1916, has printed, published and sold more than 150 million copies of the Rand McNally Road Atlas since 1924. Besides maps, it also publishes and sells geographic educational materials and travel-planning software through over 46,000 outlets, including 29 of its own retail stores.
Its leadership has been threatened in the last decade due to the advent of digital technology and the internet. It has also been slow in adapting to new and changing business environments. In order to better compete in the digital market and stay profitable in future against new and emerging competitors, Rand McNally has had to change its business strategy. To achieve its goals, the new ownership felt the need to revamp its business by offering more value to its existing customers as well as by expanding its business over the internet. It had failed to achieve its goals initially due to the following reasons: 1) Senior management was conservative and unwilling to...