Superstars and Underdogs: An Examination of the Long Tail Phenomenon in Video Sales

Anita  Elberse; Felix  Oberholzer-Gee

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Working Paper | HBS Working Paper Series | 2006

Superstars and Underdogs: An Examination of the Long Tail Phenomenon in Video Sales

by Anita Elberse and Felix Oberholzer-Gee

Language: English

Format: Print

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Citation:

Elberse, Anita, and Felix Oberholzer-Gee. "Superstars and Underdogs: An Examination of the Long Tail Phenomenon in Video Sales." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 07-015, September 2006. (Featured in HBS Working Knowledge.)

About the Authors

Anita Elberse

Lincoln Filene Professor of Business Administration

Marketing

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Felix Oberholzer-Gee

Andreas Andresen Professor of Business Administration
Senior Associate Dean, Chair, MBA Program

Strategy

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Case | HBS Case Collection | September 2017 (Revised November 2017)

The ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament

Anita Elberse and Saskia Van Rheenen

Should the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament gamble most of its player budget on superstar player Rafael Nadal, even after the event’s previous two editions saw Nadal and Roger Federer pull out at the last moment due to injury, leaving the tournament without any top-five players? That is the question that Richard Krajicek, former Wimbledon champion and current tournament director, is debating with Jolanda Jansen, the director of the venue that hosts the event. It is June 2017, and earlier in the day, Nadal won the French Open (“Roland Garros”) for a record tenth time. Krajicek’s plan for the upcoming edition was to focus his recruiting efforts on five exciting, mostly younger, players, and assemble a group of top-20 players around them—but after Nadal’s record-breaking performance, Krajicek is now considering pursuing the Spanish superstar for the 2018 tournament after all. What is the best course of action?

Keywords: marketing; entertainment; media; Sports; superstar; Talent; strategy; negotiation; general management; Marketing; Sports; Media; Entertainment; Talent and Talent Management; Negotiation; Strategy; Sports Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry;

Citation:
Elberse, Anita, and Saskia Van Rheenen. "The ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament." Harvard Business School Case 518-041, September 2017. (Revised November 2017.) View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | October 2017

LeBron James: Building a Hollywood Empire

Anita Elberse

It is June 2016. Superstar basketball player LeBron James and his childhood friend and business partner Maverick Carter are celebrating James’ third NBA championship. The duo will soon have to decide on a strategy for their media businesses—their film and television production company SpringHill Entertainment as well as their digital sports platform Uninterrupted. In 2015, Carter and James negotiated a first-of-its-kind, three-year agreement with Hollywood studio Warner Bros. Entertainment that gave SpringHill Entertainment a first-look movie deal, an exclusive television deal, significant development resources that also could be used for the creation of digital content, and space on the studio lot. Later that year, Warner Bros. signed on as a lead investor in Uninterrupted. Were Carter and James right to partner with Warner Bros. in this manner? And with renewal negotiations just around the corner, how could they make the most of the opportunity?

Keywords: entertainment; marketing; film; motion picutres; digital strategy; superstar; innovation; Creative Industries; Talent; Sports; media; general management; celebrities; Marketing; Entertainment; Sports; Media; Film Entertainment; Innovation Strategy; Talent and Talent Management; Strategy; Sports Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Motion Pictures and Video Industry;

Citation:
Elberse, Anita. "LeBron James: Building a Hollywood Empire." Harvard Business School Case 518-042, October 2017. View Details

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Other Unpublished Work | 2017

Better, Simpler Strategy

Frances X. Frei and Felix Oberholzer-Gee

Strategy, at its core, describes how a company attains superior performance. In industry after industry, there is a wide range in company performance resulting from the various strategies adopted by individual firms. Underneath all of this variation, however, are principles that are straightforward and consistent across industries. This pamphlet outlines these principles to help you set and evolve your company’s strategy. Here we offer a simple and succinct way to think about the sources of competitive advantage. We hope that our way of thinking about why some companies do far better than others is both illuminating and inspiring.

Keywords: Strategy; Competitive Advantage;

Citation:
Frei, Frances X., and Felix Oberholzer-Gee. "Better, Simpler Strategy." Baker Library, Boston, September 2017. View Details

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Superstars and Underdogs: An Examination of the Long Tail Phenomenon in Video Sales

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About the Authors

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