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• Case | HBS Case Collection | September 2016 (Revised April 2020)

  Dwyane Wade

  Anita Elberse and Jennifer Schoppe

  In July 2016, while on his annual China tour to help promote the sportswear brand Li-Ning, basketball superstar Dwyane Wade and his long-time business manager, Lisa Joseph-Metelus, face a decision regarding one of his other business partnerships—that with the American company Stance, known for its colorful socks. Involved with the young company since 2013, Wade quickly established himself as Stance’s most successful brand ambassador. But recently, several younger players had also come on board as endorsers, and Stance had entered into an overall sponsorship deal with the NBA. With his Stance deal coming up for renewal in October 2016, what kind of deal should Wade and Joseph-Metelus propose to Stance? And how would a newly structured partnership fit into Wade’s overall business portfolio—including his plans for after his active basketball career?

  Keywords: branding; fashion; superstar; celebrity endorsement; innovation; Creative Industries; Talent; general management; Sports; Entertainment; Brands and Branding; Marketing; Management; Strategy; Personal Development and Career; Consumer Products Industry; Fashion Industry; Sports Industry; China;

  Citation:

  Elberse, Anita, and Jennifer Schoppe. "Dwyane Wade." Harvard Business School Case 517-035, September 2016. (Revised April 2020.)  View Details

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | May 2018 (Revised February 2020)

  Jason Blum's Blumhouse Productions

  Anita Elberse

  In March 2017, Jason Blum, the founder and chief executive officer of film and television production company Blumhouse Productions, has another blockbuster on his hands with the movie Get Out, produced for just $4.5 million. Remarkable returns for its micro-budget films were nothing new for Blumhouse. In fact, in recent years, Blum and his team were responsible for more such outsized successes than any other producer, especially in the horror genre. The company’s approach to moviemaking is quite different from that of the major studios: it is not afraid to bet on projects that other studios have passed on, it pays its key cast and crew members the minimum salary stipulated by industry unions and only pays out sizeable bonuses if a movie’s box-office reaches certain levels, it gives its directors a great deal of creative control, and it decides on a film’s release strategy only once the first cut is ready. Has Blum discovered a robust formula for success in the film business? And is his approach sustainable, even as other players in Hollywood might seek to copy Blumhouse’s strategy?

  Keywords: entertainment; media; film; movies; Creative Industries; product-portfolio management; entrepreneurship; innovation; Talent; general management; strategy; marketing; blockbusters; Film Entertainment; Innovation and Management; Talent and Talent Management; Competitive Strategy; Management Style; Marketing Strategy; Motion Pictures and Video Industry;

  Citation:

  Elberse, Anita. "Jason Blum's Blumhouse Productions." Harvard Business School Case 518-103, May 2018. (Revised February 2020.)  View Details

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | October 2019 (Revised February 2020)

  Relevent and LaLiga: Bringing Spanish Soccer to America

  Anita Elberse and David Moreno Vicente

  “Barcelona backs out of proposed LaLiga match in Miami.” It is December 2018, and Daniel Sillman, chief executive officer of sports and entertainment company Relevent, is tasked with finding a way forward after a significant setback. Relevent had found success by convincing some of Europe’s highest-profile soccer clubs to play pre-season matches in North America as part of its annual International Champions Cup (ICC), held during the summer months. Building on that success, Relevent is now seeking to bring at least one official LaLiga match to the U.S. each season—an effort that is a key pillar of Relevent’s new, 15-year partnership with the Spanish soccer league, aimed at promoting the LaLiga brand in North America. However, the match that Relevent had selected to take place in Miami in January 2019, between FC Barcelona and Girona FC, had become a source of tension, drawing protests from the Spanish football federation, the Spanish players’ association, and the president of worldwide governing body FIFA. Today, FC Barcelona’s leadership team had announced the club would withdraw. Would Relevent find success in bringing a LaLiga match to the United States? And, more generally, did Relevent have the right approach to growing the LaLiga brand in North America?

  Keywords: soccer; football; superstars; Talent; talent development; general management; Marketing; Entertainment; Sports; Media; Talent and Talent Management; Globalization; Strategy; Sports Industry;

  Citation:

  Elberse, Anita, and David Moreno Vicente. "Relevent and LaLiga: Bringing Spanish Soccer to America." Harvard Business School Case 520-021, October 2019. (Revised February 2020.)  View Details

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