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• Case | HBS Case Collection | January 2019

  World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.

  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 fans around the globe. In January 2018, buoyed by the $800-million-dollar company’s strong prospects for further growth, WWE’s chief brand officer Stephanie McMahon and her husband, Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque, a WWE wrestler who also serves as the company’s executive vice president of talent, live events, and creative, are discussing whether to add Ronda Rousey, who has made a name for herself as a judoka at the Olympics and as a mixed martial artist in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), to WWE’s roster. Should WWE try to sign Rousey, and, if so, what kind of offer makes the most sense? And is WWE well positioned for further success in the world of entertainment?

  Keywords: superstars; Talent; talent development; labor economics; general management; Entertainment; Sports; Media; Talent and Talent Management; Contracts; Marketing; Strategy;

  Citation:

  Elberse, Anita, and Melissa Rodman. "World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc." Harvard Business School Case 519-058, January 2019.  View Details

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | November 2018

  Nike: Changing the Sneakers Game

  Anita Elberse, Bryce Aiken and Howard Johnson

  “Our goal is to be the kind of start-up that would terrify Nike—if Nike didn’t already own us.” Ron Faris, general manager of S23NYC, a Manhattan-based digital studio owned by sports apparel giant Nike, is on the phone with Adam Sussman, Nike’s chief digital officer. It is June 1, 2018. Two years earlier, Sussman was behind Nike’s push to acquire Virgin Mega, a startup comprised of Faris and his small team, which has since morphed into a studio that plays a pivotal role in Nike’s digital strategy. With the studio’s mobile app, SNKRS (pronounced ‘sneakers’), specifically, Nike seeks to strengthen its connection with the most fanatical of its fans—the sneakerheads—and “bring back the fun and emotion of buying,” as Sussman put it. Is Nike on the right path with its digital strategy and, in particular, with how it seeks to change the sneakers game and compete with rivals such as Adidas and Puma? Does it make sense for the company to pursue the kinds of innovations featured in the SNKRS app? And what kind of campaigns and activations should it prioritize in the future?

  Keywords: digital strategy; Digital technology; Apparel; fashion; superstar; innovation; general management; Mobile Technology; Strategy; Marketing Strategy; Innovation and Invention; Management; Sports; Entertainment; Apparel and Accessories Industry;

  Citation:

  Elberse, Anita, Bryce Aiken, and Howard Johnson. "Nike: Changing the Sneakers Game." Harvard Business School Case 519-039, November 2018.  View Details

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | May 2018

  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.  View Details

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