 Rajeev Kohli -
Cases
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Scrabulous on
Facebook Abstract:
In 2007, when Facebook was adding one million new
users a week, two brothers who lived near India's
Calcutta airport launched Scrabulous - a virtual
copy of Hasbro's 70-year-old word game, Scrabble.
Mark Blecher, Hasbro's SVP of digital media, faced
an unwelcome predicament: Should he order the
company's legal team to end what seemed a clear case
of piracy? Or was there a better option, one that
would avoid alienating the hundreds of thousands of
puzzle enthusiasts who used the Facebook app, and
who had probably helped the board game achieve
record sales? Students view the conflict from the
perspective of both Hasbro and the Agarwalla
brothers, and with insights and exhibits on the rise
of social media and digital piracy, confront
questions about Blecher's strategy, the consequences
of a lawsuit, and the value of Scrabulous as an
online game and to the Hasbro brand.
Abstract: It's December 2007 and Lalit Modi has just four months before his newly launched domestic Indian cricket league is to play its first match. Modi, who previously led the marketing committee for the Board of Control for Cricket in India, wants to create a city-based franchise system for cricket modeled on US sports franchises. His league would rely on a fast-paced version of cricket called Twenty20 that limits matches to three hours. Meanwhile, as Modi considered how to structure player compensation and best attract investors, a rival Twenty20 league has begun, backed by the owner of an Indian entertainment group. In this case students consider data relating to the sports and entertainment audience in India, as well as other successful sports franchises, to recommend how the league could create a marketable and sustainable business model. |