Digital Strategy - Publications - Faculty & Research

July 2023 (Revised May 2024)
Case

Vytal: Packaging-as-a-Service

By: George Serafeim, Michael W. Toffel, Lena Duchene and Daniela Beyersdorfer

The Germany-based startup Vytal operated the largest digital-native reusable packaging-as-a-service network globally, having raised nearly €15 million, established a large network of restaurant partners, and prevented the use of millions of single-use take-out food... View Details

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2020
Working Paper

How to Build Enduring Brands in the Digital Age

By: David J. Collis and William Collis

What makes a brand last? It’s a deceptively simple question, but its answer separates sustainable success from eventual obscurity. Almost every company devotes significant resources to defining their brand. But few ask the more important question: how to... View Details

Keywords: Brands and Branding; Adaptation; Strategy

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March 2023 (Revised August 2023)
Case

Majid Al Futtaim: Adapting the Shopping Mall to the Digital Era

By: Antonio Moreno and Gamze Yucaoglu

The case opens in August 2022, as Ahmed Galal Ismail, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Properties and Fatima Zada, digital and omnichannel director at Majid Al Futtaim Shopping Malls, go over the plans to roll out the omnichannel mall offering for the Mall of the Emirates they... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Strategy; Information Technology; Technology Adoption; Value Creation; Competition; Expansion; Profit; Corporate Strategy; Retail Industry; Real Estate Industry; United Arab Emirates

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29 Jul 2022
News

Closing the Gap Between Digital Marketing Spending and Performance

January 2023 (Revised February 2024)
Teaching Note

Perfect Diary (完美日记)

By: Shunyuan Zhang and Sunil Gupta

Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 522-030. View Details

Keywords: Digital Marketing; E-commerce; E-Commerce Strategy; Marketing; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; China

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February 2021
Case

Yellow Digital Retailers: Providing Solar Electricity to Transform Rural Africa

By: Lynda M. Applegate, Frank V. Cespedes and Michael Norris

In 2020, Mike Heyink and Maya Stewart, co-founders of the Pay-as-you-Go Solar company Yellow were considering how to grow their startup. They had achieved some success in their first market, Malawi, and had recently entered Uganda, where business was slower. What did... View Details

Keywords: Solar Energy; Business Model; Business Startups; Developing Countries and Economies; Alternative Energy; Renewable Energy; Social Entrepreneurship; Green Technology; Salesforce Management; Diversification; Expansion; Energy Industry; Africa; South Africa; Malawi; Uganda

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June 2015 (Revised October 2016)
Case

Denver Museum of Nature & Science

By: Jill Avery and Jim Rosenberg

Digital was on Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Programs Bridget Coughlin's mind these days. DMNS had been dabbling in digital for the past few years, but had never fully committed to it. The time had come to establish a strategic vision, and to decide... View Details

Keywords: Digital; Nonprofit; Arts; Education; Marketing; Marketing Communications; Marketing Strategy; Nonprofit Organizations; Social Media; Education Industry; North America; United States

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Aug 07 2017
Interview

Navigating Constant Change in a Digital World

July 2010 (Revised April 2016)
Teaching Note

Major League Baseball Advanced Media: America's Pastime Goes Digital

By: Anita Elberse

Teaching Note for 510092. View Details

Keywords: Sports; Decisions; Marketing Strategy; Revenue; Price; Sports Industry; Web Services Industry

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Strategy Awards & Honors - Faculty & Research

Strategy Overview Faculty Curriculum Seminars & Conferences Awards & Honors Doctoral Students 2025 Maria P. Roche : Recipient of the 2025 Wyss Award for Excellence in Mentoring Doctoral Students. Andy Wu : Received the 2025 HBS Student... View Details

10 Feb 2020
In Practice

6 Ways That Emerging Technology Is Disrupting Business Strategy

Even though the internet has been publicly available for almost three decades, executives at just about every company are wrestling with how to use digital technology to advance their business strategy. We asked professors from Harvard... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost

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Strategy for Entrepreneurs - Course Catalog

HBS Course Catalog Strategy for Entrepreneurs Course Number 1257 Associate Professor Rembrand Koning Spring; Q3Q4; 3.0 credits 27 Sessions Project (formerly Strategy for Entrepreneurs and Startups) Overview... View Details

Web

Digital Marketing & AI Workshop - Course Catalog

format. Career Focus Over the past 25 years, digital marketing and data have transformed how brands are built and scaled. This course equips students with practical, hands-on strategies for growing a View Details

March 2011
Module Note

Strategic Marketing in Creative Industries: The Promise of Digital Technology

By: Anita Elberse

Keywords: Marketing Strategy; Technology

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02 Jun 2014
Research & Ideas

Secrets to a Successful Social Media Strategy

favor of helping customers create and strengthen relationships with each other. These relationships are in exchange for the customers doing various tasks for the company for free. The distinction between digital and social View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

02 Nov 2020
What Do You Think?

Is Antitrust Just a Quaint Notion in the Digital Age?

information age in which the “product” is readily shared, can’t be hoarded, and is a result of a network, how will it be feasible for regulators and courts to prohibit business relationships or “break up” business strategies in which one... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Retail; Technology; Telecommunications; Communications; Consumer Products; Service

24 Aug 2021
News

Where Digital Transformations Go Wrong in Small and Midsize Companies

September–October 2017
Article

Managing Our Hub Economy: Strategy, Ethics, and Network Competition in the Age of Digital Superpowers

By: Marco Iansiti and Karim R. Lakhani

A small number of digital superpowers—Alibaba, Amazon, Microsoft, and others—have become “hub firms” because they control access to billions of mobile customers coveted by all kinds of product and service providers. These hubs drive increasing returns to scale and... View Details

Keywords: Competition; Strategic Planning; Auto Industry; Technology Industry

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October 2020 (Revised July 2023)
Case

The Walt Disney Company: The 21st Century Fox Acquisition and Digital Distribution

By: David J. Collis

This case describes the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by the Walt Disney Company and the subsequent launch by Disney of three streaming channels to compete with Netflix. View Details

Keywords: Disney; Streaming; Corporate Strategy; Mergers and Acquisitions; Distribution; Competitive Strategy; Vertical Integration; Media and Broadcasting Industry

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October 2015
Case

BandPage (A)

By: Karim R. Lakhani, Colin Maclay and Greta Friar

BandPage CEO James "J" Sider is about to receive results from BandPage's targeted advertising campaign on music streaming service Rhapsody and learn whether BandPage's strategy to improve ad click through rates and generate revenue has succeeded. BandPage, which began... View Details

Keywords: Digital Innovation; Digital Music; Digital Marketing; Mobile Marketing; Technological Innovation; Marketing Communications; Music Entertainment; Mobile Technology; Music Industry

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