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• Case | HBS Case Collection | May 2020 (Revised September 2020)

  Soofa: Displaying the Right Path?

  Jeffrey J. Bussgang, Amy Klopfenstein and Amram Migdal

  In November 2019, Sandra Richter, co-founder and CEO of Soofa, a network of advertising-supported digital bulletin boards, must decide between two different fundraising and expansion plans for her company. One plan entails raising $15 million in a Series A round and pursuing an aggressive expansion strategy, while the other represents a more modest $3 million raise to bring the company to operating profitability. Richter had developed the $15 million plan with an executive introduced to her by her venture capital board members with extensive fundraising and startup experience; however, after months of pitching to investors, the aggressive expansion plan had failed to produce a term sheet. Richter must decide whether the rapid expansion is the right course of action for the company as she begins to question whether her business could realistically meet the plan’s projections even if she could secure the financing to fund it. Meanwhile, Soofa’s capital was rapidly dwindling. Richter must raise another round of capital by early 2020, or will be forced to lay off the majority of her staff and close her operations. Should she continue pursuing the aggressive expansion plan, pivot to the more modest plan based on operating profitability, or attempt to pursue both plans simultaneously? And how should she navigate the growing tension on her board given the company’s struggles?

  Keywords: Business Ventures; Business Model; Business Plan; Business Startups; Entrepreneurship; Decision Making; Decisions; Ethics; Geography; Geopolitical Units; Finance; Investment; Markets; Market Entry and Exit; Demand and Consumers; Network Effects; Media; Society; Urban Development; Sustainable Cities; Technology; Hardware; Technology Platform; Strategy; Business Strategy; Expansion; Relationships; Partners and Partnerships; Capital; Venture Capital; Advertising Industry; Technology Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry; North and Central America; United States; Massachusetts; Cambridge;

  Citation:

  Bussgang, Jeffrey J., Amy Klopfenstein, and Amram Migdal. "Soofa: Displaying the Right Path?" Harvard Business School Case 820-098, May 2020. (Revised September 2020.)  View Details

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• Supplement | HBS Case Collection | August 2020

  Facelift at Olay (B)

  Sunil Gupta, Rajiv Lal and Olivia Hull

  This supplement to Facelift at Olay (A) explains the major steps Procter & Gamble’s skincare brand Olay took to reverse several years of declining sales.

  Keywords: Age; Brands and Branding; Marketing Channels; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry;

  Citation:

  Gupta, Sunil, Rajiv Lal, and Olivia Hull. "Facelift at Olay (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 521-002, August 2020.  View Details

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | August 2020

  Facelift at Olay (A)

  Sunil Gupta, Rajiv Lal and Olivia Hull

  By October 2017, Procter & Gamble’s skincare brand Olay has been struggling with declining sales for several years. The team has tried many remedies, but none has returned the brand to growth. As pressure grows from Olay’s competitors, including hundreds of new direct-to-consumer brands catering to millennial women, North American Skin Care General Manager Chris Heiert must identify a winning marketing strategy that will appeal to women of all ages.

  Keywords: Advertising; Advertising Campaigns; Demographics; Age; Brands and Branding; Marketing Channels; Competitive Advantage; Competitive Strategy; Online Advertising; Transformation; Marketing Strategy; Social Marketing; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; United States; Ohio;

  Citation:

  Gupta, Sunil, Rajiv Lal, and Olivia Hull. "Facelift at Olay (A)." Harvard Business School Case 521-011, August 2020.  View Details

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