Stephen A. Greyser is Richard P. Chapman Professor (Marketing/Communications) Emeritus, of the Harvard Business School, specializes in brand marketing, advertising, corporate communications, the business of sports, and nonprofit management. A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School, he has been active in research and teaching at HBS since 1958. He was also an editor at the Harvard Business Review and later its Editorial Board Secretary and Board Chairman. He is responsible for 16 books, numerous journal articles, several special editions of journals, and over 300 published HBS case studies. Recent publications are Revealing the Corporation with John Balmer (on identity, reputation, corporate branding, etc.) and co-authored articles on “Monarchies as Corporate Brands,” Heritage Brands (a concept he co-created), “Aligning Identity and Strategy” (CMR lead article 2009), a 2011 Journal of Business Ethics article on ethical corporate marketing and BP, “Building and Maintaining Reputation Through Communications”, and a book chapter on “Corporate Communication and the Corporate Persona” (2013). He wrote the award-winning “Corporate Brand Reputation and Brand Crisis Management” in his co-edited “Corporate Marketing and Identity,” a special 2009 issue of Management Decision. He is co-author of a book on arts administration and editor of one on cultural policy. At HBS, he developed the Corporate Communications elective, creating over 40 cases and articles on issues management, corporate sponsorship, relations among business-media-publics, etc. His current research (co-authored) and most recent (2015) article is on the branding and identity of The Nobel Prize.
He created and teaches Harvard’s Business of Sports course, is a member of the University’s Faculty Standing Committee on Athletics, has served on the Selection Committee for the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame, is on the board of The Sports Museum, and has authored numerous Business of Sports cases and articles. The latter include “Winners and Losers in the Olympics” (2006) and several on sponsorship, most recently (2012) on Sponsorship-Linked Internal Marketing (co-author), and an HBS case on Bank of America’s Sports Sponsorship. He also published HBS faculty commentaries on the Sochi Olympics. Two HBS working papers (2013) examined NBC and the 2012 London Olympics and how MLB clubs have commercialized their Japanese top stars. He has organized seminars on Fifty Years of Change in Intercollegiate Athletics, the Business of the Olympics, Sports in China, and “Fenway Park Comes to HBS,” on the business of Fenway Park for its 2012 Centennial. His comments on the meaning of the Olympics for China were seen by tens of millions in China on CCTV after the 2008 Opening Ceremonies. At Doha GOALS 2012 he moderated a private conference session of global sports leaders (including Lord Coe) on improving the Olympics. He has recently written an analysis of “Nation-Branding via Big Sports.” He received the American Marketing Association’s 2010 Sports Marketing lifetime achievement award for “distinguished career contributions to the scientific understanding of sports business.”
He is past executive director of the Marketing Science Institute and the charter member of its Hall of Fame, and also an elected Fellow of the American Academy of Advertising for career contributions to the field. He received the Institute for Public Relations 2009 special award for “lifetime contributions to public relations education and research,” and Lipscomb University’s 2011 MediaMasters award for a “body of [communications] work that stands as a model and inspiration for the next generation.” He was recognized by IE University (Spain) for his pioneering work in corporate communication. He twice was a public member of the National Advertising Review Board for U.S. advertising self-regulation. He has served on numerous corporate and nonprofit boards. He is a trustee of the Arthur W. Page Society, and he was the first academic trustee of the Advertising Research Foundation and of the Advertising Educational Foundation. He is a past national vice chairman of PBS and an overseer at WGBH and at the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston), where he was the founding chair of its Trustees Marketing Committee. He served as Alumni Association president of Boston Latin School, America’s oldest school (1635), and conducted its 350th and 375th Founder’s Day ceremonies as magister eventuum; he received its 2005 Distinguished Graduate Award. He is an Honorary Fellow (2012) of Brunel University, where he has been a Visiting Professor and a member of its Business School’s Advisory Board.
Known as "the Cal Ripken of HBS," in over 45 years of teaching at Harvard he has never missed a class.
While most firms are adept at defining product brands, they’re less sure-footed with their corporate brands. What exactly does a parent company’s name represent, and how is it perceived in the marketplace?
A strong corporate identity provides direction and purpose, boosts the standing of products, aids in recruiting, and shores up a firm’s reputation. To help organizations define theirs, the authors have devised a tool called the corporate brand identity matrix. It guides teams through an examination of the nine components of corporate identity, which include mission, culture, relationships, and core values and promises. Often that exercise reveals broken links between the elements that executives need to align and strengthen.
This article describes how companies have used the matrix to clarify their relationships with daughter brands, retool their identities to support new businesses, revamp their overall image, evaluate targets for acquisition, and more.
This paper examines cultural sponsorship from a partnership perspective. It studies the collaboration between two international institutions, a bank and a museum, and their value co-creation with customers and audiences. This in-depth case study of a sponsorship collaboration between a global financial institution (UBS) and a multi-site museum (Guggenheim) evaluates critical aspects of resource integration between the partners with implications for the theory and practice of service innovation. For the bank, the partnership with a major art institution gives access to cultural, symbolic, and social resources that can add value to and differentiate its services. For the museum, the partnership supports its international expansion in terms of audiences and acquisitions of art from regions of the world previously underrepresented in its collection. The partnership also helps to expand the network of museum partners and potential donors. The study contributes to the understanding of co-marketing partnerships between commercial actors and arts organizations and explores critical elements of resource integration in terms of complementary resource mobilization and internal integration.
The purpose of this article is to explore corporate brand identity and reputation, with the aim of integrating them into a single managerial framework. The Nobel Prize serves as an in-depth field-based case study and is analysed using the Corporate Brand Identity and Reputation Matrix (CBIRM), introduced here for the first time. Eight key reputation elements adapted from the literature and enriched by the case study are incorporated within an existing corporate brand identity framework. Among the key findings are structural links outlining essential connections among elements of corporate brand identity and reputation. The new framework provides a structure for managing a corporate/organisational brand. It is a potential tool in the definition, alignment, and development of such brands. A limitation is that the communication dimension—the journey from identity to reputation and vice versa—is included but not explored in detail. The originality of the article is two-fold: first, developing a new integrated framework and second, refining and applying the framework to a distinctive research study of a specific organisational case, in this instance, the Nobel Prize. Specific quotes from extensive field interviews support the development of the new CBIRM and its broader managerial relevance and applicability.
Purpose—The purpose of this study is to understand the identity of the Nobel Prize as a corporate heritage brand and its management challenges. Design/methodology/approach—An in-depth case study analysed within a heritage brand model and a corporate brand identity framework. Findings—The Nobel Prize is a corporate heritage brand—one whose value proposition is based on heritage—in this case "achievements for the benefit of mankind" (derived directly from Alfred Nobel's will). It is also defined as a "networked brand," one where four independent collaborating organisations around the (Nobel) hub create and sustain the Nobel Prize's identity and reputation, acting as a "federated republic." Research limitations/implications—The new and combined application of the Heritage Quotient framework and the Corporate Brand Identity Matrix in the Heritage Brand Identity Process (HBIP) offers a structured approach to integrate the identity of a corporate heritage brand. In a networked situation, understanding the role of stewardship in collaborating organisations is essential: The network entities maintain their own
identities and goals, but share common values of the network hub. Practical implications—The integrated frameworks (HBIP) provides a platform for managing a corporate heritage brand. Originality/value—This is the first field-based study of the Nobel Prize from a strategic brand management perspective.
This chapter presents and interprets two field-based studies of sponsorship collaborations between major museums and significant financial institutions—a global multi-year partnership between the Guggenheim Foundation and UBS, and the pioneering regional integrated sponsorship program between the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Fleet Bank (subsequently part of Bank of America) for the “Monet in the 20th century” exhibition in 1998. The studies offer insights on the rationale (as well as non-objectives) and implementation of the sponsorships and explore critical elements of resource integration in terms of complementary resource mobilization and internal integration.
CHAPTER SUMMARY: Successful relationships depend on trust—trust between spouses, trust between parent and child, trust between enterprises and their stakeholders. This chapter focuses on the factors that build trust in organizations, as well as the forces that can diminish or destroy it and the role of enterprise communication in managing these forces. The chapter includes a discussion of the most relevant findings from the annual Edelman Trust Barometer, a bellwether of measuring trust and relationships between a company and its stakeholders. This is explored in detail through a case where General Motors dealt with a serious recall crisis translated these concepts into the reality of managing a global enterprise in a trustworthy manner.
BOOK ABSTRACT: The role of the chief communication officer (CCO) in today's enterprise has dramatically changed over the past 30 years. Once focused on getting news out to media outlets, today's CCO has become an integral part of any enterprise-company, corporation, governmental, and nongovernmental entity. Today's CCO is responsible for internal and external communication; with creating and implementing communication strategies that help mold enterprise mission, vision, value, and character; and with building enterprise reputation through stakeholder engagement. As a part of the "C-Suite," the CCO must understand not only the psychology and sociology of the business, but also the role that she has in informing the C-Suite and the CEO what internal and external stakeholders are thinking and how this may affect corporate image in terms of credibility, confidence, trust, relationship, and reputation. In short, the new CCO must understand both the science and the art of communication and apply that knowledge to advancing her enterprise's goals and objectives through a faster and ever-larger-reaching set of media.
Greyser, S. A. "Janus and Marketing: The Past, Present, and Prospective Future of Marketing." In Reflections on the Futures of Marketing: Practice and Education, edited by D. R. Lehmann and K. E. Jocz. Cambridge, MA: Marketing Science Institute, 1997.
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Greyser, S. A. "Cases, Publication, and Career Development." In Enhancing Knowledge Development in Marketing: Perspectives and Viewpoints, edited by P. R. Varadarajan and A. Menon. Chicago: American Marketing Association, 1993.
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Greyser, S. A. "Marketing Practice: Source of Problems and Insights for Advancing Marketing Knowledge." In Enhancing Knowledge Development in Marketing: Perspectives and Viewpoints, edited by P. R. Varadarajan and A. Menon. Chicago: American Marketing Association, 1993.
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Reece, B. B., and S. A. Greyser. "Executives' Attitudes toward Advertising Regulation: A Survey." In Marketing and Advertising Regulation: The Federal Trade Commission in the 1990s, edited by P. Murphy and W. L. Wilkie. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame, 1990.
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In recent years, the total spending on hosting the Olympic Games has snowballed. The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games spent $40 billion on infrastructure development, and the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics reached $50 billion. Even when the glorious but costly Olympic Games come to an end, significant maintenance and operating costs for publicly owned large Olympic venues, which were constructed or renovated for the Games, continue to burden host cities and states for a long time afterward. Unless Olympic venues are used effectively after the Games, and can earn enough revenue to cover large ongoing costs, their owners—local governments and taxpayers—must pay off the deficits. Summer Olympics stadiums, normally built to seat over 70,000 people, are particularly at risk of becoming white elephants. This fieldwork based research and analysis revealed eight key factors to prevent Olympic sites from becoming white elephants from the viewpoints of venue sustainability and Olympic legacy: removal of specific equipment like a track after the Olympic Games; reducing capacity after the Olympic Games; continuous selective meaningful reinvestment after the Olympic Games; access to mass transit; the existence of no nearby competing venues with a large capacity; no financial burden of past debt or its accompanying psychological burden; the positive legacy from a venue's unique design and its global recognition; and an Olympics’ legacy from successful redevelopment of the surrounding area. Further, we have created a chart that we think can be used to evaluate the risk level of Olympic sites becoming white elephants soon after their Games end.
Organizations in the field of sports are becoming increasingly dependent on sponsors for their value creation and growth. Studies suggest that sports organizations (rights-holders) often fail to exploit the full potential of such sponsorship partnerships. The aim of the case study reported here is to explore key dimensions of value creation in sponsorship relationships from the perspective of a sports organization. The case study was constructed on the basis of interviews with an organization in the administrative structure of European football, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and its major international sports event, the European Championships (EURO). Interviews were also conducted with two of its sponsors and five independent experts. The interviews were conducted beginning in 2003, over the four EURO project life cycles starting in 2000, with a primary focus on the tournaments taking place in 2016. We explore different types of sponsorship relationships based on their direct and indirect value creation function for the sports organization and propose key capabilities that are required for the sports organization to successfully integrate, coordinate, and combine resources with its major sponsors. Key capabilities that are explored in this context are collaborative, absorptive, adaptive, and learning capabilities. The ability of sport organizations to share and absorb knowledge from their partners and to integrate this knowledge into their planning and management processes was critical. The study shows how knowledge-sharing routines supported resource integration between sponsorship partners. There are few in-depth case studies on sponsorship management from the perspective of sports entities.
Purpose: This paper examines cultural sponsorship from a partnership and relationship marketing perspective. It studies a case of how a partnership between two international institutions, a bank and a museum, adds value to both in terms of interaction with customers and breadth of audiences. The paper further points to key aspects of resource integration in a co-marketing partnership.
Design / methodology: The data were generated through an in-depth case study of a sponsorship collaboration between a major global financial institution (UBS) and a multi-site major museum (Guggenheim). The primary sources of data were interviews with key representatives over a 12-month period and direct observations.
Findings: The study explores the role of the sponsorship for both partners. For the bank, the partnership with a major art institution gives access to cultural, symbolic, and social resources, which can add value to and differentiate wealth management services. From the perspective of the bank, the partnership serves to strengthen relationships with key clients by establishing cultural bonds and demonstrating shared values. It also serves to stimulate interaction among clients with a shared interest in arts, and creates opportunities for communication in informal settings. From the perspective of the museum, the partnership supports its international expansion in terms of audiences and acquisitions of art from regions of the world previously underrepresented in its collection. The partnership also helps to expand the network of museum partners and potential donors. A critical element is resource integration between the sponsorship partners. We identify and discuss key determinants of successful resource integration in terms of complementary resource mobilization and internal integration. The paper employs a relationship marketing and service management approach for evaluating corporate sponsorship arrangements.
Originality and value: The study makes a contribution to the sponsorship literature by evaluating how a cultural engagement can be linked to a relationship marketing strategy. It also presents insights from service marketing for the wealth management sector. It further contributes to the understanding of co-marketing partnerships between commercial organizations and non-profit arts organizations.
Purpose — Understanding the Nobel Prize as a 'true' heritage brand in a networked situation and its management challenges, especially regarding identity and reputation.
Methodology — The Nobel Prize serves as an in-depth case study and is analysed within an extended corporate brand identity framework that incorporates reputation.
Findings — The Nobel Prize is a 'true' corporate heritage brand (in this case, organizational brand). It is the 'hub' of a linked network of brands—"a federated republic". The brand core of the Nobel Prize is its set of core values supporting and leading to its promise; "for the benefit of mankind". The core constitutes a hub around which the essential award-granting institutions, as well as the Nobel Foundation and other related entities and stakeholders gravitate. The laureates represent the Nobel Prize track record. The Will of Alfred Nobel, described as "The Nobel Prize federation's constitution" is interpreted by us as indicating a brand-oriented approach within a network of interrelated institutions and organisations.
Research implications — The concept of 'brand-oriented networks' is introduced. An individual organisation's approach to its marketplace, brand-resources and strategy may to varying degrees be brand-oriented. This study suggests that brand-orientation also applies to a network of brands. Separately, the extended version of the "corporate brand identity matrix" provides a corporate brand framework for identity and reputation management, including networked brands.
Practical implications — The new extended framework and the definition of a brand network with a 'hub' provide logic for managing the network. Essential managerial questions on how to leverage brand heritage or not are placed in perspective. Identifying and understanding one's brand heritage and the importance of brand stewardship are reinforced.
Suggestions for further research — The investigation of brand networks (market-oriented and/or brand oriented) and the application of the new "Corporate Brand Identity and Reputation Matrix".
Originality / Value — The first case study of the Nobel Prize from a strategic brand management perspective. The articulation and characterisation of it as a 'brand-oriented network'. The development and application of the new CBIRM.
Over the past two years, conference realignment has taken a front seat in the college sports landscape. Economic incentives were too attractive to overlook for some universities. College football programs across the country have a lot at stake, because for many, football is an integral component of the community's, as well as the university's, culture. With conference realignment already being discussed extensively in the college sports arena as well as in the media, what should these universities do? Passively waiting to see what happens to one's conference is risky, as it may be on the verge of collapse—taking your program with it. On the other hand, boldly applying to a different conference is not a safe bet either, as the future of other conferences may be uncertain. The conflicts between the economic incentives of the program and the emotional desires of sports fans, alumni, and athletes themselves are at the crossroads of these realignment decisions.
When a Major League Baseball club signs a Japanese star player, it obviously tries to commercialize its investment in the player. The initial focus is on home attendance (ticket sales) and television audiences, plus merchandise sales. These elements are similar to those considered for any high-performing players. However, for Japanese stars, there is also the potential to attract significant fandom from the local Japanese community. This represents an opportunity for truly incremental local revenue for the team. In addition, teams try to attract revenue from Japan—such as from corporate sponsors, advertising signage at the home field, and visiting Japanese fans traveling to the U.S. to see these stars perform. In addition to treating team efforts at growing local Japanese community support, this paper examines seven factors for success in attracting revenues from Japanese companies and fans: pitcher or position player, player's popularity, non-stop flights from Japan, distance from Japan, non-sport tourist attractions in a city, size of Japanese community in the city and player's and team's performance. The most important factor, however, is the player's talent and popularity in terms of performance in both Japan and the U.S. and his media exposure in Japan including endorsement contracts. In addition, if a MLB club signs a Japanese position star player and is based in a city which is endowed with a variety of non-baseball tourist attractions, this would have a further advantage for the team.
The field-based research reported here is derived largely from analysis of team experiences with five principal Japanese baseball stars—Hideo Nomo, Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui, Daisuke Matsuzaka, and Kosuke Fukudome.
The paper's "2013 Reflections" (pp. 15-17) includes analysis of Yu Darvish of the Texas Rangers.
"The 2010 Vancouver Winter Games lost $223 million, astonishing for a 17-day event. Next year's London Summer Games, which cost a record Olympic rights fee of $1.18 billion, are expected to lose at least as much..." wrote Richard Sandomir in The New York Times. "NBC Could Lose $100 Million On London Olympics; Ratings Not Expected To Beat Beijing" chimed in John Clarke with Forbes. Sandomir and Clarke were not alone in their damning prediction. Analysts and media put forth similar commentary following NBC's embarrassing loss in Vancouver. The media had prepared a grave for NBC as the 2012 London Olympics approached. Indeed, critics created #NBCFail to characterize their expectations.
Yet, as the Games wound down, it was NBC that was smiling. Their forecast had paid off. They found that not only were the Games profitable that year, they had achieved record viewership. How could they have gone from one extreme of failure to another extreme of success so quickly? The network began analyzing factors that helped—as well as decisions that had received much criticism—so that it could begin its planning of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia and 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Balmer, John M.T., Stephen A. Greyser, and Mats Urde. "Monarchies as Corporate Brands." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 05-002, August 2004.
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Teaching Note for HBS Brief Case No. 920-557. The case addresses analysis and decisions related to the entrepreneurial life of a distinctive energy beverage, including its niche market launch, early problems, reformulation, social media impact, market success, and public policy/ethics challenges—as well as the three co-founders' approaches to management and decision making. Ultimately, the partners must opt for "fight or flight." The extensive Teaching Note encompasses two alternative discussion plans, one focused on the ultimate decision (fight/flight/compromise), and the other following the case facts, analysis, and decisions over time. The elements of market entry, competition, product modifications, communications strategy, regulatory challenges, and management decision-making are all treated. Key topics and study questions assist instructors in course selection for the case and student assignments.
Greyser, Stephen A., and William Ellet. "Big Boom Beverages: Fight or Flight? (Brief Case)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 920-558, May 2020.
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Four college friends market a beverage that combines ingredients like those in a drink they consumed in college bars. It includes a caffeinated energy drink, malt liquor, and a soft drink flavoring. They launch the business, Big Boom Beverages (BBB), with their own money and funds from friends and family members. Their initial product sells reasonably well, but not enough to remain profitable. When they introduce a reformulated product, Totaled, its social media presence explodes. Young consumers upload many videos to YouTube that record the impacts of consuming large quantities of Totaled that earn millions of views. Totaled becomes a star brand on social media and sales skyrocket. The company is inundated with distribution requests. The founders see success looming. As sales of Totaled and similar products increase, so do reports of binge drinking and its negative consequences. Emergency room doctors and public health officials express concern about the combination of high levels of alcohol and caffeine in these products. Rapidly expanding distribution of the beverage through convenience stores gives underage drinkers easier access to the beverage. All these factors attract national media coverage. The founders are unprepared to deal with the bad reputation their product is gaining and regulatory and public-relations crisis they face. As the case ends, they are deciding how to respond. "Big Boom Beverages: Fight or Flight?" can be used with undergraduate and MBA courses in entrepreneurship, marketing, business ethics, corporate social responsibility, general management, and public health.
This Teaching Note addresses the classroom use of the case on the strategy of Germany’s premier football (soccer) league to “win the marketplace of U.S. sports broadcasters and consumers.” The note includes study questions and a teaching plan that also draws on numerous case exhibits that provide detailed information on revenues, broadcast markets, other international leagues, and the U.S. professional and college sports environment, as well as Bundesliga’s structure, brand vision, and value chain elements.
Greyser, Stephen A., Sascha L. Schmidt, and Florian Holzmayer. "The Bundesliga in the U.S." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 920-305, November 2019.
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A classroom guide to teaching the case, “The Swedish Academy #MeToo Scandal and the Reputation of the Nobel Prize” (HBS No. 5-919-410). A fictional case protagonist must present his evaluation to the Nobel Foundation of the scandal affecting one of the Nobel independent network members and its implications for the Foundation. Key issues include the reputational effects of the Swedish Academy scandal on the prestige of the Nobel Prize in Literature (awarded by the Academy) and on the Nobel Prize more broadly.
Greyser, Stephen A., and Mats Urde. "The Swedish Academy #MeToo Scandal and the Reputation of the Nobel Prize." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 919-410, December 2018.
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This case focuses on the potential for “reputational contagion” to the Nobel Prize from a scandal affecting one of its independent network member entities, the Swedish Academy. The latter is responsible for selecting the Nobel Prize in Literature, by appointment of Alfred Nobel.
The Swedish Academy consists of 18 members appointed for life. Its primary responsibility is to preserve the purity, vigor, and majesty of the Swedish language. In 2017-18, The Swedish Academy was involved in a #MeToo sexual misconduct scandal precipitated by the behavior of a major cultural figure, who was married to an Academy member. The member had allegedly leaked advance information about the laureates to her husband. The scandal remained in the public eye and drew media attention for months. It affected the Academy’s reputation, and led to an Academy decision not to make the 2018 award. The key issue is what, if anything, the Nobel Foundation should have done and should do during the course of the scandal, and why.
The Bundesliga, Germany’s premier football (soccer) league, is assessing its global broadcast and marketing strategy, with special focus on the very lucrative but highly competitive U.S. market. Its CEO Christian Seifert believed that a strong international position was vital to continued success in the global sports and entertainment market. Competition in the U.S. consists of other international leagues, especially the English Premier League (all of whose matches are on NBC platforms) as well as the major U.S. professional sports and college sports. Bundesliga’s CEO believed its globally known clubs (especially Bayern Munich), the success of German national teams in past World Cups, and the league’s capabilities as a diversified media company represented attractive elements for its prospective expanded U.S. broadcast presence. The case includes descriptions of the Bundesliga, its national and international broadcasting contracts, its development into an integrated full-service media company, the U.S. sports market and the presence of international football on U.S. TV, and the approaches of other leagues. The principal case focus is the strategy to “win the marketplace of U.S. sports broadcasters and consumers.” Numerous exhibits provide detailed information on revenues, broadcast markets, and the U.S. sports environment, as well as Bundesliga’s structure, brand vision, and value chain elements.
Teaching Note for HBS No. 919-403, “Philanthropy and Brand-Building: Jeff Vinik and the Tampa Bay Lightning.” Includes objectives, study questions, analysis and discussion points, and teaching plan—covering both traditional brand-building and the role of distinctive community philanthropy for the NHL Club.
Greyser, Stephen A., and Michael Mondello. "Philanthropy and Brand Building: Jeff Vinik and the Tampa Bay Lightning." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 919-404, September 2018. (Revised March 2019.)
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Owner Jeff Vinik and top management of the NHL Tampa Bay Lightning are reviewing their strategy and progress in achieving their goals of brand-building and community commitment. Strategic philanthropy is unusual in sport. Tampa Bay is historically a non-traditional hockey market. The case has substantial comparative team and league data.
Nobel Foundation leadership is addressing a range of issues related to its key role to safeguard the reputation of the Nobel Prizes. Included are outreach to global audiences, the variety of sources of communications about the Prizes, the advent of new high-value awards, and the effects on the Nobel brand of recent troubling events in partner organizations. The “essence of the brand” is a focus. Includes brand reputation survey information.
A comprehensive treatment of classroom use of the case on issues affecting the reputation of the Nobel Prize (9-919-401). These encompass a global outreach initiative, the variety of entities that speak for the Prizes, the impact of new high-value awards, and a troubling incident affecting the reputation of a partner organization. All impact on the Nobel Foundation’s key role to safeguard the reputation of the Prizes. The “essence of the brand” is a focus.
Greyser, Stephen A., and Mats Urde. "The Reputation of the 'World's Most Prestigious Award': The Nobel Prize." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 919-402, September 2018.
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Teaching note for case 916-535. This note addresses use of the case at different levels and in different courses, with considerable role play suggestions. Updated in September 2020, and now includes a supplemental section with specific experience-based guides for use in online classes.
Citation:
Greyser, Stephen A., and William Ellet. "DRW Technologies (Brief Case)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 916-536, October 2015.
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Ed Claiborne is a newly hired corporate vice president of procurement for DRW Technologies, a company that produces advanced military systems with 21 plants in the United States. Claiborne was hired from another company from within the industry, and the news of his arrival was announced in an email to corporate executives and plant managers and in the company newsletter. Before he has even met the procurement team, Claiborne is assigned his first task of cutting procurement costs and messaging the news to the company. Claiborne decides to send the message via email, and the message is met with unexpected results. This case is appropriate in courses in leadership, human resource management, organizational behavior, general management, and management communication. The short length and plain language make this case suitable for students who are new to the case method.
Well-known film producer Peter Guber must decide whether to commit to a time-consuming personal project. He is about to sign a contract for a business book in which he will share what he has learned in his long career. At the same time, he is keenly aware of problems and uncertainties affecting Mandalay Entertainment, a privately owned company in which he is principal. Mandalay produces movies and television content, owns minor league baseball teams, and is pushing into digital content. Mandalay is trying to reinvigorate its core movie and television businesses, maintain growth in the sports business, and be prepared for the opportunity to buy a major league professional sports franchise. Does Guber eliminate all personal projects and stay tightly focused on guiding his company? On the other hand, there may never be a good time to write a book. He also has to consider the potential impact of a book project on his personal brand and the Mandalay company brand.
Greyser, Stephen A., William Ellet, and Nelson Gayton. "Peter Guber: The 'Me' vs. 'We' Brand." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 915-402, August 2014.
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Well-known film producer Peter Guber must decide whether to commit to a time-consuming personal project. He is about to sign a contract for a business book in which he will share what he has learned in his long career. At the same time, he is keenly aware of problems and uncertainties affecting Mandalay Entertainment, a privately-owned company in which he is principal. Mandalay produces movies and television content, owns minor league baseball teams, and is pushing into digital content. Mandalay is trying to reinvigorate its core movie and television businesses, maintain growth in the sports business, and be prepared for the opportunity to buy a major league professional sports franchise. Does Guber eliminate all personal projects and stay tightly focused on guiding his company? On the other hand, there may never be a good time to write a book. He also has to consider the potential impact of a book project on his personal brand and the Mandalay company brand.
Greyser, Stephen A., and John L. Teopaco. "Bank of America Sports Sponsorship (TN)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 910-420, February 2010.
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A major sports sponsor must decide on new, renewal, or withdrawal from significant relations with teams/leagues/events, using a distinctive approach to assessment.
Major League Soccer (MLS) has entered the U.S. "big league" sports arena. This case reviews its first several years. Students must determine the basic business model of MLS in the context of changes in the fan acceptance of soccer in the United States. A comparison should be made with the experience of the North American Soccer League. Students must assess the progress made by MLS in each of its early seasons. Several new (1998) issues for MLS are included for further student discussion. The ultimate question is whether MLS can be successful long-term.
The National Hockey League (NHL) has negotiated a new television contract at record rights-fee levels for hockey. The NHL will be shifting its principal television partner from Fox to ESPN/ABC. Students are asked to analyze the current and future contracts in terms of revenue yield and visibility. The case also raises continuing questions about the roles of a sports league's television partner--especially in fan development.
The National Football League (NFL) is negotiating its next round of national television contracts with its broadcast and cable TV partners. The revenues from these contracts constitute a major source of income for the individual NFL teams. The case provides information on the history of the NFL on television, TV ratings for major sports, TV rights fees for major sports (including the recent new NBA TV contract), and the current contract with each broadcast partner. Ideas proposed to the NFL by rights-holders and rights-seekers are also included.
Chronicles the background of the founding of the WNBA, its basic business concept, some of the key research information used by the NBA in launching it, and other related information. Students must analyze the "basic business model" involved and compare it to that of the American Basketball League (another women's professional league). Students must consider whether both leagues ultimately can be successful, only one, or neither.
The marketing head of the Boston Red Sox is reviewing the team's "Friendly Fenway" fan satisfaction program. The program is described in the context of the team's on-the-field performance, the ballpark's character, and team marketing and fan-building in general. The revenue implications of increased customer satisfaction are also raised, within the framework of team economics.
Focuses on event management and sponsorship from the perspective of the event owner (rather than that of the sponsorship company). Describes in depth the search by one of the tennis tournaments on the professional circuit for a principal sponsor. Detailed economics of tournament management are included, as well as information on the linkage between tournament sponsorship and television. Students must decide among several specific interested companies as the best sponsor for the tournament. The event owner must also consider how, if at all, his tournament can be differentiated from the many others on the calendar.
Provides information on the demise of the American Basketball League (ABL) in December 1998. Reviews the League's attendance, television activity, and competitive positioning versus the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). In conjunction with earlier cases on the ABL and the WNBA, students are asked to assess the reasons why the league was not financially successful. A chronology of the ABL's history is included.
Chronicles the growth and development of women's professional basketball. Particular emphasis is on the impact of Title IX, the 1996 women's gold medal Olympic team, and the advent of the American Basketball League (ABL). The structure and "basic business model" of the ABL are described along with its various revenue sources. Encourages discussion of the conditions that favor women's professional sports in the late 1990s.
Focuses on the impacts for Olympic sponsor companies of the bribery allegations related to the Salt Lake City Olympic Committee's successful bid for the 2002 Winter Games. The spread of the scandal to the International Olympic Committee board members and the recent bids of other cities threaten the value of Olympic sponsorship to key companies involved.
A "slice of life" depiction of the range of issues and activities experienced by Frank Burke (HBS MBA 1987), the president of a minor league baseball team (the Chattanooga Lookouts). Raises questions of the applicability of MBA skills in this role and the "quotient of contentment" an HBS MBA can have in this situation. The similarities and differences of minor league versus major league operations are an important analytic component. Among the specific issues Burke confronts are finding additional revenue streams, considering ticket price increases, and the pros and cons of a new stadium.
The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and Fleet Financial Group's sponsored the Monet in the 20th Century exhibition, the world's largest, in 1998. The case chronicles the solicitation of a large corporate sponsor, as well as the growth and development of their partnership. Includes color exhibits.
Greyser, Stephen A., and David Crockett. "Museum of Fine Arts, Boston/Fleet Financial Group Sponsorship of Monet in the 20th Century, The TN." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 503-013, July 2002.
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When the XFL professional football league debuted on February 3, 2001, it generated a Nielsen rating of 10.1, higher than any nationally televised program in a Saturday evening time slot. The next week, ratings plummeted, and by week nine the XFL game earned the title as the lowest rated sports event in television history. Co-owners WWFE and NBC officially disbanded the XFL on May 10, 2001. What went wrong? How could two seasoned and respected figures in entertainment--WWFE's Vince McMahon and NBC's Dick Ebersol--have miscalculated so badly?
Major League Baseball (MLB) has experienced a very positive 1998 season and must assess its situation and consider new initiatives for 1999. The latter include building, a fan base, television coverage, etc.
Focuses on the decision of a young tennis player on what kind of agent to have as his representative. The choice is between someone in a large sports management/marketing firm and an independent agent representing a small number of individual athletes. Outlines the roles and duties of agents and sports management firms.
Examines sports sponsorship at John Hancock through 1998 and prospectively beyond. From its early sponsorship of the legendary Boston Marathon, the company had expanded its activities substantially. It was one of the worldwide "Top Sponsor" companies of the Olympics, a very significant expenditure. The company also sponsors the U.S. Tour of World Gymnastics Champions and Figure Skating Champions. Students must analyze the company's activities in the context of benefits to John Hancock and its constituencies. Considerable description is included of ways the company tries to "leverage" its sponsorships. The company's principles of sports sponsorships are included.
Explores the National Hockey League's participation in the 1998 Winter Olympics, for which a "winter break" was taken from the regular schedule. The benefits and risks associated with the NHL's Olympic participation are one specific focus. In addition, the case address fan development and league growth, including franchise expansion to the U.S. Sun Belt, the role of national television for the NHL, and the impact of Grassroots Programs.
An overview of the rapid growth of stadium development in professional sports in the 1990s. The range of special stadium revenue streams is described along with specific examples of stadiums for the Washington Redskins and Carolina Panthers.
In the wake of a major $20 billion market capitalization "merger of equals," two large consumer service firms must determine a new name for the new entity. Neither CUC nor HFS is well known among consumers. The CUC Services (e.g., shopping, travel, credit card insurance, etc.) and the HFS brands (e.g., Avis, Century 21, Ramada Inns) are well known. Among the key issues are the "publics" to which the new name is important, whether the name should link to either or both merging firms, and whether the new name should suggest the lines of business the firms operate (principally consumer services).
The Historical Society of Pennsylvania (HSP) runs one of the nation's most important research libraries and a museum focusing on colonial history. Financial analysis shows that the society has absorbed increased costs of operation over the past decade through slow but steady depletion of its endowment and deferment of capital investments. Now the board is faced with three options: 1) continue to operate both the research library and the museum on a dwindling resource base; 2) continue to operate the research library, but deaccess the museum, using proceeds to fortify the research library; and 3) continue to operate the research library, but turn over the artifact collection to a new Philadelphia-wide museum to be created in collaboration with three other organizations.
Seeking to dispose of an outmoded oil drilling platform in the North Sea, Shell finds itself confronted by Greenpeace and other environmentalists. The protesters land 12 people onto the rig and initiate media coverage of their "occupation." The case follows the events during the spring and summer of 1995, focusing on the United Kingdom and Continent countries. Students are confronted with the need to recommend communication approaches and actions at various stages of the developments.
Describes the approach of the German-based multinational company, Siemens Corp., to establishing an identity in the United States. The specific goals for the 1991-92 corporate advertising campaign are described. Examples of print and television messages are included, using the core theme "That was then--This is now." Target audiences are identified, and the program's media, budget, and methods of evaluating the campaign are also described. Acquaints students with the objective and detailed program specifics of corporate advertising campaigns. Examines how a non-U.S. based company seeks to build corporate awareness and identity in the U.S. despite very limited product exposure to consumers.
Describes the television advertising and presents examples of the comparable print ads, then documents new measurement tools and presents the results of key surveys that address audience awareness. Also includes other relevant activities to support Siemens USA's corporate identity. These include umbrella activities, such as a presence in Atlanta for the Summer Olympics, joint trade activities, work with colleagues in Munich to support major projects in China, and the introduction of a Web page.
Focuses on the communications in the period immediately following the March 24, 1989 Alaska oil spill caused by the Exxon Valdez. Includes the text of Exxon Chairman Rawl's "open letter" in an April 3 newspaper advertisment. Addresses the timing and content of corporate communications and actions following crisis.
Greyser, Stephen A., and Sarah Conner. "Intel's Pentium: When the Chips are Down (A) and (B) TN." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 595-089, March 1995.
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Intel, the largest-selling manufacturer of microprocessor computer chips, finds itself in a brand-threatening situation when a flaw is revealed in its top-of-the-line Pentium chip. The story is front-page news for weeks. The company invested tens of millions of dollars in advertising its branded Pentium chip as a high-quality component via the campaign slogan "Intel Inside." Issues include salience of the problem, when Intel knew of the problem, how it was revealed, and what actions should be undertaken. Teaching Purpose: Students analyze consequences of a company miscue that becomes a much bigger story than initially anticipated. Analogies may be made to other company crisis situations involving brands and communications.
Heskett, James L., Stephen A. Greyser, and Norman Klein. Benetton: The "United Colors" Communications Campaigns. Harvard Business School Case 595-032, September 1994.
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Greyser, Stephen A., and Robert F Young. "Cunard Line,Ltd.: Managing Integrated Marketing Communications TN." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 595-028, September 1994.
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Cunard, the world's oldest luxury line company, is confronted with several key issues involving its marketing and marketing communications strategy. One concerns the balance between image/positioning advertising and short-term-oriented promotional advertising/communications on behalf of each individual Cunard ship (i.e., "pull" vs. "push" communications). Related to this is the overall mix of marketing communications tools used by Cunard--media advertising, direct marketing, etc. Another issue is the emphasis in marketing communications between focus on the Cunard corporate identity and focus on the identity of the individual ships. The organizational setting is one of integrating marketing communications for the company and its products. Impacting consideration of the issues is a period of economic conditions adversely affecting sales, along with the effects of the U.S.-Iraq conflict on consumer leisure travel.
Provides details on the results of the campaign for British Airways (BA) in terms of expenditure by BA, press coverage, effect on bookings, and effect on overall market share.
Tracks changes in the luxury auto market during the 1980s and early 1990s. Shifts in target consumer behavior--particularly the yuppie lifestyle--serve as the basis for manufacturer modifications of product line, positioning, and advertising. The climax of the case is the 1991 overt effort by BMW to "de-yuppify" itself in the minds of the target market.
Greyser, Stephen A., and Nancy Langford. "Volvo and the Monster Mash." Harvard Business School Case 593-024, September 1992. (Revised September 1993.)
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Describes BASF's corporate advertising program in the United States. In 1992, BASF's U.S. companies extended an existing corporate advertising campaign to continue to build awareness of the German-based multinational's corporate identity. The core theme of the campaign is "We don't make the products you buy ... we make the products you buy better." The campaign appears only on television. The goals, target audiences, messages, media, budget, and approaches to evaluation are described. Acquaints students with the objectives and detailed program specifics of corporate advertising campaigns. Examines how a non-U.S. based company seeks to build corporate awareness and identity in the U.S. despite having only a single company-branded consumer product.
Describes Du Pont's 1992 corporate advertising campaign, and its objectives and key messages. The campaign is set in the context of Du Pont's historical corporate positioning ("better things for better living"). Includes target audiences, budget considerations, and the role of print and television advertising as well as events sponsorship. Also includes Du Pont's approach to evaluating its corporate advertising. Acquaints students with the objectives and detailed program specifics of corporate advertising campaigns, to examine the continuity of corporate image position of a major high-visibility diversified firm.
In October 1982, Johnson & Johnson was confronted with a major crisis when seven deaths were attributed to poisoned Tylenol. The case reviews the facts as known a week after the incident occurred, and raises a wide range of questions regarding consumer behavior, corporate responsibility, and competitive reaction.
A print media campaign to improve attitudes toward the Catholic priesthood and to indirectly increase vocations is evaluated through a comparison of pretest and post-test data.
Greyser, Stephen A., and John A. Quelch. "Archdiocese of New York." Harvard Business School Case 579-123, December 1978. (Revised March 1992.)
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In June 1991, Heileman announced plans to introduce a high-alcohol malt liquor under the name PowerMaster (PM). Although the company claimed PM would be positioned as an upscale product and marketed on the basis of its superior taste, minority advocates and alcohol foes quickly assailed the company for targeting lower-income, inner-city black consumers. In the wake of protests, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BATF), which had previously approved the PM product, initiated a review of PM and several other high-alcohol malt liquor products that BATF considered to be in violation of federal law prohibiting brewers from stating or even implying the alcohol content of their products. Shortly after, BATF requested that Heileman remove the word "power" from PM's label. Heileman cancelled plans to launch the product. The case encompasses both target marketing and ethical issues. Illustrates a problem faced by many American brewers: How can these companies increase beer sales in a slow-growing, increasingly saturated market, which is completely dominated by the Anheuser-Busch companies?
Senior marketing executives of a major international airline are deciding on a strategy to address a crisis situation precipitated by a series of terrorist acts. The company is experiencing the worst downturn ever in its U.S.-U.K. travel business due to media reports and resulting consumer perceptions that Europe is under a "reign of terror." Alternative strategies range from doing nothing to staging an ambitious sales promotion. Major issues include: the role of sales promotion in addressing consumer perceptions of a life-and-death issue (i.e., terrorism), and the implementation and integration of advertising, sales promotion, and public relations efforts within a compressed time frame.
On Thursday, November 7, 1991, Los Angeles Lakers star Earvin "Magic" Johnson announced his retirement from basketball in the wake of having tested positive for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Magic Johnson was one of the most popular figures in sports, both nationally and internationally. Among the many affected by Johnson's sudden retirement were his commercial sponsors, a group of companies comprising both sporting goods and other consumer products. The case looks at the situation through the lens of the sponsors. Should they retain their association with Johnson? If so, for how long and in what ways? Provides students with the opportunity to put themselves in the shoes of a marketing director, faced with the sudden reversal of fortune of one of the company's key endorsers. Allows for role playing from various perspectives: that of the MD of a sporting goods company compared to the MD of some other consumer product for example.
Audi marketing executives and their advertising agency colleagues must decide which of several advertising executions should be employed for the introductory campaign for the Audi 5000, their new car entry scheduled to replace the Audi 100LS in the United States in the fall of 1977. The positioning of the 5000 focused on engineering and design superiority. Two alternative executions based on this strategy were being considered. Background information is provided on Audi's German and U.S. marketing experiences, on competitive car positionings in the United States, and on the new campaigns.
Six months after the launch in the United States of Audi 5000, Audi marketing executives and their advertising agency must appraise the introductory advertising for the car. Three alternative campaigns to replace the current one are under consideration.
Greyser, Stephen A., and Norman Klein. Eastern Airlines: The ""Fight Back"" Campaign. Harvard Business School Case 591-044, November 1990.
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In the days following the loss of the space shuttle Challenger and its crew in January of 1986, NASA officials were unwilling to communicate with the media or the public. A siege mentality took hold, and the press and public responded with intense criticism and inquiry. The case describes NASA's harmonious relationship with the media before Challenger, and the many obstacles William Sheehan faced when he stepped in to attempt to restore NASA's image and relationship with the media after Challenger. The issues include the special problems faced by a public institution with a history of poor internal communication, and the compounded difficulties of attempting to create effective internal policy while also trying to restore credibility with the media and deal with investigative probes.
Describes the new policy of the National Archives of inviting corporate cosponsorship of historic exhibits and commemorations. In November 1989, Philip Morris Companies (PM) became the first cosponsor of the bicentennial commemoration of the Bill of Rights, and used the announcement of the cosponsorship as the foundation of a major corporate identity and image campaign in mass media. Also describes other current PM initiatives to sustain and improve its corporate image. Students are encouraged to think through the potential benefits and risks of PM's corporate campaigns, and then to examine the dimensions of this particular campaign.
Describes the reactions of public interest groups, members of the House of Representatives, and others. Further documents reactions to the choice of Philip Morris (PM) as a sponsor. Invites students to weigh the corporate pluses and minuses for PM, given these reactions.
When a laboratory discovered traces of the carcinogen benzene in bottles of Perrier, Group Perrier of America immediately announced a voluntary U.S. recall of all Perrier brand imported water. This case describes press coverage of the U.S. recall and the worldwide recall that followed. Also presents key statements by company officials (some presented in the form of advertisements) and various experts. Students are encouraged to explore the several kinds of issues that emerged as the company attempted to explain its problems and advocate the purity of its product. Concludes with the announcement of the relaunch of the brand with "nouvelle production."
A reporter from a regional newspaper examines several major news stories that address significant recent developments at Emery Air Freight. His concerns invite discussion of the implications of Emery's apparent "no comment" policy and other factors that can lead to negative press coverage of company news.
Greyser, Stephen A. National Pork Producers Council: ""Pork--The Other White Meat"" Campaign. Harvard Business School Case 589-055, October 1988.
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Greyser, Stephen A. Beef Industry Council: ""Beef--Real Food for Real People"" Campaign. Harvard Business School Case 589-059, October 1988.
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Senior corporate communications executives of a major financial services firm are reviewing the company's sports sponsorship program and are considering expanding it. Hancock already is the corporate sponsor of the Boston Marathon and has the opportunity to sponsor the Sun Bowl (football game). Major questions include the role and evaluation of sports sponsorship as part of Hancock's image enhancement initiatives.
