CASE STUDIES
As part of the Columbia CaseWorks initiative, the Center on Global Brand Leadership is developing new case studies bridging theory and practice with faculty from varied departments at Columbia Business School.
BRITE Case Studies:
With generous support from the Jerome A. Chazen Institute, and as part of the BRITE conference series, the Center is commissioning a series of case studies from Columbia Business School professors in the areas of branding, innovation, and technology. Cases already underway include:
Rajeev Kohli, Professor, Marketing
Indian Cricket League: Innovation in Cricket
This case concerns a series of innovations in 20/20 cricket, culminating in the formation of the Indian Cricket League last year. The objective of the case is to present facts leading up to the proposal of the Indian Cricket League in response to an unheralded Indian team winning the 20/20 world cup in 2007. To request copies for academic use contact: ColumbiaCaseWorks@gsb.columbia.edu
Bernd Schmitt, Robert D. Calkins Professor of International Business, Marketing
Examining the need to reposition an advertising agency.
This case features an examination of the changing world of the advertising business as exemplified by Japan's third largest ad agency, ADK, which is part of the WPP network. ADK's top management must consider how to positition the agency for the future given the rise of new media and social networks.
Rajeev Kohli, Professor, Marketing
The Scrap for Online Scrabble
Scrabulous, an online version of Scrabble was launched July 2006. It became a hit application on Facebook by August 2008, Scrabulous has 1,331,840 active, monthly users. This case requires students to (1) examine the differences in business models for online versus standard board games (and Web 2.0 applications in general); (2) assess the outcome and consequences of the legal actions by Mattel and Hasbro ; and (3) propose the appropriate branding and product development strategies for the Agarwallas, Mattel, Hasbro and Facebook.
Michel Tuan Pham, Kravis Professor of Business, Marketing
Adidas vs. Payless and the Three-Stripe Trademark
In 2001, adidas-America, Inc. and adidas-Salomon AG (hereafter, "adidas") filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court of Oregon against Payless Shoesource, Inc. (hereafter, "Payless"). One of the experts who testified on adidas' behalf was the case author, Michel Tuan Pham. This case will introduce students to the legal trademark aspects of brands, including concepts of trademark rights, trademark infringement, trademark confusion, brand dilution, etc.
Natalie Mizik, Gantcher Associate Professor of Business, Marketing
How to Value Branded Businesses
This research brief describes existing business valuation methodologies, explains why traditional valuation approaches perform poorly for highly branded businesses and in high technology and innovation focused industries, and presents a new method and a quantitative case study with step-by-step explanation of how to implement a better valuation for a branded business.
Ava Seave, Adjunct Associate Professor, Finance and Economics
Scripps' Acquisition - and Partial Integration - of Recipezaar.com
This case discusses how the grassroots, social network community site recipezaar.com, founded by entrepreneurs, has been partially integrated into the corporate Scripps company.
Additional Case Studies:
The Rise of Switzerland's Oldest Bank
To request copies for academic use contact: ColumbiaCaseWorks@gsb.columbia.edu
Founded in 1741, Wegelin & Co. is Switzerland's oldest bank and renowned today as a key player in the Swiss private banking market. In April 2009 Managing Partner Dr. Konrad Hummler reflected on Wegelin & Co.'s growth over the last 18 years and considered the opportunities and threats facing the bank in the midst of the financial crisis.
Yuhan-Kimberly: "Keep Korea Green"
To request copies for academic use contact: ColumbiaCaseWorks@gsb.columbia.edu
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, which at one time helped companies to differentiate themselves, are now expected practices, and distinguishing a company through "green initiatives" is a particularly high hurdle. A new case study, co-authored by our own Bernd Schmitt, examines how these challenges are impacting the Yuhan-Kimberly Corporation, and what strategies the company is considering in response.
Yuhan-Kimberly built a reputation for trailblazing CSR by instituting its "Keep Korea Green" tree planting initiative back in 1984. In today's world, however, this lone CSR effort feels tired, competitors have launched similar "green" programs and, as a paper products company, its very credibility as "green" has been called into question. Click here to read more about the case study.
Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra
After many years of changing leadership, internal conflict, dismal reviews and organizational instability, by early 2008 the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO) had transitioned into an independent foundation with new artistic and business leadership. The recently appointed CEO Pal-Seung Lee reflected on SPO's transition and pondered what the best next steps for the organization should be. Its artistic promise was no longer the question. Yet what could CEO Lee do to push the orchestra to reach its full potential so that SPO could shine for Korea, and for the world-wide artistic community?
SAP: Building a Leading Technology Brand
In 2000, SAP hired Martin Homlish to transform marketing worldwide and spearhead a strategic branding initiative. Homlish's challenges were to align the organization and communicate the brand consistently, as well as to build a brand strong and flexible enough to continually support changing business objectives. Homlish established SAP Global Marketing, based in New York City, and launched a comprehensive effort to build a powerful global brand.
This effort has produced impressive results for SAP. According to BusinessWeek's annual brand rankings, the value of the brand rose $2.86 billion, or 46 percent, between 2000 and 2005, making SAP the only software company to gain brand value for five years in a row.
The complete case study, "SAP: Building a Leading Technology Brand"; written by Center Faculty Director Bernd Schmitt, and Executive Director David Rogers, is available for download as a .pdf here.
