Publications

August 2022 (Revised June 2024)
Exercise

How Should Netflix Add an Ad-Supported Tier?

By: Elie Ofek and Olivier Toubia

In the summer of 2022, it became clear that Netflix would introduce an ad-supported tier alongside its existing subscription plans in the near future. Speculation abounded as to the details of the new tier: How many minutes of advertising would it include? What picture... View Details

Keywords: Pricing; Television Industry; Price; Marketing Strategy; Digital Platforms; Customer Value and Value Chain; Competitive Strategy; Customer Satisfaction; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

25 Feb 2020
News

Task Force

world following China’s path. “It was an incredibly powerful wave that I wanted to ride—to build a digital business that would help people in emerging markets use their smartphones to connect to markets and improve their quality of life,”... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; gig economy; Retail Trade

04 Jun 2001
What Do You Think?

What’s the Future of the Subscription Model?

market" radio broadcasts over the Internet. In fact, some have raised the question about whether, having enjoyed free digitized media and communications services, we have spoiled the revenue models for certain of these services. Has... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

Web

Contemporary African Art | Baker Library | Bloomberg Center | Harvard Business School

Bangezile, Adams Mission , 2021 Gelatin silver print, 21 5/8 × 16 1/8 in. Schwartz Art Collection, Harvard Business School, 2023.3 Courtesy of the artist and Yancey Richardson Gallery © Zanele Muholi Aïda Muluneh (Ethiopian, born 1974) Beside the Door (Water Life... View Details

November 2018 (Revised June 2019)
Case

ofo

By: Mitchell Weiss

Dai Wei and his co-founders grew Beijing-based ofo from a school-based startup to a bike-share behemoth in a matter of months, topped an all-out market-share battle fueled with almost $1 billion in venture capital, provided 2 billion bicycle rides, soaked up the... View Details

January 2021 (Revised October 2021)
Case

eToro: Building the World's Largest Social Trading Network

By: Elie Ofek and Danielle Golan

Social trading platform eToro was preparing for the launch of its expanded offering in the U.S. The company faced critical decisions regarding product-market fit, go-to-market strategy, positioning and monetization. Moreover, it faced the challenge of how best to make... View Details

Keywords: Social Trading Platform; Investment; Social and Collaborative Networks; Marketing Strategy; Expansion; Digital Platforms

Web

Sarah McConville | About

named co-President in 2023, Sarah was Executive Vice President, Group Publisher of Harvard Business Review Group, where she led the commercial aspects of the consumer media business including all revenue lines, strategic partnerships, View Details

27 Feb 2017
Research & Ideas

Reputation is Vital to Survival in Turbulent Markets

lies in asking bigger questions about contexts other than the developed world. This will require the embrace of new sources of data, perhaps especially including digital data, including oral history. This paper is making a statement about... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

19 Jan 2022
Blog Post

From Retail to HBS: How I’m Building a Career Path at the Intersection of Arts, Culture, and Business

interesting and inspiring people, it also allowed me to land my ideal summer internship on the Digital Strategy & Investments team at Sony Music Entertainment (alongside two HBS grads). Lastly, on a more personal note, I am grateful... View Details

Profile

Kiran Gandhi

What’s the one thing you’re most excited about learning at HBS? The reason I’m here is to be in the classroom! In my previous job, I was the first digital analyst for Interscope Records. My boss had an MBA, and I realized that many people... View Details

Keywords: Entertainment/Media

16 Aug 2018
News

Working with a Giver’s Spirit

Philippine tech incubator behind a number of remarkable companies, including Ayannah, which uses social media and mobile platforms to provide digital commerce and payment services to the world’s unbanked; PawnHero, an online pawnshop that... View Details

Keywords: Constantine von Hoffman

November 2015 (Revised April 2018)
Case

Flipkart (A): Transitioning to a Marketplace Model

By: Das Narayandas, Sunil Gupta and Rachna Tahilyani

In 2015, Sachin and Binny Bansal, co-founders of India’s largest e-commerce company, are wondering if it is time to move from a hybrid model to a full marketplace. While Amazon runs a hybrid model, Alibaba operates a marketplace. In addition, Flipkart has been losing... View Details

Keywords: Marketplaces; Online Retail; Digital Platforms; Internet and the Web; Business Model; Growth and Development Strategy; Emerging Markets; E-commerce; Retail Industry; India

Portrait Project

Aman Kumar

being alive. And for the times we choose to forge ahead, we make the rules. The structures we are empowered and constrained by are designed only by people, and thus can be improved by other people. I choose to spend my life where these norms and institutions are still... View Details

January 2022 (Revised August 2022)
Case

Geely SEA: New Electric Vehicle Platforms

By: Willy C. Shih and Shu Lin

Kent Bovellan, the Chief Engineer and Head of the Vehicle Architecture Center for Geely Holding, the Hangzhou, China headquartered global automotive group, was debating the platform choice for an upcoming "D" segment midsized battery electric vehicle (BEV). He had led... View Details

Keywords: Product Innovation; Product Architecture; Product Engineering; Platform Design; Platform Strategy; Information Infrastructure; Digital Platforms; Information Technology; Product Design; Product Development; Cost Management; Decision Making; Competitive Strategy; Industry Structures; Auto Industry; China; Sweden