Publications

July 1993 (Revised September 1994)
Case

Goodyear: The Aquatred Launch

By: John A. Quelch

After many years of R&D, Goodyear has developed the Aquatred, an innovative new tire. However, the tire industry has matured and evolved, raising questions concerning the Aquatred's ability to gain support from Goodyear's independent tire dealers. Students must use... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Consumer Behavior; Distribution Channels; Brands and Branding; Innovation and Invention; Auto Industry; Rubber Industry; United States

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

February 2011 (Revised December 2012)
Case

Porsche: The Cayenne Launch

By: John Deighton, Jill Avery and Jeffrey Fear

Can an online discussion forum supply insight into the evolution of brand meaning? In 2003 Porsche launched a sport utility vehicle, dividing Porsche purists from newcomers to the brand. Vocal members of online and offline Porsche communities ridiculed the Cayenne SUV... View Details

Keywords: Knowledge Sharing; Knowledge Use and Leverage; Risk Management; Brands and Branding; Product Launch; Product Positioning; Social and Collaborative Networks; Auto Industry

October 2014
Technical Note

Legal Hazards of Product Launches

By: Lena Goldberg and Annelena Lobb

This note considers common legal pitfalls associated with the launch of new products. A series of questions are presented that companies poised to launch a product should keep in mind. Questions about advertising, pricing, and branding are explored, as well as who in a... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Product Launch; Legal Liability

January 2006 (Revised December 2006)
Case

Toyota Motor Corporation: Launching Prius

By: Forest L. Reinhardt, Dennis A. Yao and Masako Egawa

In 1995, Hiroshi Okuda, president of Toyota Motor Corp., considers whether to push for a more aggressive launch of the Toyota Prius--an automobile that incorporates Toyota's new and technically advanced hybrid power train. This launch decision allows discussion of the... View Details

Keywords: Environmental Sustainability; Product Launch; Transportation; Brands and Branding; Manufacturing Industry; Green Technology Industry; Auto Industry; Japan

30 Jul 2014
Video

Health Acceleration Challenge launch

November 1999 (Revised November 1999)
Case

Goodyear: The Aquatred Launch (Condensed)

Goodyear is planning to launch an innovative new tire in a price sensitive and highly competitive category. The case deals with channel conflicts and management issues arising in mature product categories. View Details

Keywords: Conflict Management; Product Launch; Auto Industry; Rubber Industry

February 2022
Case

Launching the Social

By: Tom Eisenmann, Lindsay N. Hyde and Tom Quinn

This case features the same protagonists as Ample Hills Creamery (HBS No. 822-073), and can be used as a continuation of that story.
Ample Hills Creamery started in 2010 as a temporary ice cream pushcart in Brooklyn, New York City. On the strength of inventive... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Small Business; Brands and Branding; Partners and Partnerships; Expansion

01 Mar 2006
News

MD/MBA Program Launched

Harvard’s new five-year, MD/MBA joint-degree program was formally launched at an HBS reception in November. Keynote speaker and Novartis CEO Daniel Vasella (PMD 57, 1989), who holds an MD degree, told his audience, including the seven... View Details

Keywords: MD/MBA joint-degree program; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services

01 Dec 2018
News

Ready, Set, Launch

Launching Technology Ventures explore an alternative path, one designed to sidestep many of the missteps: the lean startup methodology. The idea is to launch as quickly as possible with a minimum viable... View Details

July 2016
Teaching Note

Launching Yelp Reservations

By: Michael Luca, Kevin Mohan and Patrick Rooney

This teaching note accompanies "Launching Yelp Reservations (A) and (B)," which present a multi-party negotiation among Yelp, current partner OpenTable, and two startups in the online restaurant reservation industry. View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Negotiation; Business Startups; Acquisition; Technology Industry; United States

July 2007 (Revised February 2010)
Supplement

Launching Telmore (C)

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, Celso Fernandez and Moritz Jobke

June 2021
Teaching Note

Bulb 2017: Launch

By: John R. Wells

July 2007 (Revised February 2010)
Supplement

Launching Telmore (B)

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, Celso Fernandez and Moritz Jobke

Keywords: Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Management; Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services; Professional Services; Electric Power Generation, Transmission, Distribution; Utilities

01 Sep 2009
News

Ready for Launch

A daily apartment cleaning service (Fresh Maid). An organizer of one-day extreme endurance events for men (Tough Mudder). A market-based solution to increase the milk production of cattle in rural India (Doodh Bhandar). These are just a few of the semifinalists... View Details

01 Apr 1997
News

Management Update Launched

Managers trying to make sense out of a continuously changing business environment should check out the latest from Harvard Business School Publishing (HBSP). Management Update, a monthly newsletter launched in June 1996 and edited by new... View Details

Keywords: Judith A. Ross

October 2003 (Revised January 2005)
Case

Microsoft: Launching the Smart Watch

By: John T. Gourville and Christina L. Darwall

Microsoft is on the verge of launching its Smart Watch technology, which will allow specially designed watches to receive up-to-date information on sports, business, traffic, news, etc. After several years of effort and millions of dollars spent, the questions now... View Details

Keywords: Customer Focus and Relationships; Information Management; Marketing Strategy; Product Launch; Product Positioning; Product Design; Product Development; Performance Effectiveness; Partners and Partnerships; Information Technology Industry