Publications

March 2011 (Revised January 2015)
Case

H Partners and Six Flags

By: Robin Greenwood and Michael Gorzynski

Rehan Jaffer, the founder of hedge fund H Partners, is considering what to do with his investment in Six Flags. H Partners had invested a significant amount of the firm's capital in the senior bonds of U.S.-based Six Flags, following that company's bankruptcy filing. View Details

Keywords: Behavioral Finance; Private Equity; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Debt Securities; Bonds; Investment; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; United States

01 Dec 2023
News

Alumni and Faculty Books and Podcasts

change, the authors provide a quick and entertaining introduction to the science of climate change. It is a concise primer for anyone interested in how CO2 impacts our climate. Even knowledgeable readers will learn something new about... View Details

Keywords: podcasts

Web

2022 Reunion Presentations - Alumni

more industry consolidation? Drawing on dozens of recent case studies, Professor Elberse will walk participants through the likely future of the entertainment industry and... View Details

July 2020 (Revised April 2022)
Case

Paris Saint-Germain: Building One of the World's Top Sports Brands

By: Anita Elberse and David Moreno Vicente

In March 2020, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the president of French soccer club Paris Saint-Germain (‘PSG’) sees his team clinch a spot among the last eight clubs to compete in the UEFA Champions League. Established in 1970 and initially a club with only moderate success, PSG’s... View Details

Keywords: Soccer; Football; Superstars; Talent; Talent Development; General Management; Sports; Entertainment; Media; Talent and Talent Management; Globalization; Brands and Branding; Marketing; Strategy; Sports Industry; Europe

November 2018 (Revised April 2019)
Case

Nike: Changing the Sneakers Game

By: Anita Elberse, Bryce Aiken and Howard Johnson

“Our goal is to be the kind of start-up that would terrify Nike—if Nike didn’t already own us.” Ron Faris, general manager of S23NYC, a Manhattan-based digital studio owned by sports apparel giant Nike, is on the phone with Adam Sussman, Nike’s chief digital officer.... View Details

Keywords: Digital Technology; Apparel; Fashion; Superstar; Innovation; General Management; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Strategy; Marketing Strategy; Innovation and Invention; Management; Sports; Entertainment; Digital Strategy; Apparel and Accessories Industry

04 Oct 2022
What Do You Think?

Have Managers Underestimated the Need for Face-to-Face Contact?

(iStockphoto/SolStock) The COVID-19 pandemic changed the ways we worked, the ways we shopped, and the ways we interacted with others. It fostered some businesses—online selling, meeting services, and home entertainment—and nearly killed others—cruise lines, air travel,... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

November 2004 (Revised May 2005)
Case

Marvel Enterprises, Inc.

By: Anita Elberse

The management team of Marvel Enterprises, known for its universe of superhero characters that includes Spider-Man, the Hulk, and X-Men, must reevaluate its marketing strategy. In June 2004, only six years after the company emerged from bankruptcy, Marvel has amassed a... View Details

Keywords: Intellectual Property; Business Model; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Opportunities; Growth and Development Strategy; Rights; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

Web

Request more information | HBS Courses | HBS Online

Aerospace/Defense Agriculture Auto Communications E-Commerce E-Education Energy Entertainment Financial Services Food/Beverage Health/Medical Hospitality Insurance Manufacturing Non-Profit Pharmaceuticals Professional Services Retail... View Details

01 Sep 2003
News

Larry Murphy

development advisor. He believes that sheer size, coupled with some ill-advised mergers, have hurt creativity and bottom-line performance at big-name media and entertainment companies. “I wouldn’t be surprised,” Murphy says, “to see the... View Details

Keywords: Garry Emmons; Accommodation; Hospitality

01 Mar 2004
News

Derek Ferguson

Derek T. Ferguson (MBA 1990) could be mistaken for a minister by fellow commuters on the train from Connecticut to Manhattan. Yet his calling is not to the pulpit, but to the midtown headquarters of Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment Group,... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries; Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries

2024
Working Paper

What Makes Players Pay? An Empirical Investigation of In-Game Lotteries

By: Tomomichi Amano and Andrey Simonov

In 2020, gamers spent more than $15 billion on loot boxes, lotteries of virtual items in video games. Paid loot boxes are contentious. Game producers argue that loot boxes complement the gameplay and expenditures on loot boxes reflect players’ enjoyment of the game.... View Details

Keywords: Consumer Behavior; Policy; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Product Design; Ethics; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Video Game Industry

Read Now

April 2014 (Revised July 2017)
Case

The Tate's Digital Transformation

By: Jill Avery

John Stack was the visionary Head of Digital Transformation at the Tate, a collection of four major art galleries in the UK, including Tate Modern, the most visited gallery devoted to modern and contemporary art in the world. Stack was the architect of the Tate's... View Details

Keywords: Digital; Marketing Communication; Non-profit Management; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Nonprofit Organizations; Social Media; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; United Kingdom

13 Nov 2012
First Look

First Look: November 13

analyses of data covering 69 two-digit SIC industries at two points in time, 1991 and 1999. In both years, approximately half of advertisers of all sizes operated an in-house agency. Across industries, we find that the likelihood of... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

September 2019 (Revised June 2020)
Case

Othellonia: Growing a Mobile Game

By: Eva Ascarza, Tomomichi Amano and Sunil Gupta

In the summer of 2019, Yu Sasaki, Head of the Game Division of DeNA, a Japanese mobile gaming company, is evaluating various growth strategies for its recent game Othellonia. Sasaki needs to decide if he should focus on customer acquisition, retention, or monetization. View Details

Keywords: Targeting; Retention/churn; Freemium; Monetization; Customer Relationship Management; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Growth and Development Strategy; Marketing; Customers; Marketing Strategy; Retention; Acquisition; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Japan