Brand Building - Publications - Faculty & Research

March 2020 (Revised July 2022)
Case

Levi Strauss (A): A Pioneer Lost in the Wilderness

By: Joshua Margolis, Ashish Nanda, Margaret Cross, Imran Manji and Bismah Rahmat

In 2011, newly appointed CEO Chip Bergh needed to urgently turn around the iconic but floundering denim apparel firm, Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&Co.) Famous for its blue jeans, LS&Co. had suffered a decline in revenue of 29% from $6.8 billion in 1997 to $4.8 billion in... View Details

Keywords: Turnarounds; Transformation; Strategy; Decision Choices and Conditions; Decision Making; Strategic Planning; Brands and Branding; Product Positioning; Product Marketing; Apparel and Accessories Industry

Citation

Educators

09 Dec 2002
Research & Ideas

Unilever—A Case Study

Langnese; and Sunlicht. The name "Unilever" was not used in operating companies or in brand names. Lever Brothers and T. J. Lipton were the two postwar U.S. affiliates. These national operating companies were allocated to either... View Details

Keywords: by Geoffrey Jones; Consumer Products; Entertainment & Recreation; Food & Beverage; Manufacturing; Retail

11 Apr 2023
Op-Ed

The First 90 Hours: What New CEOs Should—and Shouldn't—Do to Set the Right Tone

announce a change to the brand name or logo. Everyone’s a marketing expert, and making such a bold move will just give your skeptics and opponents a chance to undermine your authority before you’ve left the starting gate. Don’t hire... View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch

Web

All Industries

rounded to nearest thousand. See detailed pages for exact figures. Percentages may not add to 100 due to rounding. Insights & Advice 11 Dec 2023 Becca Carnahan Building Iconic Brands and Brighter Futures:... View Details

Web

Named Fellowship Funds - Alumni

Turkey, Işik led several mergers and acquisitions projects throughout Europe and the United States as director of corporate development for Bertelsmann AG. She is the founder of Shaya Turkey, a multibrand retail operation that led the successful launch of more than 20... View Details

April 2004
Case

Marks & Spencer: The Phoenix Rises - A Multimedia Case Study

By: Joseph L. Bower

Enables students to interactively research the steps Marks & Spencer's top executives took to restore prosperity and explore in depth the major issues remaining. The perspective is that of Luc Vandevelde, who arrived at the venerable U.K. retailer in 2001, and that of... View Details

Keywords: Brands and Branding; Corporate Strategy; Management Teams; Retail Industry; United Kingdom

Citation

Educators

Purchase

20 Sep 2021
Blog Post

Taking Your Shot in the Sports Industry with Adam Laitsas (MBA 2016), SVP, Head of Marketing for Madison Square Garden Sports Corp.

two of the most storied teams in all of sports. Looking ahead towards the future of his new role, Laitsas is looking forward to creating innovative ways to engage with fans and build on the incredible brands... View Details

20 Sep 2016
First Look

September 20, 2016

effect dominates the negative within-firm effect post IPO. We build a firm industry model with endogenous entry to quantify the importance of two competing selection mechanisms: an increasing share of R&D-intensive firms in the... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

17 Feb 2020
Sharpening Your Skills

How Entrepreneurs Can Find the Right Problem to Solve

their idea, but a little humility and a lot of discovery work can determine whether there’s a winning solution and save a lot of wasted time and money building the wrong thing. If fundraising is also a consideration, being able to have... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Austin

Career Coach

Meredith Hamilton

Meredith [she/her] has served as a mentor and coach to innumerable mid-career staff as well as several CEOs in the social sector. She is committed to creating a safe space for students and alumni to explore questions of professional identity and career progression... View Details

Keywords: Education; Entrepreneurship; Impact Investing; Financial Services (All); Government; Real Estate; Social Enterprise

Web

Technology & Operations Management - Faculty & Research

Research Citation Educators Related Bojinov, Iavor I. "The Checkout Challenge for Orchardio." Harvard Business School Case 625-093, January 2025. More Publications In the News 12 Feb 2025 Harvard Business School Fawn Weaver’s Use of Storytelling to View Details

26 Aug 2019
Research & Ideas

Lipstick Tips: How Influencers Are Making Over Beauty Marketing

this product.” During the video’s 12-plus minutes of step-by-step instructions, Hughes holds up product after product close to the camera so viewers can get a good look at each brand name. Because, after all, Hughes isn’t merely sharing... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Consumer Products; Beauty & Cosmetics

Web

Entrepreneurial Management - Faculty & Research

adding new subjects, such as math and music. This product line diversification raised several strategic questions: Did Duolingo have the brand license to extend into adjacent subjects? Which areas were the best fit for the app’s growth,... View Details

22 May 2024
HBS Case

Banned or Not, TikTok Is a Force Companies Can’t Afford to Ignore

you. It doesn’t rely on what you say. It observes what you do and choose not to do and builds a model of who you are.” Ghosh’s analysis debuts at a time when TikTok is drawing fresh scrutiny related to how its Chinese owners influence... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Technology

27 Jul 2012
News

How to Be Effective in the Global Economy and the Boardroom: CFOs Offer Lessons Learned on the Journey

14 Feb 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research: February 14

working paper: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=43385 Harvard Business School Case 817-012 DataXu: Selling Ad Tech DataXu served marketers by buying digital advertising for brands using its demand-side platform. It sought a... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

Web

2023 Reunion Presentations - Alumni

this “working on material” session (as comedians would call it) with a sneak peek into how we are reconceptualizing career development post-pandemic and the implications for us and our organizations. Build the Life You Want: The Art and... View Details

18 Jul 2023
News

The First Five Years: Brooke Biederman (MBA 2019)

between culture and commerce. I loved studying how other industries and art forms strive to address the needs of both “creatives” and “suits.” Brand Strategy was eye-opening, as I watched many of the same storytelling techniques the... View Details

Keywords: Robert Bochnak

28 Apr 2009
First Look

First Look: April 28, 2009

in the past and now influence clinical trials and participate in regulatory decision-making. Yet these developments are far from universal and are taking very different forms around the world. Building on data showing that pharmaceutical... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

Web

Employment Data Trends

12% 10% 11% Brand Management <1% <1% 2% <1% 1% General Marketing 2% 3% <1% <1% <1% Product Management 9% 7% 10% 8% 8% Sales 1% <1% <1% <1% <1% Other Marketing <1% 0% 0% <1% 1% Strategic Planning 7% 10% 8% 7% 8% Other 4% 4% 4% 3% 5% Human... View Details

Publications