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  • June 2016
  • Case
  • HBS Case Collection

Big Spaceship: The Evolving Agency

By: Boris Groysberg and Matthew G. Preble
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:26
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Abstract

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 multiple times over its history as new technological platforms and services emerged to change the way people communicated and received information, and as the broader advertising industry changed. New and more aggressive competitors were emerging, and the industry was quickly consolidating. Big Spaceship had adjusted its strategy, organizational structure, and human capital accordingly. The company’s founder and CEO, Michael Lebowitz, now wondered what he needed to do to keep his company competitive in the years to come. Had he found the right way to organize his people and structure the organization following the transition from project-based to relationship-based work, or were further changes necessary? How could he keep people engaged as the nature of the work evolved in some instances to become more predictable? What new systems and processes were needed to ensure a steady output of high quality work? Lebowitz was proud that the organization had retained a distinctly different feel from, and approach to work than, traditional advertising agencies, and Lebowitz and his colleagues wanted to maintain these intangible elements as the company evolved. But was this incompatible with his business goals?

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)

Citation

Groysberg, Boris, and Matthew G. Preble. "Big Spaceship: The Evolving Agency." Harvard Business School Case 416-003, June 2016.
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About The Author

Boris Groysberg

Organizational Behavior
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Related Work

    • May 2017
    • Faculty Research

    Big Spaceship: The Evolving Agency--Video Supplement

    By: Boris Groysberg and Matthew G. Preble
Related Work
  • Big Spaceship: The Evolving Agency--Video Supplement By: Boris Groysberg and Matthew G. Preble
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