Publications

2013
Book

Blockbusters: Hit-making, Risk-taking, and the Big Business of Entertainment

By: Anita Elberse

What's behind the phenomenal success of entertainment businesses such as Warner Bros., Marvel Enterprises, and the NFL—along with such stars as Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, and LeBron James? Which strategies give leaders in film, television, music, publishing, and sports an edge... View Details

March–April 2017
Article

What's the Value of a Like?: Social Media Endorsements Don't Work the Way You Might Think

By: Leslie John, Daniel Mochon, Oliver Emrich and Janet Schwartz

Brands spend billions of dollars a year on lavish efforts to establish and maintain a social media presence. But do those campaigns actually increase revenue? New research provides an answer to this question, which has vexed marketers ever since social media burst upon... View Details

Keywords: Social and Collaborative Networks; Consumer Behavior; Marketing Strategy; Digital Marketing; Social Media

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Teaching Interest

Overview

By: John A. Deighton

I teach about the ecosystem of big data, the role of data in advertising and creative industries, and customer management and personal privacy in an era of individual addressability. View Details

Keywords: Digital Marketing; Database Marketing; Social Media; Data Analytics; Information; Advertising; Marketing; Media; Technology; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry

February 22, 2023
Article

How to Seed Organic Marketing in a Video-First World

By: Ayelet Israeli, Leonard A. Schlesinger and Matt Higgins

Early direct-to-consumer (DTC) companies relied on plentiful capital and low-cost digital marketing to power growth. But as this sector has matured, capital is more constrained, social media is more cluttered, and customer acquisition costs are rising. DTC companies... View Details

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27 Aug 2018
News

How Best Buy, The New York Times, And John Deere Have Become Digital Leaders

01 Jun 2024
News

3-Minute Briefing: David Perpich (MBA 2007)

are most aligned. For me, that means working with talented people on a challenge that serves a higher purpose. When I joined the Times in 2010, there were no digital subscriptions, so creating that concept and product was my initial focus... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; sports reporting; digital media; strategy; management

29 Apr 2019
Research & Ideas

Is the Digital Age Making Us Petty?

with one another.” About the Author Kristen Senz is a writer and social media creator for Harvard Business School Working Knowledge. [Image: glebchik] Related Reading: When Negotiating a Price, Never Bid with a Round Number Deconstructing... View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz

10 Mar 2015
News

Women in Tech: Breaking the Digital Ceiling

discrimination and harassment lawsuit a woman cofounder lodged against the Tinder dating app to the comments of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who advised women against asking for a raise, but instead “knowing and having faith that the system will actually give you the... View Details

Keywords: April White

November 9, 1998
Article

Digital Media: Cutting through the Hype

By: J. A. Deighton and Patrick Barwise

Keywords: Media

April 2012 (Revised April 2013)
Case

Mekanism: Engineering Viral Marketing

By: Thales S. Teixeira and Alison Caverly

Mekanism introduces students to a digital media production company specializing in creating viral marketing campaigns for advertising agencies and clients (e.g., Microsoft, AXE, eBay, Toyota, etc.) Mekanism has grown tremendously from 2007 to 2010 in part due to the... View Details

Keywords: Viral Marketing; Viral Advertising; Core Competencies; Growth Strategy; Online Media; Videos; Advertising Media; Internet and the Web; Expansion; Media; Marketing; Advertising; Advertising Industry; North and Central America

January 2019 (Revised October 2019)
Case

Glossier: Co-Creating a Cult Brand with a Digital Community

By: Jill Avery

Glossier’s proclaimed strategy was “born from content; fueled by community.” The digital-first, direct-to-consumer beauty brand had experienced rapid growth, with sales up 600% in 2017 and a customer portfolio that grew by threefold. But, its founder, Emily Weiss, was... View Details

08 Feb 2016
News

CEOs Make Room For Bold And Beautiful In Harvard Business Of Entertainment, Media and Sports Course

April 2010 (Revised June 2011)
Background Note

Television Competes for a Digital Audience

By: Stephen P. Bradley and Nancy Bartlett

In the face of major disruption in the industry television networks have sought new revenue sources, implemented cost-cutting measures and strategized on ways to monetize online access to content. Programming changes, new advertising strategies, and deals via online... View Details

Keywords: Television Entertainment; Marketing Strategy; Media and Broadcasting Industry

2023
Working Paper

Teams in the Digital Workplace: Technology's Role for Communication, Collaboration, and Performance

By: Jacqueline N. Lane, Paul Leonardi, Noshir Contractor and Leslie DeChurch

This paper addresses the need for theoretical advancements in understanding team processes and the impact of technology on teams. Specifically, it examines the use of digital collaboration technologies by organizational teams and their effect on team communication and... View Details

Keywords: Affordances; Groups and Teams; Communication Technology; Social Media; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Perception

SSRN

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Research Summary

Overview

When information is digitized, it can be aggregated and shared nearly instantly. I am interested in how this acceleration in the aggregation and availability of information, via digitization, affects firms and firm strategy. Platforms have emerged as marketplaces for... View Details

Web

Online Digital Marketing Strategy Course | HBS Online

acquire and retain customers through paid, owned, and earned media Gain frameworks and tools you can apply to your organization’s digital marketing strategy Develop approaches for attribution, budget... View Details

2021
Article

Aggregate Advertising Expenditure in the U.S. Economy: Measurement and Growth Issues in the Digital Era

By: Alvin J. Silk and Ernst R. Berndt

The two components of the advertising industry—the creative sector that develops and produces messages, and the communications sector that transmits messages via various media—have each been greatly affected by advances in creative design and communications... View Details

Keywords: Industry Evolution; Advertising; Spending; Measurement and Metrics; Mathematical Methods; Media; Advertising Industry; United States