Publications

December 2007 (Revised October 2008)
Case

Real Madrid Club de Fútbol in 2007: Beyond the Galácticos

By: Anita Elberse and John A. Quelch

On June 17, 2007, Real Madrid sealed its first Spanish league championship under new president Ramon Calderon, ending an unprecedented title drought. Real Madrid had seen a significant growth in revenues and now was the world's biggest soccer club and among the largest... View Details

Keywords: Talent and Talent Management; Risk Management; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Sports; Sports Industry

December 2019 (Revised January 2020)
Case

Boll & Branch

By: Leonard A. Schlesinger and Mel Martin

Boll & Branch is a direct-to-consumer (DTC) business launched in 2015. It was the first Fair-Trade Certified manufacturer of linens. The case provides background on the company, its start, business model, and evolution through 2019. View Details

Keywords: Direct-to-consumer; Channels; Disruption; Business Model; Brands and Branding; Internet and the Web; Strategy; Retail Industry; United States; Canada

Article

Marketing in the Age of Web 2.0

By: Jill Avery

Web 2.0 technologies empower consumers to create their own personalized experiences on the web, and to share them with others. Hence, web content is democratized and consumers' experiences online are largely social rather than individualistic. View Details

Keywords: Digital Marketing; Internet; Brands and Branding; Marketing; Marketing Communications; Internet and the Web; Social Media; Consumer Products Industry; Technology Industry

Read Now

February 2003 (Revised April 2003)
Case

Brioni

By: David E. Bell

Should Brioni, an internationally known, exclusive men's suit manufacturer and retailer extend its line to include women's apparel? The opportunity is to enter a much larger and profitable market. The dangers are: 1) compromising the existing image, and 2) failing to... View Details

Keywords: Brands and Branding; Segmentation; Expansion; Profit; Risk Management; Demand and Consumers; Fashion Industry

May 2013 (Revised April 2015)
Case

Ron Johnson: Retail at Target, Apple, and J.C. Penney

By: Das Narayandas, Kerry Herman and Lisa Mazzanti

In April 2013, Ron Johnson (HBS '84) stepped down after just 18 months as CEO of J.C. Penney. In his brief tenure, Johnson, an acclaimed retailer respected for his innovation and success in shaping the retail image at Target and Apple, introduced dramatic departures... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Innovation Leadership; Situation or Environment; Failure; Management Teams; Brands and Branding; Retail Industry; United States

September 1994
Case

BayFunds

By: Alvin J. Silk, Lisa Klein Pearo and Jamie Harper

In June, 1994, the Senior Vice President of BayBank's Investment Management Group is preparing a strategic plan for her organization's line of mutual funds. Sixteen months earlier, BayBank, Massachusetts's leading retail bank, had entered the mutual fund business by... View Details

Keywords: Banks and Banking; Marketing Strategy; Brands and Branding; Investment Funds; Product Marketing; Integration; Financial Services Industry

02 Jul 2024
News

The Beauty Guide

Courtesy Michelle Freyre When Michelle Freyre (MBA 1997) was a brand manager at Neutrogena, Michael McNamara, global president of the beauty brand at the time, asked what she wanted to do with her career. She answered, “I want to be you. I want to run Neutrogena.”... View Details

07 Oct 2024
News

On the Move: Nikos Bartzoulianos (MBA 2008)

After nearly nine years in a series of marketing and strategy roles at Samsung—where he logged approximately 2.5 million air miles and earned status as a “permanent resident” of Korea—Nikos Bartzoulianos (MBA 2008) made the leap to Electrolux Group Chief Marketing... View Details

31 Dec 2012
Research & Ideas

Most Popular Stories of 2012

Published: March 5, 2012 The stuffy department store chain has become emboldened under new CEO Ron Johnson, with plans for an innovative store upgrade, simplified prices, and a brand polish. Professor Rajiv Lal discusses whether Johnson... View Details

Keywords: by Staff

Profile

Fereshteh Zeineddin

Why was earning your MBA here important to you? I was at a point in my career when I wanted to transition into brand management. I knew that to become a great brand manager, I needed to gain a better... View Details

Keywords: Retail

December 2010
Teaching Note

VeeV on the Rocks? (TN)

By: Christopher Marquis, Joshua D. Margolis and Bobbi Thomason

Teaching Note for 410006. View Details

Keywords: Quality; Ownership Stake; Growth and Development; Problems and Challenges; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Brands and Branding; Food and Beverage Industry

September 2006 (Revised February 2007)
Case

Friendster (A)

By: Mikolaj Jan Piskorski and Carin-Isabel Knoop

In January 2006, the president of Friendster needs to choose between two strategic options to revive the company. Friendster started the social networking industry in 2003, but has been overtaken by MySpace and Facebook. The two options are: 1) offer new features to... View Details

Keywords: Value Creation; Competitive Advantage; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Social and Collaborative Networks; Brands and Branding; Service Industry

September 2002 (Revised October 2002)
Case

Orient-Express Hotels

By: Frances X. Frei and Corey B. Hajim

Describes how a hotel and leisure company provides high-end service through its distinctive hotels and trains. Provides an opportunity to learn about the company's unusual quality practices and puts into doubt the unquestioned use of well-known practices, such as... View Details

Keywords: Service Operations; Quality; Management; Opportunities; Practice; Programs; Motivation and Incentives; Brands and Branding; Service Industry; Accommodations Industry

May 2000
Supplement

Launching the BMW Z3 Roadster

By: Robert J. Dolan and Susan M. Fournier

Contains two BMW Z3 television commercials used at launch, a Jay Leno Tonight Show segment, a Bryant Gumbel Today Show segment, Central Park PR event coverage, and Go: An American Road Story (promotional video from BMW). View Details

Keywords: Marketing Communications; Marketing Strategy; Brands and Branding; Product Launch; Product Positioning; Auto Industry

10 Jan 2020
Blog Post

Know Your Audience - Recruiting HBS Students for Retail

breaks allow for opportunities for students to visit retail companies in person and see what makes the company unique first-hand. Students are passionate about the brands they are considering for potential employment and love the... View Details

Keywords: Consumer Products / Retail

15 May 2013
Research & Ideas

From McRibs to Maseratis: The Power of Scarcity Marketing

Editor's note: Think money can't buy happiness? Behavioral economists Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton beg to differ. It actually can, they say—but only if we spend it the right way. In their book released this week, Happy Money: The Science of Smarter Spending, Dunn... View Details

Keywords: Re: Michael I. Norton

June 2011 (Revised July 2012)
Case

Reversing the AMD Fusion Launch

By: Elie Ofek and Ryan Johnson

AMD management needs to make a critical decision on the launch sequence of its next-generation technology called Fusion. The Fusion processor concept merges the central and graphics processing units (CPU and GPU) onto one chip-- yielding advantages in performance... View Details

Keywords: Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Product Launch; Performance Effectiveness; Strategic Planning; Competition; Value Creation; Computer Industry; Technology Industry

September 1998 (Revised May 1999)
Case

Arnold Communications

By: Teresa M. Amabile and Jeremiah Weinstock

The new owner and CEO of Arnold Advertising, a relatively small regional agency, aims to build it into Arnold Communications--a much larger, stronger firm competing successfully for national accounts. As part of this growth strategy, the agency develops a process for... View Details

Keywords: Management Practices and Processes; Creativity; Entrepreneurship; Advertising; Business Processes; Brands and Branding; Growth and Development Strategy; Advertising Industry

May 1992 (Revised May 2002)
Case

NIKE in Transition (B): Phil Knight Returns

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

After returning to the CEO/COO job, Phil Knight makes changes to Nike's strategy, organization, and management between 1983 and 1987 aimed at making Nike more responsive to the market place. He takes cost-cutting measures, and experiments with several management and... View Details

Keywords: Change; Entrepreneurship; Cost Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Brands and Branding; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Business Strategy