Publications

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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September–October 2023
Article

Building Brand Engagement: Lessons from NFTs and Collectibles

By: Frank V. Cespedes and Ben Plomion

The financial hype about Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) has cooled considerably since trading in that market went from more than $780 million on May 1, 2022 to less than $295 million for the entire month of May, 2023. But brands launch marketing campaigns in this medium,... View Details

Keywords: Opportunities; Digital Strategy; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy

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02 Mar 2009
News

Gender-Bending Brands an Easy Way to Increase Product Reach

23 Apr 2001
Research & Ideas

Brand Power from Wedgwood to Dell: Part Two

Brand New also developed the ability to identify ability in others: organizational and strategic talent, as well as commercial imagination. Lauder, Schultz, and Dell—like the three entrepreneurs in the past—shared a willingness to... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

May–June 2024
Article

Should Your Brand Hire a Virtual Influencer?

By: Serim Hwang, Shunyuan Zhang, Xiao Liu and Kannan Srinivasan

Followers respond more favorably to sponsored posts by virtual influencers versus those by humans, costs are lower, and creating an influencer from scratch allows marketers to introduce more diversity. View Details

Keywords: Social Media; AI and Machine Learning; Brands and Branding; Power and Influence

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15 Dec 2008
Research & Ideas

The Surprisingly Successful Marriages of Multinationals and Social Brands

systems and capabilities that are needed for going to and operating at scale that would take the social icon years to build. So structured correctly, an acquisition strategy can effectively marry the brand strength and "social... View Details

Keywords: by Sarah Jane Gilbert; Consumer Products; Food & Beverage

01 Mar 2004
News

Protecting against the Erosion of Brand Value

Innovation, a newsletter from HBS Publishing. “Barnes & Noble’s action indicates that within the publishing area, circumstances have changed, meaning that the power to capture value from a brand will increasingly shift from book... View Details

Keywords: Publishing Industries (except Internet); Information

November 2019 (Revised June 2020)
Case

Shiseido Acquires Drunk Elephant

By: Jill Avery

On October 7, 2019, the Shiseido Group announced that it would acquire clean skincare brand Drunk Elephant for $845 million, a valuation of 8.5 times sales. Did Shiseido pay too much or too little for this brand asset? How much was the Drunk Elephant brand worth and... View Details

Keywords: Personal Care; Startup; Brand Equity; Brand Valuation; Brand Value; Brand Storytelling; Brand Management; Brands and Branding; Valuation; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Mergers and Acquisitions; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Consumer Products Industry; United States; Japan

Web

Creating Brand Value - Course Catalog

HBS Course Catalog Creating Brand Value Course Number 1925 Executive Fellow Michael Moynihan Fall; Q2; 1.5 credits 14 Sessions Exam Assistant Professor Julian de Freitas Spring; Q4; 1.5 credits 14 Sessions Exam Career Focus: This course... View Details

October 1992 (Revised July 2001)
Case

Gap, Inc., The: Building a Brand

By: Walter J. Salmon and David Wylie

Explores the circumstances under which a specialty store chain can profitably engage in large-scale non-price advertising. View Details

Keywords: Advertising; Brands and Branding; Supply Chain Management

2010
Working Paper

Quality Provision, Expected Firm Altruism and Brand Extensions

By: Julio J. Rotemberg

This paper studies quality choice in a model where consumers expect firms to act altruistically. It is shown that, under plausible assumptions regarding this altruism and the reaction of consumers to firms that demonstrate insufficient altruism, existing firms (or... View Details

Keywords: Brands and Branding; Consumer Behavior; Product Development; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Quality; Mathematical Methods

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03 Feb 2015
News

Jury out on how win might affect Patriots brand

January 2008 (Revised December 2011)
Case

Inner Mongolia Yili Group: China's Pioneering Dairy Brand

By: Regina M. Abrami, William C. Kirby, F. Warren McFarlan and Tracy Yuen Manty

Setting up the goal to become one of the top 20 enterprises in the world dairy industry by 2010, the Inner Mongolia Yili Group had ambitious plans. As one of China's biggest national dairy companies, its main challenge was competing as a local company against... View Details

Keywords: Global Strategy; Globalized Markets and Industries; Growth and Development Strategy; Brands and Branding; Competition; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; China

30 Jan 2006
HBS Case

The Case of the Mystery Writer’s Brand

As a longtime authority on marketing communications, HBS professor John Deighton has analyzed the consumer-product relationship from every angle. But when he heard the best-selling author James Patterson address a meeting of the Direct Marketing Association, Deighton... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Entertainment & Recreation; Information; Publishing

November/December 2003
Article

Performance, Convenience, Price: What's Your Brand About?

By: Scott D. Anthony and Clayton M. Christensen

Keywords: Performance; Price; Brands and Branding

19 May 2011
Research & Ideas

Empathy: The Brand Equity of Retail

agreed, sharing the story of a woman whose luggage was lost on the eve of her husband's funeral. Staff at a local Nordstrom store responded by staying open so she could purchase a few outfits, and her family has been loyal to the retailer ever since. "Empathy can be... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Health

September 1984
Case

Henkel Corp.: International Sealants Brand SISTA (A)

By: Robert J. Dolan

Corporate headquarters wishes to expand sales of a sealant product currently sold only in the West German market. Regional affiliates, operating on a profit center basis, are not enthusiastic about taking on the new product. The case describes the company's... View Details

Keywords: Marketing Strategy; Globalization; Expansion; Profit; Conflict Management; Consumer Products Industry; Construction Industry; Europe; West Germany