Publications

06 Nov 2008
Op-Ed

Selling Out The American Dream

first and citizens second. Credit card offers flood the mail. Media supported by advertising encourage consumers to aspire to celebrity lifestyles, to keep up with the Joneses by acquiring more stuff. Even President Bush, following the... View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch

January 2002 (Revised February 2002)
Case

Valuing the AOL Time Warner Merger

By: Lynda M. Applegate, Rena Miller and John N Rei

On January 11, 2000, AOL and Time Warner announced their intention to merge, creating what AOL CEO Stephen Case and Time Warner CEO Gerald Levin called the 21st century's first fully integrated communications, media, and entertainment company. This case, prepared from... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Valuation; Situation or Environment; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry

01 Apr 2000
News

Student "Treks" Lead to Jobs and Opportunities

one-third of the HBS student body -- traveled to San Francisco and Silicon Valley as participants in the fifth annual WesTrek, an event organized by members of the High Tech and New Media Club in coordination with the School's Career... View Details

25 Jan 2017
HBS Case

How Should Advertisers Respond to Consumer Demand for Whiter Skin?

Stay beautiful”—went viral on social media in 2013. (See illustration below) Campaign ad featuring Indian actress Nandita Das protesting skin-lightening creams. Source: Women of Worth, courtesy Rohit Deshpandé Fair skin part of India’s... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Beauty & Cosmetics

May 2001 (Revised June 2002)
Case

Frasier (A)

By: Guhan Subramanian and Michelle Kalka

In 2001, NBC entered into contract negotiations with Paramount Television Group to keep the hit show "Frasier" on the network. Paramount, the studio that produced the show, threatened to move "Frasier" to CBS, Paramount's sister network, if NBC did not agree to a... View Details

Keywords: Negotiation; Television Entertainment; Media and Broadcasting Industry

Web

Tsedal Neeley | About

The Language of Global Success: How a Common Tongue Transforms Multinational Organizations chronicles the five-year transformation of a globalizing company. Tsedal's work has been featured in many media outlets, including television and... View Details

07 Apr 2020
Research & Ideas

What Customers Need to Hear from You During the COVID Crisis

consumers; 71 percent of those surveyed promised that brands and companies that placed their profits before people during the crisis would lose their trust forever. How can brands help during a crisis? Educate the public by transforming the brand’s authority and View Details

Keywords: by Jill Avery and Richard Edelman

April 2015 (Revised June 2020)
Case

Comcast Corporation (A)

By: Sunil Gupta, Henry McGee, Felix Oberholzer-Gee and Margaret L. Rodriguez

In March 2015, the U.S. television industry received a major wake-up call. HBO, a premium cable channel with over 30 million subscribers, had announced it would begin offering a standalone streaming service. This new service would allow customers to bypass the cable... View Details

Keywords: Cable Television; HBO; Industry Evolution; Television Entertainment; Disruption; Business Model; Competitive Strategy; Media and Broadcasting Industry

05 Jun 2019
Blog Post

Exploring the Beauty Industry through an Independent Project

In seeking information on beauty products prior to purchase over the last year, 67% of respondents consulted social media influencers and 59% consulted third-party product reviews. However, company advertisements and public... View Details

August 2021 (Revised March 2022)
Case

Camera IQ and the Metaverse: Building Augmented Reality Brand Experiences

By: Jill Avery and Rayan Nahas

Camera IQ, a camera marketing software company that empowered brands to create and launch augmented reality experiences (AREs) across social platforms, had just raised an additional $5 million to fund further product development and expand its marketing and sales... View Details

01 Sep 2003
News

Larry Murphy

a $1.5 billion operation — as chief strategic officer. Responsible for strategy, acquisitions, business development, and the Disney brand on a global basis, Murphy helped grow the firm to a $60 billion enterprise by the time he and the Mouse parted company in 1998.... View Details

Keywords: Garry Emmons; Accommodation; Hospitality

June 2022 (Revised March 2024)
Case

Netflix's Culture: Binge or Cringe?

By: Hubert Joly, Leonard A. Schlesinger, James Barnett and Stacy Straaberg

In May 2022, streaming entertainment company Netflix lost customers for the first time in more than 10 years. Once a first mover in the streaming landscape, Netflix was facing competition from Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max, and others. A key component of... View Details

October 2009 (Revised June 2010)
Case

Hulu: An Evil Plot to Destroy the World?

By: Anita Elberse and Sunil Gupta

In July 2009, Jason Kilar, the chief executive officer of Hulu, is debating whether the online video aggregator should move away from a purely advertising-supported model, and whether it should participate in an industry-wide initiative to develop and test... View Details

Keywords: Advertising; Business Model; Television Entertainment; Distribution Channels; Service Operations; Internet and the Web; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry

13 Mar 2005
Research & Ideas

The Tricky Business of Nonprofit Brands

NGOs to be seen working in the field, actively and effectively helping in the middle of a humanitarian crisis. In addition to the media coverage that results in increased donations, the NGO brand is strengthened and the needs of the... View Details

Keywords: by Manda Salls

01 Dec 2022
News

Full Court Press

reporters in the media room inside BK Arena. Wearing a black dashiki and black-framed glasses, he sat next to the president of the Rwanda Basketball Federation and the country’s Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Sports, who had... View Details

Keywords: Dan Morrell

July 2020 (Revised July 2023)
Case

Live Nation and Pharrell Williams

By: Anita Elberse and Kate Christensen

“We’re in business together, and whether we lose a few million dollars or make a few million dollars, let’s do this. If you think you can pull it off, I’m behind you.” Michael Rapino, chief executive officer of Live Nation, the world’s leading live entertainment... View Details

Keywords: Music; Entertainment; Superstars; Talent; Labor Economics; General Management; Music Entertainment; Media; Talent and Talent Management; Joint Ventures; Marketing; Strategy; Music Industry

Web

Ellen Desmarais | About

Ellen Desmarais Bio Ellen Desmarais is Co-President of Harvard Business Publishing (HBP), a not-for-profit independent 501(3) corporation that is an affiliate of Harvard Business School. HBP bridges academia, enterprise learning, and View Details

03 Dec 2021
Blog Post

Physicians Off the Beaten Path

everyone in the medical space. They also knew their content should be interesting, easy to consume and eye-opening to all the possibilities there are outside of medicine. They realized the best media would be a podcast lasting 30-45... View Details

February 2023 (Revised March 2023)
Case

Hey, Insta & YouTube, Are You Watching TikTok?

By: Felix Oberholzer-Gee

In early 2023, the entertainment app TikTok reached close to 1 billion users globally, placing it 4th behind the leading social networks of Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Featuring a sophisticated recommendation engine, TikTok mastered the art of keeping users... View Details

Keywords: Social Media; Applications and Software; Business Model; Competition; Organizational Change and Adaptation