Ariel Fristoe co-founded the Out of Hand Theater ensemble (OOH) in Atlanta in 2001. OOH began as a traditional theater nonprofit, which Ariel and her colleagues ran on a shoestring budget. But over the years, the group transformed: First, around 2010, OOH pivoted to science outreach. Then, around 2018, OOH shifted its focus to racial and economic justice, and staged a series of shows in Atlanta community members' private homes.
Kickstarter was a virtual crowdfunding platform and community that allowed creators of all kinds to raise funding for creative projects. The executive team was wrestling with a tension in its business model: the organization earned the majority of its revenue from projects that were not closely aligned with its mission. The executives saw the mission as raising funds for art projects, however such projects only accounted for 3% of total funds raised. They were also concerned that societal interest in arts was declining. Kickstarter was a Public Benefit Corporation and therefore it measured its success by how well it achieved its mission, not by the size of its profits.
A traditionally mono-brand menswear luxury company faces growing competition from international groups and changes its brand focus from formal wear to leisure wear.
In March 2022, the Swatch Group launched the MoonSwatch, born out of a secret in-house collaboration among its street Swatch and its luxury Omega brand, in tribute to one of Omega's most legendary watches. The launch created a frenzy among watch fans worldwide, with huge lines forming outside of the select Swatch stores selling the product and with social media channels lighting up. The case discusses some of the initial reactions to the hyped Omega X Swatch product launch, which represented a break with the distinctive brand positioning strategy that the group had been known for so far.
The CEO of Serum Institute of India (SII), a $12.8 billion Indian Family business is faced with a risky choice between principles and profit. SII is the largest manufacturer of vaccines in the world and Adar Poonawalla, the CEO and son of the founder has to decide how to temper his responsibility to meet the world's need for an affordable, efficacious and safe COVID-19 vaccine with his need to maintain profitability.
Jeffrey Deitch is an influential gallery owner and art entrepreneur. An HBS alumnus generally credited with developing the field of bank art advisory and financing services, Deitch has had a storied career in both the commercial and non-profit art world. Wrestling with industry consolidation and rapidly changing consumer tastes, Deitch must decide on his next entrepreneurial venture in the arts.
The SF Ballet was regarded as one of the top ballet companies in the world. It had an enviable earned revenue percentage of almost 50% and had an internationally recognized ballet school. However, by 2019 the Ballet faced a number of challenges. Ballet was a European art form that had gained popularity in the U.S. a century ago, but the demographics of the U.S. no longer reflected those European roots. In San Francisco, the Ballet had been a favorite pastime of the older, monied set, but the city's demographics had changed over the last few decades as young Millennials had flocked to San Francisco to join the burgeoning tech industry. The Ballet struggled to attract younger audiences and found itself competing with digital alternatives for how people spent their leisure time. Moreover, to make changes in programming, accessibility, and the Opera House venue to appeal to younger audiences, the Ballet risked alienating its loyal, older donors, who were the lifeblood of the Ballet's revenue model. Kelly Tweeddale, the newly hired Executive Director, had to consider the interests of various stakeholders--dancers, donors, audience, staff, board, and the local community--which often were at odds with one another. With limited resources, the Ballet needed to choose which changes to tackle first and those decisions were tied to how the organization prioritized its various constituents.
The case revolves around the actions that Barbara Novick, co-founder and Vice-Chair of Blackrock, and Michelle Edkins, Global Head of Investment Stewardship, would need to take in response to the controversial CEO letters from Laurence (Larry) Fink, Chairman and CEO of BlackRock. Fink's letters focused on the importance of corporate purpose and investing considering environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. The case also discusses Blackrock's plans for a new model of shareholder engagement to help drive the changes proposed in the letters. The case presents the opportunity to discuss the governance role played by major institutional investors as well as how the responsibilities and actions of one large investor, BlackRock, should evolve in this role going forward. It is not clear whether BlackRock should play such a role and, if so, whether they have the ability to enforce corporate compliance and to carry out this role given they are primarily an index investor. The case is likely to generate spirited debate about the merits of BlackRock's pronouncements and the importance of corporate investments in ESG themes and allow for discussions on measurement and disclosure strategies that can judge progress on these dimensions.
Once a royal residence and today one of the most photographed Parisian landmarks, the Louvre, home of iconic masterpieces, was the world's largest and most visited museum in 2017. Its President Director Jean-Luc Martinez had since 2013 spearheaded its development and launched large-scale renovation projects with the sole objective to better welcome all visitors, be they French or international, art connoisseurs or tourists, of all ages and backgrounds. With the visitor numbers at the state-owned museum trending upwards in 2018, Martinez had to decide on his priorities for his second mandate. He wanted to further improve the visitor experience but also had to balance the Louvre's public service mission of cultural education, which was increasingly hard to fulfill given the variety of visitors whose expectations had become more diversified. Which audiences, if any, should he put at the center of his attention and how could he best serve them to ensure the future success of his iconic museum?
Silkroad -- a cross-cultural music collaboration that world-famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma had spearheaded since 1998, was preparing to celebrate its twentieth anniversary. In parallel, Ma was stepping back from his role as the organization's Artistic Director. Silkroad had come of age, gaining international recognition for its uniquely global music, which blended musical traditions from across the world -- especially Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and America. The Ensemble had also forged strong partnerships with universities, local governments, and civic groups, and developed an array of outreach programs to help people understand and express themselves through music. Ma was confident that there could be no better time to hand over leadership. But the transition was bittersweet: He felt a deep personal connection both to the Ensemble as a whole and to every one of its performers and staff members. And he wondered how reducing his involvement would affect the organization's sustainability.
This case follows the conception and emergence of the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF). In an already crowded and highly competitive industry, Abdulhamid Juma was attempting to define and establish a unique brand positioning for DIFF. Committed to its vision, Juma led the introduction of various initiatives over the years and was able to effectively grow the festival's profile amid emerging regional and well-established global players like the Cannes, Sundance and Toronto film festivals. By the end of 2016, Juma found himself at a crossroads. Could he continue to follow the historical strategy or was it time to consider a change in order to take it the next level? What would be the best strategy for ensuring DIFF's survival for many years to come?
Tequila Patrón was one of the most successful tequila marketers in the United States. Patrón needed to grow and in Mexico, the second largest market for tequila, the brand was perceived as American. What portfolio and branding strategy would best serve Patrón to conquer the Mexican market? Furthermore, what would expanding in Mexico imply for the company's marketing operations?
Technos was the market leader in the Brazilian watch market. Its CEO had made a firm commitment of evolving the company's marketing and commercial practices by focusing less on pushing product to retail clients and more on branding to end consumers to pull watches from retailers. In 2016, the company was about to re-launch its master brand's website. But the more time passed, the greater were the discrepancies between what the marketing, commercial (sales) and retail divisions of the company envisioned as an ideal ecommerce-enabled Technos website. What should be the fundamental role(s) of our master brand's website?
This case tracks Jerome Chouchan's strategies and execution for a successful turn around of Godiva Japan's operations which was experiencing a decline in sales when he became the managing director of the company in 2010. Through various initiatives and innovations, Godiva Japan had targeted a variety of demographic segments in different sales points, acquired new customers and created a moment of luxurious consumption for all ages. Accordingly, within Godiva's global enterprise, Godiva Japan had become number two in terms of worldwide sales and number one in terms of profits. It exported made-in Japan products and concepts to Godiva's other markets. How could Chouchan keep the momentum and sustain Godiva Japan's top-line and bottom-line growth going forward? Would he be able to keep the balance between aspirational and accessible? How much of the success in Japan might contribute to the growth of Godiva's global sales?
The Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra (LA Phil), under the leadership of Deborah Borda, had enjoyed great successes in the 2000s and 2010s, even as other U.S. orchestras faltered. The architecturally acclaimed Walt Disney Concert Hall had opened its doors. The institution's finances looked healthy after years of operating losses. A celebrity music director, Gustavo Dudamel, had joined the team. The LA Phil had launched its Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (YOLA), a classical-music outreach program. Yet the LA Phil still faced real challenges, as all U.S. orchestras did--an aging subscriber base, concern around appeal to younger audiences, and development of a pipeline of donors for the future. How could Borda continue to position the orchestra for success?
Singapore Airlines had long been considered the gold standard for its innovative customer service. However, the company was faced with new sources of competition, from the rapid growth of Southeast Asian low-cost carriers on the one hand, to the expansion of premium Gulf carriers on the other. The company therefore decided to launch a low-cost airline of its own called Scoot, the fourth brand in its portfolio. Now CEO Goh Choon Phong must consider how to grow all four airlines without cannibalizing its own market share or diluting the sterling brand of the parent airline.
Women of Worth (WOW) is an organization that seeks to empower women through training and workshops. The organization has also fought against discrimination based on the color of a person's skin through its "Dark is Beautiful" campaign-endorsed by well-known actor-director Nandita Das. However, despite the recent guidelines on advertising of skin-lightening products, many Indians still aspire to have fair skin. The sale of fairness creams continues to contribute to over 50% of the facial care market. Given this, what should WOW do to fight skin-color based discrimination?
This case concerns Yildiz Holding's acquisition of Godiva Chocolatier from its previous owner, Campbell Soup, and its strategy in preserving Godiva's "made in Belgium" brand position. Provenance Paradox, a problem faced by companies in emerging countries trying to establish their brands in developed markets, had not become a problem for Yildiz Holding. After patiently waiting five years and seeing the company not performing as desired, Murat Ãœlker, the chairman of Yildiz, decides to change the management structure and encourage rethinking brand positioning, channels, and communications in the U.S. market. How was the Godiva brand affected by the execution problems of previous management? Why did Godiva succeed in international markets while it declined in the U.S.? What were the implications of the change in marketing strategy to Godiva's brand image?