Digital Winners and Losers

September 13, 2015

Read The Full Prompt

The basic thesis of our course is that digital technologies are upending many industries and companies. Think about Uber’s impact on the taxi business or Spotify’s impact on music downloads and the record industry.

For this module, we would like you to identify companies/organizations that you think are winning or losing. Just work on either winners or losers. Please focus on just one organization. Tell us why they are a winner or loser. Discuss elements of how they create and/or capture value that is leading you to call them a winner or loser.

Create an approximately 500-750 word post to make your contribution. Please create appropriate tags for your post including if it is a “winner” or “loser” Please also respond to and comment on three other posts per module. Feel free to use graphics, data, videos and links to other sites to corroborate your points.

Selected posts will be discussed in class and also featured on the HBS Digital Initiative website.

Submitted (145)

Red Bull: Soaring into Pop Culture
ahc
Last modified on September 13, 2015 at 11:44 pm
How Red Bull's combination of a singular product focus and an expansive media strategy has allowed it to maintain its leadership position in the category it created.
OnePlus One, Redefining the Math of Smartphones
Noam
Last modified on September 12, 2015 at 8:11 pm
OnePlus is changing the game in the smartphone market with a "flagship killer" priced at half of its competitors' products. The question is whether OnePlus will be able to capture enough value to ensure its long-term viability.
Digital Innovation in Online & Mobile Banking at J.P. Morgan Chase
Mike Maley
Last modified on September 13, 2015 at 3:58 pm
The evolution of online and mobile banking has transformed an industry - and Chase has been at the forefront for some time. But with the rise of companies like Venmo, what's next?
New Tech vs Old Industrials: who will win the “Industrial Internet” race?
H Li
Posted on September 13, 2015 at 11:28 pm
Analyzing how New Techs and Old Industrials create and capture value in the Industrial Internet
Kodak: The fall of a giant
GA
Last modified on September 13, 2015 at 9:42 am
Who doesn’t remember going on vacations and having to pack tons of little film rolls along with your camera? (which, as a kid, I opened and unrolled several times to see how pictures look like in there, ruining them!) Or [...]
Pogoseat: The New Era of Seats for Fans
DIGITite
Last modified on September 13, 2015 at 11:58 pm
Ever wish you could upgrade your seats to see Stephen Curry or Kobe Bryant make history yet again? See some seats courtside or in the first row that have yet to be taken? Do you hate the obnoxious people behind [...]
Songkick: A winner in exploiting streaming behavior to maximize revenues to the music industry
Andrea MF
Last modified on October 19, 2015 at 6:03 pm
Concert discovery app Songkick is helping improve monetization of the offline side of the music business, by leveraging information from the fans online behavior.
Cool to be fit? Another Hipster trend monetized.
Angela
Last modified on September 12, 2015 at 8:21 am
Putting the consumers' health and wellbeing back in control of the person through the use of Fitbit.
Ambarella: An ‘Under-The-Radar’ Winner In The Age Of Digital Video
Karthik
Last modified on September 13, 2015 at 5:59 pm
Digital video creation and consumption has exploded over the last few years and is expected to continue expanding over the next decade. One company which has successfully leveraged this growth in digital video but remained relatively under-the-radar is the semi-conductor [...]
Strivr: Revolutionizing Sports from Behind-the-Scenes
NoSocks
Posted on September 14, 2015 at 5:16 pm
Strivr Labs brings Oculus Rift to professional sports
MINDBODY – providing technology tools to a non-tech industry
Pinky and the Brain
Last modified on September 11, 2015 at 2:45 pm
MINDBODY is revolutionizing the health and wellness industry with its cloud-based business software, all designed to help yoga / fitness studios, spas and other wellness centers manage their businesses smartly and efficiently.
A lost battle for digital- Why Cengage and other textbook publishers are doomed
Oded
Posted on September 13, 2015 at 10:03 pm
Cengage and other textbook publisher are moving to full digital content and signing their own death warrant
Minerva – not your ordinary university
Jenny Chiu
Last modified on September 12, 2015 at 10:44 pm
Virtual classroom. Active learning. World class professors. Half of the bill. Welcome to the future of higher education.
Eseye: A Game Changer in the Digital World
Damla
Last modified on September 13, 2015 at 11:53 pm
Eseye, an M2M technology and service provider, is changing the game in the digital world
Go Craig Go – Craigslist is a winner
Christine
Posted on September 13, 2015 at 2:07 pm
Craigslist became a winner and created a loser at the same time
FreshDirect: A Beloved Loser
Qing
Last modified on September 13, 2015 at 4:45 pm
An online grocer's asset heavy and local focused business model come at odds with the rapid scalability often associated with the digital era.
Zillow: Bringing Data and Transparency to the Neighborhood
Fisher
Posted on September 11, 2015 at 8:39 pm
Zillow brings data and transparency to neighborhoods across the U.S.
Vertical Integration Maximizes Creativity and Profit at Audible
The future ex Mrs. Kevin Branch-Elliman-Obara
Posted on September 14, 2015 at 12:36 pm
The near market monopoly enjoyed by Amazon/Audible demonstrates the ability of vertically integrated media companies to maximize value for the customer
Fidor – Digital winner in the banking industry?
SJB
Posted on September 13, 2015 at 8:39 pm
Fidor, a fully digital bank from Germany is trying to revolutionize the way we do banking!
Is Rebecca Minkoff’s smart in-store shopping the future of fashion retail?
Golden
Posted on September 14, 2015 at 11:28 pm
Have you ever been in a fitting room, half naked with the wrong size and no sales associate in sight? Or wished that someone would bring you a cup of water or coffee while you shop? Rebecca Minkoff’s Soho store [...]
Polaroid: Instant Photography King No More
DB
Posted on September 13, 2015 at 12:25 pm
Polaroid went from being one of the most successful companies in the photography industry to filing for bankruptcy in 2011. How could things go so wrong for such a successful company that was able to ward off competition in the [...]
Resmed Sleeps and Breathes Innovation
Chippydip
Last modified on September 11, 2015 at 11:33 pm
The sleep apnea treatment industry gets a breath of fresh air from Resmed, with their constant innovations and data-driven advances. I wouldn't hold my breath for Phillips or other competitors to catch up anytime soon. Rest assured- Resmed is #winning.
Box Is Winning the Digital Enterprise Match
QC
Last modified on September 13, 2015 at 2:26 pm
Box: winner in the digital enterprise space.
Vox Media: Journalism is commoditized, technology is not
DD1
Posted on September 14, 2015 at 12:58 am
Investment capital has been pouring into Vox Media over the last couple of years, with the company recently raising $200 million from NBC Universal (owned by Comcast) at a post money valuation of approximately $1B. This is orders of magnitude higher than prices paid even for the [...]