Publications

02 Mar 2009
News

Gender-Bending Brands an Easy Way to Increase Product Reach

August 1991 (Revised September 1994)
Background Note

What Is Industrial Marketing?

By: V. Kasturi Rangan

Discusses the key distinguishing aspects of industrial as compared to consumer marketing. These differences are highlighted for organizational as well as marketing mix aspects. View Details

Keywords: Customer Relationship Management; Innovation Strategy; Growth and Development Strategy; Marketing Channels; Marketing Strategy; Marketplace Matching; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Core Relationships; Industrial Products Industry; Manufacturing Industry

Video

Anand Burman

Anand Burman, Chairman of Dabur, one of India’s largest manufacturers of natural medicine and consumer products, discusses the Ayurvedic tradition behind his company’s products. View Details

Career Coach

Adriann Dolphin

Adriann wants to help students explore roles in the consumer products and tech industries. She can also provide insight into the job experience in consulting, having worked in that industry. She is happy to help with interview prep,... View Details

July 2024
Article

Chatbots and Mental Health: Insights into the Safety of Generative AI

By: Julian De Freitas, Ahmet Kaan Uğuralp, Zeliha Uğuralp and Stefano Puntoni

Chatbots are now able to engage in sophisticated conversations with consumers. Due to the ‘black box’ nature of the algorithms, it is impossible to predict in advance how these conversations will unfold. Behavioral research provides little insight into potential safety... View Details

Keywords: Autonomy; Chatbots; New Technology; Brand Crises; Mental Health; Large Language Model; AI and Machine Learning; Behavior; Well-being; Technological Innovation; Ethics

18 Nov 2019
Video

Adi Godrej

Adi Godrej describes the early growth of India-based consumer products Godrej Group's businesses... View Details

January 2014 (Revised January 2017)
Case

Nivea (A)

By: Karim R. Lakhani, Johann Fuller, Volker Bilgram and Greta Friar

The case describes the efforts of Beiersdorf, a worldwide leader in the cosmetics and skin care industries, to generate and commercialize new R&D through open innovation using external crowds and "netnographic" analysis. Beiersdorf, best known for its consumer brand... View Details

Keywords: Innovation; Innovation Management; Crowdsourcing; Big Data; Innovation Strategy; Innovation and Management; Knowledge Management; Knowledge Sharing; Research and Development; Social and Collaborative Networks; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Analytics and Data Science; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry

January 2024
Case

Vibrant Health

By: Henry McGee and Sarah Mehta

This case is about nutritional supplements company Vibrant Health, among the 100 largest Black-owned businesses in the U.S. After acquiring the company from its white founder in 2007, co-owners Ted and Paige Parker significantly grew its sales. Set in September 2023,... View Details

Keywords: Business Ventures; Race; Entrepreneurship; Nutrition; Ownership; Business Strategy; Growth and Development Strategy; Leadership; Sales; Food and Beverage Industry; Health Industry; Eastern United States

Research Summary

Crowdsourced reviews

To determine whether online consumer reviews influence the way that reputation is formed, Professor Luca has combined reviews from the website Yelp.com with public restaurant data. He has shown that a one-star increase in Yelp ratings results in a 5- to 9-percent... View Details

July 2012
Article

iPhones for Friends, Refrigerators for Family: How Products Prime Social Networks

By: Lalin Anik and Michael I. Norton

We show that priming consumers with products associated with specific social networks increases the salience of those networks, influencing both word-of-mouth intentions and consumption. Consumers were exposed to friend- or family-related products (e.g., game consoles... View Details

Keywords: Family and Family Relationships; Product; Customers; Familiarity; Social and Collaborative Networks

Read Now

Career Coach

Brent Brown

Brent (HBS '02) has experience in private equity/venture capital, investment banking, and real estate, consumer products and digital media industries and currently serves on the boards of numerous private companies. Work Experience: US... View Details

Keywords: Education; Entrepreneurship; Commercial Banking; Financial Services (All); Investment Banking; Financial Services (All); Investment Management; Financial Services (All); Private Equity; Financial Services (All); Venture Capital; Financial Services (All); Real Estate; Retail; Sports; Clean Technology; Energy; Telecommunications; Technology

10 Jan 2011
Research & Ideas

Is Groupon Good for Retailers?

may file for an initial public offering by the end of 2011, according to the New York Times. "Groupon has attracted remarkable interest," says Harvard Business School professor Benjamin G. Edelman. "With the economy lagging, View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Advertising; Technology

2012
Book

Strength in Numbers: The Political Power of Weak Interests

By: Gunnar Trumbull

This book investigates the sources of interest group influence on public policy. Trumbull argues that diffuse groups like consumers are more influential, and industry less influential, than we commonly assume. View Details

Keywords: Government and Politics; Interests; Power and Influence; Demand and Consumers; Policy

Find at Harvard

AI Adoption Barriers: "Why People Resist Embracing AI"

HBR IdeaCast Podcast Interview: The Consumer Psychology of Adopting AI
HBR Webinar:View Details

December 1993 (Revised September 2003)
Supplement

Beech-Nut Nutrition Corporation (D)

By: Lynn S. Paine

Prosecutors in the U.S. Justice Department's Office of Consumer Litigation reflect on their case against the Beech-Nut Nutrition Corp. View Details

Keywords: Crime and Corruption; Lawsuits and Litigation; Management; Family Ownership; Cognition and Thinking; Food and Beverage Industry

20 Feb 2015
News

How the sharing economy is changing the value of ownership

08 Nov 2018
Cold Call Podcast

Could Big Data Replace the Creative Director at the Gap?

Keywords: Re: Ayelet Israeli; Fashion; Retail

November 2008 (Revised August 2011)
Case

UnME Jeans: Branding in Web 2.0

By: Thomas J. Steenburgh and Jill Avery

This case introduces emerging Web 2.0 social media in virtual worlds, social networking sites, and video-sharing sites and encourages students to explore the opportunities and risks they present for brands. The case allows students to grapple with the strategic and... View Details

Keywords: Digital Marketing; Brands and Branding; Marketing Communications; Marketing Strategy; Consumer Behavior; Risk and Uncertainty; Social and Collaborative Networks; Internet and the Web; Apparel and Accessories Industry