Publications

January 2019 (Revised February 2020)
Case

World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.

By: Anita Elberse and Melissa Rodman

World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (WWE) develops and presents scripted hero-versus-villain storylines featuring its wrestlers at hundreds of live events—on several weekly television shows, on its own over-the-top streaming service, and on social media—to millions of... View Details

Keywords: Superstars; Talent; Talent Development; Labor Economics; General Management; Entertainment; Sports; Media; Talent and Talent Management; Contracts; Marketing; Strategy

Blog

Is the Digital Transformation Certificate Right for You?

It's no secret that digital technologies have transformed—and continue to transform—entire industries. The ability to grasp the implications of shifting technologies, from mobile devices to social media to machine learning, is critical... View Details

29 Jan 2021
Op-Ed

How Influencers, Celebrities, and FOMO Can Win Over Vaccine Skeptics

UK’s National Health Service improved influenza vaccine adoption by employing medical professionals in its media efforts." Doctors, nurses, and medical professionals are also opinion leaders because patients trust their health care... View Details

Keywords: by Rohit Deshpandé, Ofer Mintz, and Imran S. Currim

08 Sep 2008
HBS Case

The Value of Environmental Activists

There are many methods, most financial, to measure the success of companies in meeting goals. But the question becomes a lot harder at Harvard Business School when MBAs are challenged to measure the efforts of environmental organizations like Greenpeace and the World... View Details

Keywords: by Sarah Jane Gilbert; Energy; Utilities

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

22 Feb 2022
News

Breaking News

Illustration by Dana Smith Illustration by Dana Smith Throughout your work at HBS and HKS, you’ve studied the changing media landscape from several angles. What are some of the major challenges to sustainability that local newspapers... View Details

Keywords: Jen McFarland Flint; illustration by Dana Smith; News, Library, Internet, and Other Services; Information

22 Sep 2022
News

The Beauty Guide

herself, in ELC’s Reverse Mentorship Program, in which earlier-career employees mentor their leaders. Freyre’s own young, Latina mentor has taught her more about social media and trends among the next generation—how it is feeling about... View Details

Keywords: Maureen Harmon

04 Apr 2022
What Do You Think?

As Disney Board Chair, What Would You Advise CEO Bob Chapek Regarding 'Don’t Say Gay'?

parks—responsible for spreading “pixie dust” for Disney’s “guests”—were supporters of these groups. Within Disney, employees were protesting on social media and organizing walkouts from company theme parks in Florida and elsewhere. In... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

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 2017 (Revised March 2024)
Case

Making Target the Target: Boycotts and Corporate Political Activity

By: Nien-hê Hsieh and Victor Wu

Through the challenges facing Target, the case examines ways in which corporations can become involved in political and legislative debates and processes, ranging from campaign contributions to lobbying to political activism. In 2016, Target CEO Brian Cornell must... 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

14 Sep 2023
Blog Post

MBAs Accelerate Their Social Enterprise Ventures

long-term goal of expanding to encompass a comprehensive range of financial solutions. Sophy Wang: MOONWISE is a venture that aims to increase menstrual health literacy in China through digital media and online education. A lack of proper... 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

March 2017 (Revised June 2019)
Case

CEO Activism (A)

By: Michael W. Toffel, Aaron K. Chatterji and Julia Kelley

This case introduces CEO activism, a phenomenon in which business leaders engage in political or social issues that do not relate directly to their companies. The case uses several examples to describe why business leaders are engaging in CEO activism and the potential... View Details

June 2016
Case

Big Spaceship: The Evolving Agency

By: Boris Groysberg and Matthew G. Preble

This case discusses the evolution of Big Spaceship, an advertising and marketing agency, from a product-focused business to a relationship-oriented one as clients seek deeper and more meaningful long-term partnerships. The 15-year-old company had already evolved... View Details

Keywords: Digital Marketing; Advertising; Advertising Campaigns; Marketing; Organizational Structure; Organizational Design; Organizational Culture; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Social Media; Advertising Industry; United States; New York (city, NY)