Publications

May 2022
Case

Thinking Outside the Wine Box (A): Mekanism and the Franz for Life Campaign

By: Tomomichi Amano, Elie Ofek, Mengjie Cheng and Amy Klopfenstein

This case provides an overview of “Franz for Life,” an advertising campaign that independent advertising agency Mekanism created and executed to revitalize the brand image of Franzia, a low-cost boxed wine. For several years, Franzia’s popularity declined among... View Details

Keywords: Marketing; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Digital Marketing; Social Marketing; Marketing Communications; Product Positioning; Advertising Industry; Advertising Industry; United States

Educators

March 2006
Teaching Note

American Legacy: Beyond the Truth Campaign (TN)

By: Youngme E. Moon

Keywords: Advertising Campaigns

12 Oct 1999
Research & Ideas

Media Metamorphosis: Advertising in the Technology Age

placed on, say, network television or magazines, with newspapers or radio serving as adjunct or complementary media. "Traditionally, advertising agencies have played a key role in such decisions," Silk notes, "and media mix... View Details

Keywords: by Peter K. Jacobs; Advertising

17 Jun 2013
Research & Ideas

Advertising Symbiosis: The Key to Viral Videos

It probably won't shock you that the most popular YouTube video in the past month was "Gentleman," the latest hit from South Korean rapper PSY, whose "Gangnam Style" is the most-watched video of all time. More surprising: among the other most-watched videos was an... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Advertising

October 1988
Case

National Pork Producers Council: ""Pork--The Other White Meat"" Campaign

By: Stephen A. Greyser

Keywords: Advertising Campaigns; Food; Food and Beverage Industry

October 1988
Case

Beef Industry Council: ""Beef--Real Food for Real People"" Campaign

By: Stephen A. Greyser

Keywords: Advertising Campaigns; Animal-Based Agribusiness; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Food and Beverage Industry

November 1987
Background Note

Note on Advertising Effectiveness in the Beer Industry

By: Malcolm S. Salter

Keywords: Advertising Campaigns; Performance Effectiveness; Food and Beverage Industry

18 May 2015
Research & Ideas

Advertisers Get Serious About Playing With Their Brands

Playing on social media, particularly when the playful activity occurs in real time during a live event, can charm an audience—while in some cases costing little to do so. Dutch shipping container company Maersk Line ran a social media View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Advertising

May 2022
Supplement

Thinking Outside the Wine Box (C): Mekanism and the Franz for Life Campaign

By: Tomomichi Amano, Elie Ofek, Mengjie Cheng and Amy Klopfenstein

This case reveals the events that took place after the conclusion of the cases “Thinking Outside the Wine Box (A-B): Mekanism and the Franz for Life Campaign.” After selecting a creative direction for the Franz for Life 2.0 campaign, independent advertising agency... View Details

Keywords: Marketing; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Digital Marketing; Social Marketing; Marketing Communications; Product Positioning; Advertising; Communication Strategy; Advertising Campaigns; Social Media; Advertising Industry; Advertising Industry; United States

January 23, 2023
Article

Digital Public Health Interventions at Scale: The Impact of Social Media Advertising on Beliefs and Outcomes Related to COVID Vaccines

By: Susan Athey, Kristen Grabarz, Michael Luca and Nils Wernerfelt

Public health organizations increasingly use social media advertising campaigns in pursuit of public health goals. In this paper, we evaluate the impact of about $40 million of social media advertisements that were run and experimentally tested on Facebook and... View Details

Keywords: COVID-19 Pandemic; Public Health; Vaccines; Social Media; Advertising; Power and Influence; Health Care and Treatment

Read Now

25 Jan 2017
HBS Case

How Should Advertisers Respond to Consumer Demand for Whiter Skin?

company’s obligation lie? The struggle over the advertising of India’s fairness creams is the centerpiece of a March 2016 case “Fair & Lovely vs. Dark Is Beautiful,” which was written by Rohit Deshpandé, Sebastian S. Kresge Professor... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Beauty & Cosmetics

November 1992 (Revised June 1993)
Case

The Advertising Council Teen Alcoholism Campaign: Research and Strategy

By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Jayne D. Kramer

Keywords: Advertising Campaigns; Strategy; Health Disorders; Social Issues

August 2012
Teaching Note

Mekanism: Engineering Viral Marketing

By: Thales S. Teixeira

The Mekanism case introduces students to a digital media production company specialized in creating viral marketing campaigns for advertising agencies and their clients (e.g., Microsoft, AXE, eBay, Toyota, etc.). Mekanism has grown tremendously from 2007 to 2010 in... View Details

Keywords: Viral Marketing; Viral Ads; Virality; Mekanism; Advertising Agency; Social Media; Influencer; Storytelling; Advertising Content; Advertising; Advertising Industry; North and Central America

September 2014
Case

Victors & Spoils: 'Born Open'

By: Karim R. Lakhani and Michael L. Tushman

Victors & Spoils (V&S), located in Boulder, Colorado, was the first advertising agency built on open innovation and crowdsourcing principles from the ground-up. V&S was co-founded in 2009 by John Winsor, Claudia Batten and Evan Fry, all former members of the... View Details

Keywords: Advertising Agency; Marketing; Crowdsourcing; Open Innovation; Growth; Acquisitions; Advertising; Advertising Campaigns; Digital Marketing; Acquisition; Innovation and Invention; Advertising Industry; United States

Educators

April 2012 (Revised April 2013)
Case

Mekanism: Engineering Viral Marketing

By: Thales S. Teixeira and Alison Caverly

Mekanism introduces students to a digital media production company specializing in creating viral marketing campaigns for advertising agencies and clients (e.g., Microsoft, AXE, eBay, Toyota, etc.) Mekanism has grown tremendously from 2007 to 2010 in part due to the... View Details

Keywords: Viral Marketing; Viral Advertising; Core Competencies; Growth Strategy; Online Media; Videos; Advertising Media; Internet and the Web; Expansion; Media; Marketing; Advertising; Advertising Industry; North and Central America

Educators